Forget skydiving over a canyon, sailing the Greek Isles on a yacht, trekking Gorillas in Uganda or climbing Mount Kilimanjaro - ticking off yet another Instagrammable bucket list experience. This year, why not take a different approach to your holiday: one where the goal isn’t to do it all, but to do less, and enjoy more.

We live in an age that encourages big dreams and even bigger bucket lists - bungy jumping off a bridge, cage diving with sharks, seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland…! “We're constantly reminded to 'live our best life' and sometimes forget that contentment can be found in the small pleasures too,” notes Shaun Lamont, Managing Director of First Group Hotels and Resorts. “Not every holiday has to be about ticking off another bucket-list item.  Sometimes we need to do the exact opposite: slow down, ditch the must-dos and must-sees for a while, and rediscover the gentle pleasures that cost nothing but time.”

Lamont shares five little luxuries he enjoys that may not make it onto anyone’s bucket list, but perhaps should:

There’s a special kind of pause that happens when you’re away during the winter months. The sound of crackling logs in the fireplace, the weight of a warm blanket, steaming hot chocolate and losing yourself in a good book you’ve been meaning to read for ages. The guilt-free permission to drift off for a while. A fireside respite isn’t ambitious - but it’s perfect.

Forget rushing off to the next activity. Claim the table by the window or the pool and let breakfast become brunch or even lunch if you like. Order more coffee. Read the newspaper. Enjoy your partner’s company. Argue about nothing. Those unhurried mornings together might be one of the highlights of the trip.

No record-breaking hikes here. Just wandering. Being. A beach at dawn with bare feet in the water. Really noticing the way the light falls or picking up a shell you'll forget in a bag. A nature trail at dusk. Wandering side streets and stumbling upon unexpected gems – a tiny bookstore, a street musician, a local bakery with the smell of warm bread drifting through the door. Sometimes the best souvenirs are the ones you can't pack.

Forget the alarm. Let the morning sun wake you - or enjoy the luxury of lazing in bed for the morning…just because you can. Not forgetting, of course, the pleasure of an indulgent afternoon siesta wherever you fancy: on a couch, in a hammock under a shady tree, on a lounger at the pool or beach. It’s not ambitious, but it’s the kind of rest you’ll benefit from after you get home.

The ultimate un-bucket-list item? Permission to just be. Daydreaming on a patio as you watch the clouds drift by. Simply listening to nature – birdsong, the wind rustling through trees or the surf breaking on the shore. Lying under the night sky and looking at the stars. Admiring the panoramic view from a hilltop. Allowing yourself to slow down until you’re not measuring time at all. It’s the quiet, unhurried pace where worries loosen their grip, and you remember what it feels like to truly relax, making lasting, magical memories that fill your soul.

Lamont says it best: “A holiday doesn’t always have to be about experiencing the next big thing. Sometimes it's about throwing the list away and celebrating the wonderfully ordinary moments that find you. The anti-bucket list is less about the destination and more about how you fully allow yourself to just be when you’re there.”

Visit www.firstgroup-sa.co.za to discover places that encourage you to slow down and practice the art of doing less.

ENDS

The chill pill you actually need