It’s summertime!
Maybe for you that means holiday time! Whether you plan to go camping in Cornwall, trekking in Tibet or lying on a beach in Ibiza (and can I please come with you to all of those places?) here’s a holiday tarot spread to help you find out more about the energy around you as you head off for some fun times.
Cards are laid out in a simple circle as you pack and head off and return from your holiday:
Here are the card positions:
- Your spirit in going – Where you’re at before you head off
- What to pack – You’ll be needing this
- What not to pack (or unpack if you already packed it!) – It may be tempting to take this with you, but leave it behind this time
- The spirit of the holiday – What’s actually going on while you’re away
- The highlight – The best thing about/moment of your holiday
- Your souvenir – What you will be bringing back with you, the lasting impression of your trip.
I created this spread whilst away in Spain recently and got some surprising results – you can read about that here.
Try it yourself!

I’m a 30-something writer, artist, tarot reader, and perpetual explorer of the space between thought, feeling, and action.
I believe that spirituality and ritual are for everybody. I’m about the journey, in all of its messy, non-linear, chaotic iterations. I am excited by anticapitalist business and living with my whole entire self present. I use tarot cards to bring forth hidden truth, and ritual to affirm my commitment, over and over, to my ever-shifting path.
Ooof. I just did this and got 10 of wands as “spirit of the holiday”, which breaks my heart! Is there a way to read this that isn’t exhausting? This summer has been so hard (health problems) and I’m acutely aware of taking on too much, but want this as a break to rest and get better. Wahh! Is this a reminder not to carry those wands? Or a warning my holiday won’t be as relaxing as I expect?
Yikes! Perhaps it’s a suggestion that you have even more on your plate right now than you realise, and a strong encouragement to leave phones, laptops and all commitments firmly at home! Hope you have a wonderful, relaxing holiday Jane 🙂
Thank you!! I made the same decision to de-wand as much as possible, as well as asking my partner to pick up extra wands when they could, which led to a very lovely relaxing time. Until we missed our flight home. Ah well!
Hi, so I am planning a road trip with my best friend. And I decided to do your spread. I was wondering if you could help me figure out what it means since I am fairly new to using tarot cards. I just can’t seem to understand my hand at all. 1- The high priestess 2-Seven of pentacles reversed 3- Ten of cups reversed ( 2+3 are what confused me the most) 4- Queen of cups 5- the chariot 6- the magician. To me it seems very contradicting. Saying that I should give into adventure and fantasy but also be weary and cautious.
I just did one for my summer job and got these:
9swords – yup, v. nervous
moon – pack some dreams.
strength – don’t pack… too much forbearance??
three of cups – holiday of friends
knight of pentacles – work will be a highlight, hmmmmmm.
devil – lasting souvenir !!! what will happen?