Sometimes you just need to chill out. Take some time to be by yourself and simply be. It can be difficult to find the time to do this whilst travelling. There is so much pressure to get out there and do as much as you possibly can in as short a time as possible. You won’t be there forever, so get out there and enjoy it.

I’ve decided to spend an extended amount of time in Hanoi. My next places are experiencing less than ideal weather conditions, so I figured I’d stay here and relax. Yet I’m actually finding it difficult to do so. I’ve covered off most of the sites or ‘must sees’, yet I feel guilty at the idea of sitting around and doing nothing.

I had planned on spending yesterday planning my next moves, arranging buses or trains and a hostel. Instead, I simply extended my time here. I spent most of the day in the common area of the hostel and felt like I’d wasted a day. To make up for this, I had a night out with some girls I’ve met – had a great time, but certainly not planned (or budgeted) for. Yet, had I been at home, I probably would have spent the day on the couch playing games or watching TV. And I wouldn’t feel as though I’d wasted a day.

Before I left home, I told myself and my friends that I wasn’t going to put any pressure on myself; that I would take things as they came and do as much or as little as I pleased. I’ve got time on my side. Why pressure myself into doing something right away? I had grand plans to write blog post after blog post. I’ve been away for four weeks now and this is only the second post.

I left my life and friends and family behind so I could spend some time on me, for me. It’s okay that I’ve barely touched the surface and it’s okay that I’ve only done two posts. I’m not in a rush – good things take time. Yet, is it enough?

Travel can be therapeutic and it is so far proving to be. I certainly need a lot more therapy, but for now I need to be satisfied with working on my ‘R’s. Refresh, reboot, reset and relax. My first three weeks were manic, the only down time was on the bus and that certainly wasn’t relaxing. The short time at the beach wasn’t enough to reboot and the two night stops weren’t conducive to resetting.

Finding time to master those Rs is proving to be quite the challenge. In the real world, it’s near impossible. In the travelling world, it should be a given. Realistically, finding time for yourself is tough, no matter where you are. The ability to remove the guilt and take the time to be you, be yourself and work on you, it’s bloody tough. But it needs to be done. Tomorrow I plan on seeing a movie – being in Vietnam that could be a challenge in itself – however it’s a perfectly acceptable activity for rebooting.

We all need time to and for ourselves. Travel is no different. Live in the moment, but don’t forget to allow yourself to relish the moment. There’s no need to be guilty for taking some time out.

Make yourself a priority to ensure that you can continue to live in the moment.