Prefer to choose for yourself?

Not everyone wants to leave it to chance. You can browse all six sections below, choose whichever feels most relevant today, or read through the entire holiday entry at your own pace.

Each section includes one suggestion for when the day is going well and another for when it has been one of those days.

1. 🧭 Plans or Possibilities

How much structure do you need today?

Some holidays work best with a plan. Others with none at all. Most sit somewhere in between.

Rather than asking whether you should plan everything or nothing, ask yourself what today needs.

☀️ Today’s going well…

Leave room for one sensible impulse.

Stay for another coffee. Order dessert. Walk down the street you hadn’t planned to explore. Take the ferry. Go for a swim.

Sometimes the best holiday memories begin with:

“Shall we just…?”

🌥️ Today’s been one of those days…

Resist the temptation to write the whole day off.

A holiday day doesn’t have to be perfect to be worthwhile. Perhaps there’s still time for a walk, a swim, a good meal or simply watching the world go by.

Sometimes rescuing an hour is enough.

2. 🌍 New Place, New You

Who are you on holiday?

One of the pleasures of travelling is behaving a little differently from home.

We often discover new interests, routines or even different versions of ourselves.

☀️ Today’s going well…

Try something you’d probably never do at home.

Taste the local speciality. Take a boat trip. Join the cookery class. Start a conversation.

You might discover something you’ll want to keep.

🌥️ Today’s been one of those days…

Remember that holidays don’t have to be busy to be valuable.

Sometimes the best decision is room service, a book, an afternoon by the pool or an early night.

Rest is a perfectly good way to spend a holiday.

3. ☕ What’s Working for You?

What would you like to take home?

Holidays often change our routines in ways we barely notice.

We sleep differently, eat differently, move differently or make time for things we rarely do at home.

☀️ Today’s going well…

Ask yourself:

“What’s working for me?”

Perhaps it’s swimming before breakfast, lingering over coffee, reading every afternoon or walking after dinner.

Could a small version of that become part of life at home?

🌥️ Today’s been one of those days…

Even if today has been forgettable, there may still be something about this holiday that’s quietly working for you.

You don’t need to come home with a suitcase full of souvenirs.

Sometimes one new habit is enough.

4. 🌅 Different Times of Day

What will you remember?

There’s a curious pressure on holidays. We somehow expect every day to produce another unforgettable memory.

Yet some of the most memorable trips include entirely ordinary Tuesdays in Florence.

☀️ Today’s going well…

When something makes you stop and smile — a tiny Italian macchiato, swimming before breakfast, a favourite café or simply watching the world go by — pause for a moment and wonder:

“How could I bring a little of this home?”

🌥️ Today’s been one of those days…

I wonder which part of this holiday you’ll still be talking about in five years’ time.

It’s absolutely fine if it isn’t today.

There’s no need to put yourself under pressure to rescue tomorrow.

5. 📱 Sharing Your Holiday

Who are you sharing this with?

Holidays are often remembered through the people we shared them with — or sometimes because we didn’t.

☀️ Today’s going well…

Before you reach for your phone, enjoy the moment first.

The photograph can wait.

Sometimes memories become stronger because we experienced them before we recorded them.

🌥️ Today’s been one of those days…

If social media is making everyone else’s holiday look more exciting than yours, remember that you’re comparing your whole trip with somebody else’s highlights.

Close the app and return to your own holiday.

6. ✈️ Coming Home

How will this holiday continue?

The end of a holiday doesn’t have to mean the end of everything you’ve enjoyed about it.

☀️ Today’s going well…

Bring one thing home on purpose.

Perhaps it’s a coffee mug, a cookbook, a piece of local art — or some wonderfully unapologetic tourist tat.

Better still, bring home a habit:

• the morning swim;

• the slower coffee;

• the evening walk.

🌥️ Today’s been one of those days…

It’s quite common to feel a little flat after a holiday.

Rather than wishing you were still away, think about what you can enjoy next week.

Holidays end. The things we enjoy don’t have to.

A small pause. A fresh perspective.

You don’t need to follow every suggestion or turn every day into an unforgettable experience.

Whether you rolled the palm-tree die or chose a section for yourself, take the idea that feels useful and leave the others for another day.