Why I Wake Up at 5 A.M. During Vacation

Good morning. It’s 6:00 AM during my holiday with my kids on another continent, in a different time zone, and I wanted to write this article so I can explain myself while I really don’t have to, and answer a very easy question that a few of my friends and colleagues have asked me lately: why do you wake up at 5:00 AM during vacation?

First of all, the reason is not to write this article. Vacation is commonly associated with sleeping more and taking more rest, being less stringent when it comes to the time of waking up, and being more connected to letting go and just relaxing. I understand slowing down, abandoning routine, maybe eating whatever you like, these are all very nice things that are usually associated with vacations, and I totally agree with every single bit of it.

My experience, after a few years of traveling, has been a little bit the opposite. When I’m off, when I’m completely on vacation, I find myself waking up so early, not because I cannot sleep it’s just because I sleep early. This practice is not really driven by discipline or productivity or culture or even self-motivation trends. It’s just driven by clarity. I’m trying to be present, and I’m intentional about taking control of my time.

I really hate wasting time, and I really hate spending time for nonsense or doing nothing, unless this nothing is productive in some way. And let me explain.

I understand that the quality of rest, having a clear perspective, and building deep connections are things that I always seek, and honestly, it’s much easier in the mornings. These things are much more important for me than the benefits of sleeping late.

Earlier this year, I got a birthday gift: a wearable healthcare self-care device that tracks my sleep and my health metrics in general. I started to understand that sleeping more is not necessarily sleeping well. What I’m trying to do is put in more hours of sleep and focus on my daily routine to get to the best formula of nutrition, focus, mindfulness, sleeping hours, when I wake up, and when I go to sleep, to increase the quality of sleep. Because the quality of sleep helps me have less stress, and when you sleep well and stress less, you actually gain much more of the intention of having a day off or a vacation in general.

To wake up early on vacation does not really reduce stress automatically; it just improves the way your body reacts to stress. Early mornings for me naturally lead to earlier evenings. I cannot wake up too early and sleep too late, that’s just too much for me, maybe at this moment of time.

Without late dinners, without social overstimulation, I also tend to reduce endless scrolling time. You know I am somehow connected to social media, and I like to see and follow up with everything happening, especially in the legal industry and in professional circles, and at the same time connect with my family and colleagues. But putting constraints on the amount of time that I do this allows me to put more focus on what’s important and what really matters for me.

So my sleep became deeper, and my stress automatically decreased, which made me restore much more of my energy during the waking hours.

Instead of taking all the energy from coffee and food, I reward my body with less fatigue. I wake up with a smile, not so rushed into life, because I’m earlier than almost everybody. The day begins without stress, without rushing to change and run, or to wash my face and pull my laptop onto the charger just to catch up with a meeting.

I wake up with enough time to remember that I haven’t listened to this piece of music that I like, that I didn’t read the ten pages I promised myself to read, or sometimes write. I remember that I have to text my mom and dad and ask how they are, or plan something nice with my kids for the next holiday.

Do you think all the above sounds very idealistic and too much to do? It takes a lot of work and focus to reach this level, but honestly, now it’s so simple and so easy. Because it is actually beneficial for your body and your mind, when you do it, it gets easier over time. You automatically wake up, spend enough “me time,” and think about what’s worth it in this life with much more clarity and focus on you rather than on the world.

Between 5:00 and 7:00 AM, basically all that I do, I do for me, not for you, not for anybody else, not even for my work. I realized that this focus on me during the morning is one of the most generous and healthy things to do for your family, your work, and your colleagues. Because you’re done with yourself. You don’t really need to go back and feel frustrated that people don’t value you enough or help you much, because you already helped yourself and you already value yourself, and that’s all that matters.

This is not selfish. This is just a human being being self-aware that without goals, without meetings, and without trying to meet the expectations of anyone, you create a rare psychological experience between you and yourself where you own your time.

Most of the year, our time is distributed and, in many ways, dictated. You have your daily meetings and agenda. A guy like me, his agenda can get full without even looking at it. Just wake up in the morning and you’ll find a few meetings already set up. Some of them require moving from one place to another and making arrangements between them.

But during vacation, early mornings are yours. This sense of ownership reduces your stress because no one else is expecting something from you. This improves your judgment of what’s important and what’s not, and makes the rest of the day feel like a joyful time to look forward to, because you basically planned it early enough for your own entertainment.

The Absence of Noise

When I wake up in the early morning, it’s actually quiet. I open my eyes and think, really think, not just respond, not just act. I have time for thoughts. No one is interrupting me.

Sometimes I go for walks. The streets are empty or full of people like me, trying to mind their own business, throwing smiles left, right, and center, and not really wanting to talk to anyone. They just want to spend time with themselves.

Notifications are fewer. My mind is not required to respond to anything. This silent function acts as a detox process for my brain. I think my thoughts are able to settle. My anxiety loses space. Instead of reacting to inputs, my mind regains the ability to create.

This energy that I get in the morning, if i could see it, I can imagine it as a crystal clean energy. It’s the opposite of evening energy in my imagination. It’s creative energy that ignites ideas for creating great things and value. This energy is available early and it has much better quality in terms of creation, decisions, focus, calmness, and emotional freedom.

I think one uninterrupted hour often replaces several distracted hours later in the day. During holidays, unless you don’t care to remember this holiday, you would like to be productive in fun, relaxation, experiences, and memories. Productivity here is not about work. It’s about vacation productivity.

And with the absence of noise, you get to do that much easier.

Protecting Family Time

By waking up early, I literally protect my family time. For an entrepreneurial businessman or a professional lawyer managing a team or a company, it’s very rare nowadays to be able to completely detach and disconnect. From time to time, you want to check an email, answer a WhatsApp message, or give instructions to someone.

When I wake up early, I put one or two hours very early in the day to do what I really need to do, or at least what is very urgent during vacation time. This way, I don’t get interrupted while I’m with my kids.

Very early in the morning, my kids are most probably asleep. This valuable time that I dedicated to travel with them or do something for them is protected by my early wake-up hours.

I learned the hard way that time with family is not measured by quantity, but mainly by attention. Being physically present is not enough. Being mentally present and mentally free, less pressured to answer urgent matters, allows me to be happier and less stressed around them, which reflects automatically on their level of satisfaction.

I can notice when someone is upset or offended, when someone is excited or happy, when someone is looking forward to something, and when someone really needs something. You understand your family more by being present in the moment rather than just being physically there.

When I start the day early, I realize that I become more human. I become calmer. I increase the quality of my social connectivity. When I’m not rushed because I planned my day well or finished stressful tasks early. I look at people in the eyes, spend a second or two understanding what they actually said. My social interaction becomes clearer, more focused, and more human.

I Spend More Time Moving

Waking up early naturally increases movement activities for me. I either go for long walks by the beach at Palm Jumeirah or Kite Beach, where you meet the morning crowd of the city.

This routine follows me during vacation as well. I go for longer walks. I choose breakfast places within walking distance maybe 20 to 30 minutes away. I wake up early, walk for coffee, then choose another place for breakfast, then another for an activity.

Even when I’m not in sport mode, I do a lot of walking. Physical activity happens without force. You don’t feel bad missing the gym or your usual routine. You remain active, mentally and physically.

These walks are not just exercise. They become a way to meditate, think, and create space for mindfulness. You notice what’s around you. You interact with people and nature.

Breakfast Becomes an enjoyable act, Not a Task

Breakfast – breakfast – breakfast.

I don’t fully believe it’s the most important meal of the day, but I can tell you it’s the meal I love the most. Early mornings allow relaxed, good quality breakfasts. Breakfast becomes a ritual, not a task. You enjoy preparing and eating it. You get creative.

Food prepared in a good state of mind, with positive energy, tastes different. Food prepared for yourself when you’re relaxed and happy is the best food you can get and often the healthiest.

Slow mornings and slow breakfasts allow coffee to be enjoyed, not rushed. Food tastes better. The day begins with intention. The way i start my day can determine my energy. Waking up early intentionally creates a good day, on vacation or during workdays.

I See the City as It Is, Not as a Tourist

When I wake up early and go around the city early, I feel the original vibes of the city. I understand how locals move, which bakery is open, where the best coffee is, how streets breathe. I enjoy emptier streets, faster access, clearer views. This is far beyond standard tourism. I also take better photos. Fewer people. Softer light. Better shadows. Better angles. These images capture atmosphere, not activity. They document experience, not proof of presence.

Vacations are often evaluated by destinations. For me, they are defined by pace. Pace determines quality far more than geography. I like slow relaxed pace! 

I Wake Up Early to Reconnect With Myself

Contrary to cliché leadership statements, I don’t wake up at 5:00 AM on vacation because I am disciplined and I am the best and I am the smartest. I do it because those hours return clarity, presence, health, and perspective.I just love it!

The earlier I wake up, the more my vacation resembles what it was meant to be: not an escape from life, but a reconnection with it.