Learning how to vacation

The summer vacation season in the United States is under way and many are planning to go ... nowhere.

The Travel Channel tries to inspire people to get off their couches, featuring shows like "Extreme Water Parks," which takes the audience to the world's highest and steepest water slide in Fortaleza, Brazil, and "Trip Flip," where those already on vacation are upgraded to the swankiest hotels and dine at the best restaurants. But Neil Genzlinger writes in The Times that producers of these shows fail to understand the American sensibility.

"There's nothing mainstream Americans like better than listening to, and hanging out with, people exactly like themselves," Mr. Genzlinger wrote. "That means we don't want shows about exotic adventures; what we want is a Staycation Channel."

These days many Americans are just happy to have a job and fear time away from the office may become permanent if the boss notices they aren't really missed. Even President Obama, whose job security is an open question, is forgoing his annual beach getaway to the upscale island of Martha's Vineyard.

Marketers have noticed, Tanzina Vega reported in The Times. They are rolling out commercials that urge "workers to commit small acts of so-called rebellion - like taking a vacation, or going on a lunch break."

In a television ad for Las Vegas, one worker climbs on her desk in a busy office and yells: "I have 47 vacation days. That's insane. Let's take back our summer!" She holds up a sign that says "Vacation Now." "Who's with me?'" she asks. Some applaud. The rest look away.

Part of the problem may be that many of us just don't know how to "take back the summer." Times reporter Matt Richtel had that problem in Hawaii. A seven-day break in March to enjoy the islands was spent checking his phone, lamenting the rain and dealing with his jet-lagged toddlers. He wrote: "I had hoped to return home at peace. Instead I was exhausted, defeated and irritable."

So for his next trip, Mr. Richtel consulted with experts, who were kind enough not to point out that if he needed advice on how to relax, that might be part of the problem.

Learn to turn off the racing mind on a daily basis; that way when you do finally go away, you've had some practice at relaxing. Deep breathing works.

Get away from your daily routine. Leaving home is not enough; leave your phone in your pocket as well.

Accept the boredom. It's O.K. to do nothing. Don't replace your work obsession for a vacation schedule full of pilates classes and kite-sailing lessons.

Don't try to work when you are off.

Jonathan Schooler, a psychology professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, learned the last lesson the hard way. During a recent family trip to Norway he thought he could fit in a little work, he told Mr. Richtel. He'd take out his laptop, fiddle, not get much done. But he never fully relaxed either.

Professor Schooler should know better. Really. His research has shown that people are more creative when they let themselves daydream or do only mildly engaging mental tasks.

"Part of the problem is that we don't really believe in the value of incubation and the value of mind wandering," he told Mr. Richtel, adding with a laugh, "I'm still ruining vacations by taking work with me, trying to get stuff done."

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