The Things We Do on Holiday That We’d Never Do at Home

Why a change of scenery gives us permission to live a little differently. 

It’s 11am. You’re eating an ice cream. Not because it’s particularly hot. Not because you’ve just finished lunch. Simply because you’re on holiday, the sun is out and, quite frankly, why not?

Yesterday, you went swimming before breakfast. Tonight, you’ll probably stay up later than you should. Tomorrow afternoon, there’s a strong chance you’ll have a nap without feeling remotely guilty about it. 

At home, you’d call it an unproductive day. On holiday, it’s living your best life.

It’s funny how quickly the rules seem to change when we get away. The laundry can wait. The unfinished jobs around the house can stay unfinished. Nobody needs to know what’s for dinner until you're actually hungry. 

But why does being somewhere different make it so much easier to give ourselves permission to do things we’d rarely allow ourselves at home?

Think about your usual weekday morning. 

You probably have a routine. An alarm, a shower, breakfast, a mental checklist of everything that needs doing. Even when you’re not particularly busy, there are familiar expectations about how your time should be spent.

Now imagine waking up somewhere new. 

Perhaps you open the curtains to a view of the sea. You wander outside with a coffee. Breakfast happens whenever you fancy it. There’s no immediate need to check your emails or think about the washing. 

You’re still the same person. Your responsibilities haven’t magically disappeared. Yet somehow, the day feels full of possibilities. 

Part of the explanation may be that our surroundings act as cues for our behaviour. At home, familiar rooms and everyday objects can remind us of the tasks associated with them. The kitchen needs cleaning. The garden needs attention. The spare room still needs sorting. 

Away from home, many of those reminders are temporarily out of sight. 

A different setting also interrupts our usual routines, making space for choices we might not ordinarily consider. Instead of automatically following the same patterns, we’re more likely to ask ourselves what we actually feel like doing. 

And sometimes, the answer is absolutely nothing.

Every household has its own unwritten rules. Holidays have a habit of throwing them out of the window. 

At home, an ice cream at 11am might feel like an unnecessary indulgence. By the seaside, it somehow becomes an essential part of the day. The same treat, a completely different set of rules. 

At home, getting everyone fed and dressed can feel like a military operation. On holiday, an early swim might be the perfect start to the day, followed by breakfast that tastes all the better because you’ve already had an adventure. 

At home, lying down in the middle of the afternoon can feel like something you should justify. On holiday, it’s simply part of the plan. Even better if there’s nowhere you need to be afterwards. 

When tomorrow doesn’t begin with the usual rush, it’s easier to let the evening unfold. One more conversation, one more drink, one more walk as the sun goes down. Suddenly, bedtime feels like a suggestion rather than a deadline. 

None of these things is particularly extraordinary. That’s precisely the point. A holiday often gives us permission to enjoy ordinary pleasures without measuring them against the usual demands of the day.

Psychologists who study recovery from work use a term called psychological detachment. It describes the ability to mentally switch off from work and its demands during our time away from it. 

That distinction matters. Leaving work physically doesn’t necessarily mean leaving it behind mentally. You can be sitting beside a swimming pool while thinking about tomorrow’s meeting, the email you forgot to send or the jobs waiting for you at home. 

Research has linked psychological detachment during non-work time with better reported wellbeing and less exhaustion. A 2025 meta-analysis of vacation research also found evidence that holidays can support employee wellbeing, with psychological detachment and physical activity among the potentially important factors. 

In other words, taking time off is one thing. Feeling genuinely away from your usual responsibilities is another. 

This helps explain why a change of scenery can be so appealing. When our surroundings, activities and daily rhythms change, it may become easier to step out of our normal roles and give our attention to something else. 

It’s also why a holiday packed with emails, household admin and constant notifications might not feel much like a break at all. 

The location matters, but so does what we allow ourselves to leave behind.

There’s a particular kind of freedom in being somewhere that doesn’t come with a mental list of improvements. 

At home, there’s always something to do. A cupboard to organise. A wall to paint. A garden that needs attention. A washing basket that seems to refill itself overnight. 

Even when we’re relaxing, these jobs can sit quietly in the background, reminding us that there is always something else we could be doing. 

When we get away, many of those tasks become temporarily irrelevant. 

You can’t do the washing because your washing machine isn’t there. You can’t start that DIY project because the tools are at home. And, wonderfully, you don’t have to spend Saturday morning deciding which of those things deserves your attention first. 

Of course, being away doesn’t remove every responsibility. Family holidays can involve plenty of organising in their own right, and some people find it difficult to switch off wherever they are. 

But stepping outside the environment associated with those tasks can create a little breathing room. 

Sometimes, the luxury isn’t having nothing to do. It’s being somewhere that doesn’t constantly remind you of everything you haven’t done. 

This idea becomes particularly interesting when you think about holiday home ownership.

For some people, having a holiday home means having a familiar place to escape to, without needing to plan every detail from scratch. You know the setting. You know where to go for a walk. You might have favourite spots, familiar routines and friends you look forward to seeing. 

There's comfort in that familiarity, but it can also offer a break from the everyday environment and its usual demands. 

We heard this sentiment in a testimonial from owners at Bowleaze Cove’s Stables development, who spoke about the peace and freedom of getting away without worrying about the house. 

It’s a simple idea, but a powerful one: being able to leave the to-do list behind and enjoy time somewhere that feels like your own. 

Read the Bowleaze Cove Stables’ Owners’ Story →

For those who own a holiday home, the appeal isn’t necessarily about doing something extraordinary every time they visit. It might be the freedom to arrive on a Friday, decide what the weekend looks like as it unfolds and enjoy being somewhere different without having to start planning all over again. 

Of course, holiday home ownership comes with its own responsibilities and ongoing costs. The difference is that, when you’re away enjoying your stay, the everyday jobs at your main home can be put to one side for a while. 

Here’s the interesting question: do we really need to be on holiday to give ourselves permission to live this way?

Not entirely, perhaps. 

You might not be able to abandon the laundry for a fortnight or spend every afternoon by the sea. Everyday life has its own practicalities, and there’s nothing wrong with having routines. But perhaps we can borrow a few things from our holiday selves.

Eat breakfast outside when the weather allows. Take an afternoon off without filling it with errands. Leave the washing until tomorrow if it can wait. Go for a walk without turning it into a fitness challenge. Say yes to an ice cream simply because you fancy one. 

And, occasionally, resist the urge to make every spare moment productive. 

We often think of holidays as an escape from everyday life, but perhaps they also offer a glimpse of how we would like everyday life to feel: less hurried, less preoccupied and a little more open to whatever happens next. 

The challenge is finding ways to keep some of that feeling once the suitcases are unpacked.

Try being your holiday self for an afternoon. 

Choose a few hours when you don’t have anywhere you need to be. Put the household jobs to one side, leave your usual routine alone and do something simply because you want to. 

Have that ice cream. Take the long way home. Sit outside until it gets chilly. Take a nap without setting an alarm. 

Notice how it feels to stop treating every moment as an opportunity to get something done. 

Perhaps the best thing about a holiday isn’t just the place we visit. It’s the permission we give ourselves to enjoy being there. 

And who says we have to wait until the next one?