One of the best things about summer is getting to go on vacation! Taking a trip with friends and family to a new, beautiful place and making lifelong memories is one of the greatest things in the world, yet, for some reason, it can also be one of the most stressful. Chances are, if you’re getting ready for a vacation, you’ve been thinking a lot about it and you’re excited, but you’re also a little stressed. That defeats the purpose! So, with these 15 keys, you can get rid of the stress and focus on relaxing, refreshing, and having one of the best trips of your life.

Practical:

1. Put Your Phone Down

“Wait, how am I supposed to take pictures?” “But how do you expect me to stay in contact with home?” Hold up. Before you hammer me with more questions, allow me to explain. You can check your phone briefly at night, in the room. That’s about it, though. Don’t waste half your time in a brand new place staring at a screen. Besides, all it does is stress you anyway. You’ll be away from work, news, and social media and focusing on yourself and your vacation. Your phone will be there when you get back, I promise.

2. Meet New People

You may never be back where you are, and you have a chance to meet people from different countries, cities, and cultures. I’ve met people from London, Belgium, and many more places on vacations and we got to each learn more about each other’s homes and lives. Plus, if you keep in contact, you’ve potentially made yourself a friend from halfway around the world. And, of course, there’s the "Grease" “Summer Nights” aspect, where if you leave your shell and go socialize, you could find some “summer love” too.

3. Spend Quality Time with Friends/Family

As important as it is to meet new people, don’t spend so much time with others that you abandon the people you came with. No matter what relationships you make with new people, they’ll not be like those of your family you came with. You went on vacation to bond and spend time together, so make sure that happens. You’ll have great family memories for years to come.

4. Wear Sunscreen

Trust me on this one. You don’t want to ruin your vacation and be miserable with sunburn just because you forgot or were too lazy (or cool) to take proper care of yourself. Take it from someone who had to go to the hospital on vacation for similar reasons, it’s kind of a bummer. Quit being Joe Cool and wear sunscreen.

5. Try Something New

Go outside your comfort zone. Don’t let inhibitions hold you down. Face your fears. You might never be back. Go parasailing. Take a leap of faith down the big water slide. Ride the roller coaster. Whatever it means to you, do something you haven’t done before. You may never get the chance again.

6. Eat Good Food

Maybe it’s just because I’m a teenage boy, but one of the highlights of my vacations are the restaurants. Pig out on vacation. Don’t make yourself sick, but eat a lot! I’m not talking about McDonalds and Bob Evans, either. The rule of thumb is eating somewhere you can’t eat at home. To collaborate with my point 5, try new food, too. Don’t always eat chicken nuggets or pizza (although some small pizza places are nearly heaven), but eat something exotic, something native to wherever you are.

7. Read

Don’t spend every waking second reading, but find a good story to take. Sometimes, one of the most relaxing things is to lay across the beach with a book.

8. Enjoy Nature

Chances are, your vacation is in some beautiful place. Whether it’s a beach, the mountains, an open valley, or the Grand Canyon, take it all in. It’s a beautiful world out there. Creation is magnificent, so go out and enjoy it!

9. Be Friendly to Unfriendly People

Since you’re somewhere on planet Earth interacting with other humans, you are guaranteed to encounter some jerks. People will be rude, people will cut you in lines, you might even be splashed in the swimming pool. Don’t react by being a jerk back. Let it go. Don’t let them ruin your week. Smile back and keep on walking.

10. Make Friends with the Staff

Smile, say thanks a lot, and tip well. Being friendly with the staff can take you a long way and get you all kinds of bonuses on your trip. Make sure you're extra nice with room service and housekeeping, too. It will make it much easier for you to get the things you want. Once, a simple conversation with a staff member got my family and I an exclusive meet and greet with the cast of one of the shows.

The Big 5:

11. Don't expect anything

If you go in to your vacation with high expectations, you're setting yourself for let downs. Not that it won't be as good as you expect, but it's that it won't be exactly how you expect. Be surprised and excited by everything that happens.

12. Be patient

Slow down. There's no reason for you to be rushed. All that does is cause unnecessary stress. You'e on vacation, so just enjoy yourself and be patient.

13. Relax

Life back home might be really tough. Work might be crazy. School might be stressing you out. That's why you're on vacation in the first place. Just relax and enjoy yourself.

14. Live in the Moment

One of the biggest mistakes people make while on vacation is counting days. "Only two days left." "We leave tomorrow." This is bad because it takes away from the vacation. Live in and enjoy the day yo are in, the moment you are in, and it will seem longer. Leaving is inevitable, so don't worry about. Enjoy the moment you are in.

15. Have fun!

More than anything else, you go on vacation to have a good time! Don't let anything get in the way of that. Everything you do and everywhere you go on your trip should have the same end result in mind: Having fun!

Now you have it! The 15 Keys to having the best vacation ever!!!! Apply them and have a great time!