Resurrecting the Art of Doing Nothing on Vacation

Sanctuary Cap Cana Dominican Republic Coconut Drink

When our planned international fishing trip got canceled due to factors beyond our control, Hanna and I still wanted to use the time away from the grind. Rather than schedule a different angling excursion, however, we decided to sit by a pool and do abso-fricking-lutely nothing. We’re both exhibiting some signs of burnout, and figured that clearing our heads would be valuable as we enter the second half of 2025.

It’s been about a decade since we’ve gone on a non-fishing, relaxation-focused vacation together. Ultimately, we decided to go to the Cap Cana area of the Dominican Republic for the following reasons.

  • Lowest price of comparable resort destinations – needed to stay on a budget

  • Availability of all-inclusive options (see above)

  • Availability of adult-only options – the wisdom of this priority was evident when we listened to a screaming baby on the flight down for over 2 hours.

  • Direct flights under 4 hours

  • Transfer distance of less than a ½ hour from the airport

We’d been to the Dominican Republic for a wedding about 15 years ago, and while development has continued and the roads are significantly better, overall the experience was the same. We’d get up in the morning, occasionally go to the gym (three times for Hanna, twice for me), then eat breakfast, go to the pool until 1, eat lunch, return to the pool until between 4 and 5, nap and/or shower, eat dinner, go to sleep. Rinse and repeat. It was a glorious week of nothingness. Nevertheless, here are my observations and thoughts from a great trip, in no particular order:

Vacationing is a Skill – Anyone can go on a vacation. Not everyone can make the best use of a vacation. My purpose was getting my head on straight, leaving behind some of the things that had been stressing me out. It took me over a day to get into that mindset and it really took until Day Three to feel it was heading in that direction. If three or four days is all you can get away, some vacation is better than none, but more is almost always better.

Connected – We had Wi-Fi in our resort experiences a decade or more ago, but if I remember correctly it was limited to the room or the common area. Now it was everywhere, including the beach and the pool, with quality connectivity. On a weeklong trip like this in the past I would’ve read five to ten books – and I fully intended to do so – but ended up completing only one. Instead I listened to lots of podcasts. I tried to limit it to under 50 percent fishing content, and tried to “trick my algorithm” by trying things I normally wouldn’t engage with.

Pool view at Sanctuary Cap Cana Dominican Republic

Ink is In – I am neither pro-tattoo nor anti-tattoo. I don’t have any, but that’s largely because I couldn’t decide what I wanted when I was younger and now I’m probably too hirsute to apply. I know many people who have them, but was truly shocked by how many of our fellow resort guests were inked up. I’d say 80+ percent had something, and most had sleeves or back murals or more than just one or two – and not just the 20- and 30-somethings. Even people my age and older.

Silicone is Sagging – I’m a fan of you doing you when it comes to boobs. If you like your OEM equipment so be it, but if you want to get them altered surgically, go for it. I will say that amongst the predominant demographics at our resort, I expected more silicone based on past ogling. There was definitely some, but not as much as a decade or so ago. I doubt any or many plastic surgeons are in the bread line, but their business might not be thriving in the way that it once was.

Body Positivity – I’m old enough to remember when seeing a woman in public in a thong bikini was borderline shocking, and only women with conventionally-perfect bodies would typically wear one. I was pleased to see that women of all shapes and sizes were now willing to wear something other than matronly suits. Lots of what once might’ve been considered daring was just par for the course – again, you do you and be happy.

Fishing Clothing Is Everywhere – While most of my clothing has some fishing brand prominently displayed, and I’m used to seeing it on others in fishing circumstances, I was shocked at how many likely non-ardent anglers wear “our” stuff out and about. We saw lots of AFTCO and Salty Crew, a ton of Huk, and the most popular of the bunch seems to be the Columbia PFG fish flag shirt.

No Regerts Tattoo and Silicone Breast Implant

Go Juice — If you ever find your innards bound up in any way, start off your day with two or three cups of Dominican coffee. I guarantee you that will loosen everything up.

Lounges Matter – While we didn’t eat much in the VIP Lounge at the Punta Cana Airport, it nevertheless proved extremely valuable to our trip, as we had more time there on the way home than expected. The main area of the airport is hot and crowded and the free Wi-Fi only lasts 2 hours. Instead, we had not only a bar and food (plus a pool!?!?), but also amazing A/C and unlimited connectivity.

All About the Attitude – Even on the best fishing vacation most people spend at least a little time being grumpy. It’s tiring and can wear on you, not to mention that even when the fish are chewing there’s room for disappointment – you caught a 9-pound bass, not a 10, or the third marlin that came up in the spread wouldn’t commit. There was none of that here. Everyone went out of their way to be friendly, there were constant smiles, and the energy was contagious. I need to remember to bring some of that going forward wherever we travel.

A Better Me – While we had a flawless trip down to the DR, and a near-perfect week at the resort, our trip home included quite a few speed bumps. I pretty much rolled with them and while I may have lost my smile here and there, I never lost my sense of cool. That wouldn’t have been the case for 1995 Pete or 2005 Pete or 2015 Pete. Maybe there’s hope for me yet. I’ll have to take another one of these trips sooner rather than later to find out.

VIP Priority Pass Lounge at the Punta Cana Airport
 
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