Shorter, more frequent breaks may help travellers manage stress more effectively than relying on one major annual holiday, according to psychotherapist Jeremy Neumann.
Partnering with Tiny Away, Mr Neumann said regular 48-hour escapes can interrupt the accumulation of stress and create repeated opportunities for recovery throughout the year.
“I prefer thinking about recovery as preventative maintenance rather than emergency repair,” Mr Neumann said. “You don’t necessarily need to reach breaking point before giving your mind and body an opportunity to recover.”
He said part of the benefit can begin before the trip itself, with having a break on the horizon helping divide long periods of work into more manageable stretches.
To make a short getaway genuinely restorative, Mr Neumann recommends disconnecting from work and digital distractions, embracing the novelty of a different environment and avoiding the temptation to schedule every hour.
“If we’re checking work emails over breakfast, scrolling through distressing news and carrying our usual digital stimulation everywhere, we’ve removed one of the main psychological benefits of going away,” he said.
Leaving unstructured time can also be valuable, whether that means reading, walking without headphones, sitting by the water or simply doing very little.
The approach reflects growing interest in shorter nature-based escapes that can be fitted more easily into everyday life, rather than saving all available leave for one longer trip.
