Amman — Away from the noise of everyday life, another beginning awaits. It may be brief, but it can be enough. Such a fresh start does not require much time as much as it requires a change of place and a chance to step outside one’s usual routine.
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Can a short trip lasting a day or two help people take a break from life’s pressures and return with renewed energy?
A short trip and temporary relief
Dima, a high school student preparing for the Tawjihi exams, faces considerable academic pressure. This prompted her and her family to take a short recreational trip to ease the stress. Although it lasted only two days, she says she felt as if she had moved from one life to another after temporarily stepping away from her routine. The trip gave her more energy and enthusiasm to return to studying, an effect she compares to recharging a battery.
Mohammad, an employee at a company, finds it difficult to take long trips because of the nature of his work. He therefore often opts for short getaways during the Friday and Saturday weekend.
He says these trips give him a chance to temporarily escape work pressure, particularly because of the variety of activities and the atmosphere of jokes and laughter, away from the seriousness of work. Spending two days outside his usual routine helps him change his state of mind and regain some sense of comfort, even if only briefly.
For Iman, short trips have become part of her routine, and she makes a point of taking them every week. They give her opportunities to meet new people, gain different experiences and learn about other cultures, while enjoying time with friends.
Iman believes domestic trips help her break the monotony of daily life, ease its pressures and restore her positive energy. Their affordable cost also makes them an accessible way to enjoy time away without having to travel long distances.
When stepping away becomes a necessity
Psychological and educational specialist Haneen Al-Batoush says the feeling of needing to step away from one’s daily routine is sometimes linked to the accumulation of responsibilities and the limited time available for personal needs.
Pressure, she explains, does not result solely from the amount of work or study, but also from constant preoccupation, repeated demands and the feeling that one must respond to them without enough time to recover.
She says the desire to take a short break can be understood as a need to regain balance and create space outside one’s professional and family roles. Routine provides stability, she notes, but it also requires flexibility and renewal to remain supportive of a healthy life.
Al-Batoush adds that short trips can help reduce stress and improve a person’s sense of vitality, particularly when they allow mental distance from obligations, sufficient sleep, physical activity and freely chosen activities.
Changing one’s surroundings may reduce everyday reminders of pending tasks and provide an opportunity to look at concerns from a broader perspective. She emphasizes that the quality of a break matters more than how far away the destination is or how much the trip costs.
Finding an opportunity to recover
At the family level, Al-Batoush says a trip gives family members an opportunity to connect, have fun and create shared experiences, provided their different needs are considered and planning and childcare responsibilities are distributed fairly. Rest cannot be achieved for everyone if one family member carries the entire burden of organizing the trip.
Children can also learn from the experience that rest is part of a balanced life and that enjoyment does not require a packed schedule or spending beyond the family’s means.
People under constant pressure at work or school may need breaks more than others, Al-Batoush says, but they may also find it harder to benefit from them. A person may physically travel somewhere while remaining mentally occupied with tasks or anxious about what awaits them upon returning.
She therefore recommends organizing commitments in advance, setting boundaries on work-related communication and choosing an itinerary suited to one’s level of fatigue. A few days away cannot resolve exhaustion that has accumulated over months, she stresses, but they can offer an opportunity to recover. Sustained improvement requires reviewing the scale of one’s responsibilities, sources of stress and available support.
Healthy habits that support mental well-being
The same applies to students, according to Al-Batoush. Rest becomes more beneficial when it forms part of a realistic study plan and is supported by family understanding, rather than making students feel guilty for needing a break.
She distinguishes healthy rest from avoiding problems by looking at how stepping away affects a person’s ability to manage daily life. A break allows someone to calm down and organize their thoughts before returning to responsibilities and problems with greater clarity.
However, if trips become a repeated way to postpone necessary conversations and decisions while obligations and disagreements continue to accumulate, it is important to reconsider the pattern.
By contrast, leaving a harmful or unsafe environment may be necessary for protection, making it essential to understand a person’s circumstances before judging their reasons for stepping away.
Al-Batoush says the benefits of a trip may continue after returning home, but their duration depends on the individual’s circumstances and the demands they face. To make those benefits last, she recommends turning the sense of relief experienced during a trip into small, sustainable habits, such as walking, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, setting aside time for family and limiting work outside working hours.
Rest is a human right and a shared responsibility
A trip may help people recognize a need that had been missing from their daily lives, but maintaining its benefits requires making room for that need in their regular routines.
If anxiety, sleep disturbances or low mood persist and affect daily performance or relationships, Al-Batoush says seeking psychological assessment and support is an appropriate step rather than relying on travel alone.
She adds that one of the greatest benefits of a trip is returning with greater self-awareness, a willingness to listen to loved ones and a clearer sense of what deserves one’s time and energy. Rest, she emphasizes, is a human right and a shared family responsibility that deserves a regular place in everyday life.
She encourages people to carry a simple question with them after every break: “What gave me peace of mind here, and how can I make room for it in my daily life?”
Short trips are becoming an increasingly popular option
Dana Miqdadi, a domestic tourism trip coordinator and organizer, says short trips within Jordan are attracting families and young people seeking recreation, a change of scenery and opportunities to discover tourist destinations across the Kingdom.
She believes this growing interest is linked to several factors, particularly the compatibility of short trips with the leave periods people have available.
Such trips allow participants to spend a day or two away from their usual routines without taking extended leave from work. Short distances and easy access also make it possible in many cases to return home on the same day.
Miqdadi says families and women are among the groups most interested in organized trips. A variety of destinations and programs, combined with reasonable prices, makes these outings suitable for people who want to relax and spend time with family and friends without the expense or complicated arrangements of a major trip.
She adds that the desire to temporarily escape work and everyday pressures is another reason people choose these trips, alongside easy booking and organization and a range of experiences involving nature, archaeological sites, recreation and relaxation.
The shift toward short trips
Miqdadi says trips that combine several experiences in one itinerary attract greater interest, particularly when they are convenient in terms of time and cost.
Participants travel to destinations across northern, central and southern Jordan, she explains. Their choices depend on the itinerary and their interests, but the short duration and variety of experiences remain among the main attractions of this type of tourism.
Mahmoud Khasawneh, president of the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents, says regional tensions and instability, along with issues affecting air travel and flight schedules, have led some Jordanians in recent months to turn toward short trips and domestic tourism. This allows them to avoid potential obstacles that could affect their ability to travel or return home.
He says the trend has a direct impact on domestic tourism, emphasizing that “the Jordanian citizen is the capital of local tourism.” The sector is counting on Jordanians to visit local destinations, particularly during periods of regional tension and crisis.
Domestic tourism, he adds, has played an important role in helping Jordanian tourism and travel agencies remain operational through various periods and circumstances affecting the region. Continued interest in short trips and local destinations helps support the sector and strengthen its ability to remain active.
Life is shorter than we imagine, so why allow ourselves to become so exhausted? Perhaps it is time for a short trip to change the scenery, catch our breath and return with some of the energy that the passing days have taken from us.
Resource: Al-Ghad.
