Many times as patients work to make healthy lifestyle changes or follow a new plan we’ve mapped out together, they bring up a specific concern: their upcoming vacation.

They don’t want that week away to completely derail their progress.

We’ve probably all worried about this at one point or another, especially during the holiday season. Will I be able to exercise on the cruise ship? Will I be able to resist Aunt Ida’s famous mac and cheese?

But I want to present a slightly different perspective for those worrying about how to stay healthy on vacation (or during the holidays). Let’s get into it.

How to Stay Healthy on Vacation: The Fundamental Flaw With Vacation Anxiety

When patients express concern about an upcoming vacation disrupting their new health plan, I remind them of something important: You shouldn’t sacrifice the enjoyment of your vacation on the altar of rigid dietary or exercise plans.

Enjoy the time you have. Enjoy the different food choices. Enjoy the activities your new location has to offer.

This doesn’t mean you go overboard with activity that might injure you or a diet so out of control it makes you ill. It simply means keeping your healthy lifestyle plan in mind without being so strict that you can’t have a cocktail with dinner or a glass of wine at a winery tasting.

Does it surprise you to hear a doctor say this?

If you read my blog often, you’ll know that I consider stress elimination to be one of the four essential pillars of health. That makes the relaxing, restoring, renewing experiences of vacation not just a luxury, but a necessity. If you spend your entire vacation feeling guilty or depriving yourself, however, you defeat the purpose of taking time away in the first place.

Timing Matters: Vacations, Holidays, and Health Plans

From a medical perspective, stress elimination is critical to overall wellness, and vacations contribute to this purpose beautifully (when we let them).

That said, timing does play a role.

If you’re planning major lifestyle changes, I don’t recommend starting right before a vacation or major holiday. Rather than setting yourself up for guilt and negative feelings, wait to begin your plan until afterward.

There’s a reason so many people change their lifestyle on January 1. They know that during the holidays, they’re unlikely to adhere to strict new habits. But once they establish a new routine after the holidays and stay consistent for months on end, the next year’s celebrations become easier to navigate with moderation rather than overindulgence.

Practice Mindful Enjoyment Without Guilt

You’ve probably heard — or said — this before: I need a vacation to recover from my vacation. It’s a common phenomenon, and it often means you were having so much fun you sacrificed sleep, did more activity than you’re used to, or overindulged a bit on food.

But not every vacation is a health and yoga retreat. Most are about taking in the sights, visiting family or friends, and enjoying new things — and you don’t need to feel guilty about that.

If you want to incorporate some healthy vacation habits, however, there are absolutely ways to do so.

When considering how to eat healthy on vacation, explore the local food culture and peruse menu selections that offer more nutritious options for that particular environment. You can still make healthy choices while enjoying regional cuisine.

For maintaining fitness on vacation, just because you’re not hitting your usual gym or Pilates class doesn’t mean you can’t stay active. Go on a hike. Explore by foot. Many vacation destinations have hilly terrain, and walking up a hill for any length of time is a serious workout.

Sometimes you can get more activity on a healthy vacation than you’d ever get at home. You’re just getting it differently, which is exactly as it should be.

What Really Matters: The Big Picture

What matters most are your daily habits, not your vacation indulgences.

If you live a consistently healthy lifestyle and take one week “off the wagon,” the downside will be minimal to none. But if you have consistent unhealthy behaviors in daily life, then the indulgences of vacation simply add to an existing problem.

The inverse is also true. Eating healthy for a week or weekend won’t do anything to combat poor lifestyle choices year-round. Real health effects come from consistent choices over time, not from one exceptional week in either direction.

If you’re already living a healthy lifestyle, one week of modified activity won’t undo your progress. Your body doesn’t work that way. But if vacation stress prevents you from truly resting and recharging, you’re missing the real health benefit this time away offers.

How to Stay Healthy on Vacation: Your Takeaway for Guilt-Free Travel

If you’re concerned about how to stay healthy on vacation, remember the purpose I mentioned for getting away: stress elimination.

Choose activities that will refresh and restore you. Again, this doesn’t mean yoga retreats for everyone. If that’s what you like, then go for it and enjoy! But maybe you thrive mentally and physically walking through old-town Europe, or hiking in the mountains, or spending time with family. There’s no one right answer. Choose what works for you.

One practical tip I like to share is to plan an extra day to rest and recalibrate when you get back home, rather than immediately jumping right into your normal routine. That buffer day makes a tremendous difference in helping you transition back to your work and life activities without feeling overwhelmed.

Just remember, the consistency of your daily habits throughout the year matters far more than what you do during one week away. Your vacation should leave you feeling refreshed, not regretful. Give yourself permission to enjoy the experience.