Nowadays, it seems like everyone is experiencing some form of emotional overwhelm and exhaustion. Enter burnout to the scene. From the demands of motherhood, grinding on your side hustle, and working 10-hour days… we’re tired and wired. Work-life balance isn’t as glamorous or easy as we once thought, and movies like “The Devil Wears Prada” hold up a glass mirror to what working in toxic workplace culture does to the mind and body.
So what do we do? Will vacation fix burnout?
After exploring more than 40 countries, I’m always the first in my friend group to book that dream trip to Costa Rica, South Africa… you name it. Vacation is meant to foster a spirit of relaxation, exploration, and a deep connection to ourselves and the world around us.
Even as a certified wellness travel coach and world traveler who encourages people to adventure more often, I’ve learned vacation has limits.
So book that trip, and let’s also get into fixing burnout.
RELATED: How Job Burnout Can Hurt Your Health – And What to Do About It
Before we jump into what burnout is, it’s important to understand what it’s not. Burnout is not a medical health condition. Rather, it’s complete exhaustion from ongoing stress.
The American Psychological Association’s Dictionary of Psychology describes burnout as the “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes toward oneself and others.”
Burnout is typically linked to a specific trigger like work, parenting, school, lack of sleep, caregiving, and other responsibilities, according to Mental Health America. Over time, feelings of depletion and overwhelm can take over.
Burnout symptoms can vary from person to person and situation to situation. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the most common symptoms are mood shifts, fatigue, tension headaches, dissatisfaction and indifference, and changes in sleeping habits. Changes in eating patterns, like eating less or more, may also signal burnout.
Researchers from a 2026 study reported that gastrointestinal issues and pain may also be especially common in burnout. This could range from diarrhea and constipation to back or joint pain.
Many burnout symptoms may mirror signs of depression, but they are different. For instance, if we’re dealing with burnout, taking a break from a stressor like work and booking a vacation may provide some relief.
On the other hand, if it’s depression, taking a break most likely won’t help you recover since it impacts every aspect of life. If you’re concerned that you may be dealing with depression, talking with a therapist can help you safely navigate this. Rula and Octave provide inclusive care for the BIPOC community.
Burnout never happens overnight. The development is always gradual. It stems from extended periods of high stress without proper recovery. For instance, the idea that you need to be constantly “on” after working long hours can be incredibly stressful. If this risk factor is left unchecked over a long period, this could impact your mental and physical health, points out WebMD.
According to WebMD, some other risk factors that may lead to burnout are high-pressure work and social settings, cultural expectations, and highly competitive workplaces. Believe it or not, being “Type A” can also lead to burnout if you’re hyperfocused on awards, achievement, and work.
The simple answer is — it might if you utilize the right tools.
The first step is to know whether you’re experiencing burnout, because recognizing it paves the path to recovery. And sis, if that’s you, we’re here. Book that trip if you can or consider taking a day off for a staycation. Either way, taking some space can do wonders for your overall health. But you don’t want to take any old trips.
While any travel disrupts normal routines and duties and creates psychological distance from responsibility, intentional travel encourages you to go a step further. It invites you to slow down, move with purpose, and rediscover what freedom and joy feel like. You get to choose what time you wake up, the restaurant, the activities, and much more.
“This starts with the person knowing what helps them recover from extreme stress and fatigue, and building a travel experience that incorporates those elements, which sets them up for success with regard to burnout recovery,” explains licensed psychologist and certified travel coach Lisa M. Pittman, PhD.
As a certified wellness travel coach always on the move, I’ve realized that setting an intention before each trip and reflecting on what I hope to improve helps me approach the experience with greater awareness. Knowing what I want to grow in–work-life balance, establishing healthy boundaries, learning stress management techniques, and getting quality sleep–before I begin creates more space for deeper transformation, healing, and personal growth along the way.
“Vacation alone doesn’t fix burnout because most people use travel as an escape rather than a personal development tool, “ shares Dík Doroja, a certified travel coach who specializes in culture-immersive adventures. “Culture immersion is what breaks the patterns that cause issues like burnout.”
If you’re going through burnout, don’t push through it.
Vacation helps you decompress, but you’ll still need to identify what went wrong. Was it work or caregiving duties? Were your personal expectations too high? Take all the time you need to reflect.
To reverse burnout, it’s also important to focus on your overall health, WebMD points out. Get quality sleep, exercise daily, and eat a balanced diet that’s rich in fruits and vegetables.“
Lastly, make changes to remove burnout triggers. This “starts with being very clear about your expectations for your downtime (both at home and away), including what will help you rest, recover, and restore, while also knowing what or who could get in the way of that,” said Pittman. Being intentional about how that time is spent and putting up boundaries to protect your time and space will go a long way towards recovering from the extreme stress and fatigue that leads to burnout.”
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