I am a big vacation planner. I usually spend months making lists of activities and sightseeing and researching restaurants, looking at customer reviews and menus. But I’m getting out of my comfort zone for my next vacation. We are traveling with two other couples to an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. Both other couples have been to Jamaica before — they loved it and wanted to return, so off we go!

We are aware of the U.S. travel advisory for travel to Jamaica, so we know for our safety we have to stay within the resort and not venture out to areas flagged for high crime levels. This means we better really enjoy the resort because instead of going out and exploring like we normally do, we’re going to stay put. I hope to unplug and spend a week just relaxing by the pool or beach. And the resort, Couples San Souci, recently underwent a $12 million renovation, so I have high hopes we will want to spend every waking minute enjoying all the resort has to offer.

Photo 66183721 © Luckyphotographer | Dreamstime.com

We did make reservations for restaurants on site, but other than that, there’s really no planning on my part.

I’m looking forward to waking up and ordering room service (which, surprisingly, I have never done) and then spending our days taking advantage of all the on-site activities.

So we’ll see if my plan for relaxation will work. Stay tuned for my next blog, when I return from our trip.

— Tracey Cullen, art director