Do you have a bucket list of places you want to visit someday and things you want to do on a dream vacation? If not, why the heck not? Find a small notepad or start a new note on your phone or in your planner. Got it? Good, let’s dive in!
Everyone reading this has a different situation and circumstances. Some of you may be blessed enough to have the financial means to travel, some may struggle to put together enough money to buy a suitcase. Some of you may have nothing tying you down and are free to vacation while others have jobs and families and obligations galore that may make any personal time seem impossible. Finally, some of you may have the ambition to travel as much as you can and as far as you can go while others may have no desire to leave where they are perfectly happy. Let me tell you right now that this post is for every single one of you!
My husband and I have made it a point to try to get vacations of some kind scheduled regularly. We have done this since very early on in our relationship which means we made it happen when we were two broke college kids, when we had minimal worries in the world, when we both had careers, before and after we added our amazing daughter to our family, etc. Let me explain how. We got in the mindset that a vacation is exactly what you make it. A vacation can be to a local hotel with a cheap nightly rate but a great pool for the kiddo to swim and splash in. A vacation can be a road trip with no destination in mind. A vacation can be an all inclusive week long stay at a resort complete with excursions and transportation. A vacation can be at home with all technology off limits and time spent cooking or playing board games. Better yet, it can be time spent doing absolutely nothing. It can be a day trip or a week long. It’s what you make it and how you want it..no more, no less!
Furthermore, we have found that when committing to a vacation, the most important part is not getting caught up in the little problems but focusing on the overall good. Try not to focus on the inevitable things that go wrong because all it will do it distract you and tarnish the mood for what comes next. I can’t tell you how many times our best intentions ended up getting rained out or rescheduled. It’s incredibly frustrating when the anticipation built up is seemingly ruined and things don’t work out like the perfect picture in your head. Revamp and change course if needed but stay on track with the vacation, you earned it and looked forward to it for a reason!
Speaking of looking forward to it; don’t be afraid to have lofty vacation dreams. Just because you can’t do them right this minute doesn’t mean you won’t be able to at some point. Start that list with some stay-cations to enjoy while saving up money for those lofty goals. Build up that PTO or scheduled time away from work and make plans way in advance. Take that time to research what you’re planning on doing/where you’re going. By the time you end up going, you will have an even better time because you’ll be prepared with knowing exactly what you want to do! When friends, co-workers, family members, or even random strangers get to talking about something they did, somewhere they went, or their own dreams..take note! Literally. Write it down right then and there so you can remember it later.
I can’t tell you how strongly I believe in the power of vacation. There’s a reason employers give vacation time..use it people! Don’t have an employer? No matter how much you love your job or your life, it’s necessary to get a break once in a while and spend some time doing what YOU want to do. Break up your norm and try something new. Take advantage of those people who love you and ask them to take a trip with you or to watch your house or furbaby while you’re away. Look into credit cards that give you miles or cash back for every day purchases, sign up for all your favorite hotel’s and airline’s and rental car’s reward plans and take note of the offers they send. Set aside a tiny part of each paycheck or portion of each side job’s cash. Actually read one of those articles about upcoming events in your area and plan to attend something.
Bottom line, please take time for YOU. No guilt, no worries, just time set aside for something/somewhere you truly enjoy or have an interest in! Vacation simply 🙂
Simplified By Stacie 