Take Back Those Vacation Days!

Mary Yohannan on

Take Back Those Vacation Days!

Use it or Lose it, what??

In my previous career it was quite normal to bank your vacation hours so that you would eventually be in the status of “Use it or Lose it.”  For some people it took them years of not taking any vacations to be able to get to this status.  I, personally, have never understood why you would wait years to take vacation!  In fact, I would always have people asking me how I had time to take my vacations.  It was quite simple: I used the hours I earned.  There is a credit card commercial noting that 400 million hours of vacation time are lost each year by Americans!  400 million hours!  If a weeklong vacation is worth 40 hours that is 10 million vacations not being taken.  I think where I am getting confused is why would you want to risk losing your vacation time?  You have worked so hard over the years and have taken very little leave.  You have built-up your annual leave empire that you now officially have 6 six weeks cached and you are earning another three to four weeks for the year.  Four whole weeks of leave you HAVE to take before the end of the year.  Couldn’t at least one of them be taking nice, relaxing vacation!

I have found that where most people fail in using their four weeks is because they use it to do housework.  I will admit that I have taken a day or three to stay home to catch up, but to take weeks off for housework?  Now most people are saying that she probably doesn’t have any children, Wrong! Two toddlers who are the messiest tornadoes that I have ever encountered.  I probably could use more time to do housework, but to me it is housework and I feel like it is never ending.  I know that my mess will still be there to greet me when I get back from my vacation.  I think that most people would agree that a vacation away from home gives you peace of mind, even if that means housework is nagging at the back of your brain.  I say let’s leave the housework for those three day weekends when there is a federal holiday.  After all, that is what most of us probably end up doing during those long weekends.

We all work so hard throughout the year and work is stressful.  I don’t know a single person who isn’t stressed out by their job, their co-workers, their commute, their time away from their children, etc.  Your annual leave is for family time or personal getaways.  But GET AWAY!!!  You don’t have to go far.  Explore a city in a neighboring state and stay a couple of nights.  Take the kids to that amusement park they have been bugging you about, but make it a road trip.  Take the week and go explore the mid-west or rent an RV and go across country (one of my dreams!).  There is a commercial out there, I can’t remember by whom, but they exclaim “Take your vacation days back!”  Do it and get away!  

I always tell my husband that I don’t want to be in the nursing home when we are in our 80’s talking about things that we should have done.  I want to remember all the great things that we did, spark those memories, and laugh.  After all, you can’t put a price on memories especially when those memories give you warm feelings of relaxation.

P.S. Want to get away!  There are some amazing deals to the Caribbean for March and April to get away.  Call me or email me with where you want to go!

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling team, you are supporting local families and business.  Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!