Stay on plan or don’t stay on plan while on vacation?

With summer here I have more and more clients going on vacation. However, before they leave I usually get an e-mail about how they’re not sure if they’re going to be able to stay on plan and that they’re worried about jeopardizing the results they’ve worked so hard to achieve. That being said, I normally have two comments I send back to them about this.
First, vacations should be enjoyable and memorable. So whether you choose to stay on plan or not is completely up to you, but if I was going on vacation (and not having to compete any time soon) then I wouldn’t be too worried about sticking to the diet or even weight training for a week or so. Besides, my meal plan and gym aren’t going anywhere, so they’ll be here when I get back.
Secondly, if you eat sensibly and you’re not overindulging in junk food and/or alcohol everyday then I don’t think you’re going regress all that much, if at all, while on vacation. You may gain a little weight and your measurements might go up slightly, but I bet this gain is coming more from water weight than fat. So I wouldn’t worry too much about being off plan for a week or so.
My point to this post is that when you’re on vacation; make the most of your time and focus on making memorable experiences first and foremost. A vacation is really a “break”. So if that means taking a break from your diet and training then so be it. But you know, once you get back and want to start making progress again, then you need to get back on track.