Maximize Your Vacation

We, in the United States, are never the best at taking all our allotted vacation days. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, we were awful at doing so for obvious reasons. We figured, why would we use up all our paid time off when we really cannot leave our family rooms? Due to the pandemic, 92 percent of our workforce canceled, put off, or missed a vacation. That is a significant number of unused days necessary to recharge, reset, and relax.

This all leads to a massive pent-up demand for a break.

Combine that with vaccinations on the rise, restrictions lifting; we are all amped to take a break—our initial reaction to all that is absolute happiness. Let us face it, we all need a breather. However, during the pandemic, though loosened, traveling still presents a unique set of challenges.

This stimulates questions surrounding what is safe to take in and with whom? We should leave those to our health authorities. We also must consider increased prices. Be sure to book early and use every trick you have ever learned about booking travel to find discounts. Finally, daring ahead after over a year trapped at home poses hurdles, from social etiquette to anxiety to the burden of making your vacation exceptionally terrific following a rough patch.

Here are five quick tips to make the most out of your vacation experience for those feeling stress over maximizing their opportunity.

Plan far out. This is easier said than done, considering the instability of the situation. Though the further in advance you can plan, the more pleasure you will feel from your trip. We have seen from past research that vacation planning and the anticipation of a trip is sometimes seen as more fun than taking it.

Book one week, no less. We have read several studies that show the best vacation stay for complete relaxation is a total of eight days.

Go off someplace. We have all seen the famous quote, “your environment influences what you draw from memory, so out of sight is literally out of mind.” Do we need an explanation of why it is so important to leave your everyday surroundings? Traveling to a different environment helps us all think about life, professions, and other obligations conceptually rather than exclusively.

Reduce post-vacation anxiety. If you are worried about customer service and the number of emails dropping into your inbox while you are on vacation, you will have difficulty trying to enjoy your beach view, frozen cocktails, and loved ones. Before leaving on vacation, block time to be proactive regarding delegating tasks, conveying ideas, and setting expectations. Your time off will be so much calmer due to your efforts.

Forget the phone. The fewer photos you take, the more you will recollect your vacation; research proves it. Additionally, the more you use your phones, tablets, and laptops, the easier it can be to be persuaded into working. Use a tangible schedule for your trip on paper, if need be, rather than keeping the information on your devices to reduce the number of times you use technology. Our best suggestion is not to allow anyone to influence your decision to take the maximum amount of time off as reasonably possible. Going on a vacation is not an extravagance; it is necessary for mental health, notably in 2021. Therefore, if you have guilty feelings, repeat to yourself that a ton of research and evidence proves you will be a more productive, happier overall individual if you take the time to reset, recharge, and relax.

Happy traveling!