I’m a big fan of the city break, but something that I always look forward to is a long beach holiday. Almost every year for a good 8 years, I’ve visited Majorca with my family. And every year, we head to the same area for a week of flitting between the poolside and the beach with plenty of food in between.

This year, we saved our holiday until September, meaning I spent the Summer in London scrolling through everyone else’s bikini photos while I waited for my own Summertime to come. When the time did come, I was well and truly ready for some time away from London; no pollution, busy streets and constant on-the-go. I realised I wanted to – needed to – switch off completely for a while. Hole myself away with a good book, a gin and tonic and some sunshine.

Whether you’re heading abroad, for a weekend at the spa or just home for a while – this is how I take a break from reality.

Top tip. I always remember my out of office on my work email, but forgot to add it onto my personal email address – just as a couple of post possibilities came through. Oops. Switch it on and then you can really forget about those replies (until you’re home!).

Whilst on the plane, I deleted over 1,000 photos – though Walsh found it funny to press cancel just as I’d selected 300 the first time – to make plenty of space for all my holiday snaps. I also took the time to look at my apps and deleted what I really didn’t need that week. Telegram? Bye bye. Slack? Away you go. Deleting these apps meant I couldn’t ‘just check’ what was happening back at home. Out of sight, out of mind.

I deleted Twitter and Facebook (I’m weak and kept Instagram), but even deleting two apps which have constant notification bubbles made me feel like there was a weight off my shoulders. Anyone else familiar with aimlessly scrolling through Facebook with no apparent purpose? I used this time to read a new book instead. Having cleared up a few other apps, I’ve honestly forgotten what I deleted – proving I didn’t need them.

One of the major benefits of going the same place year after year: I don’t feel guilty about lying by the pool all day every day. As much as I love seeing new places, it’s also important that your holiday counts as recharge time. While in Rome, we got up early each day to explore, and explore we did. But each night we headed back to the hotel before dinner and had a nap, a drink on the rooftop or just a little lie down.

My favourite thing about a beach holiday is the time to sit back and read without distraction or feeling like I should be doing something else. In Spain I woke up, went to the beach and read until lunch, and then again afterwards. I love reading happy romance novels on holiday.

My favourite part! I love getting made up, but it is not the way forward when high temperatures and swimming are involved. While in Rome I tried a little eyeliner and brows on the first night – but then I realised I’d rather enjoy the au natural look when my eyeliner imprinted on my eyelid within minutes. In Spain, I forewent make up from take off to landing – SPF only for this gal – and my skin was all the more thankful for it.

So there you have it. My top tips for making the most of your holiday. Take a break from reality, and use those 25 days holiday wisely!

C x