When it comes to vacationing, there are two types of people in the world. Some people go on a family vacation every year.
They consider it an expectation rather than a luxury, and they budget for it. Other people think about vacationing, but they don’t actually do it.
They put it off until some unspecified point in the future when finances are a bit better or when things aren’t quite so stressful.
That ideal time for going on a vacation never quite seems to arrive.
If you fall into the second group, this article is for you.
It’s time for you to stop waiting for the ideal time to take a vacation and just do it.
You deserve a vacation.
You can afford it, and you’re going to find that changing your mindset about taking regular vacations can actually benefit your life in some very significant ways.
Here’s why the best time for a vacation is right now.
You Can Afford a Luxury Vacation – Really!
If you have any disposable income at all, you can afford a vacation.
If you think that statement isn’t true, it’s only because you’re not going about it in the most cost-effective way.
Have you gone online to research hotel and resort rates near you and in other major cities around the United States?
If you have, you’ve probably seen some pretty crazy prices – and there’s a good reason for that.
As the COVID-19 recovery gets into full swing, everybody is planning to get away from home as soon as possible and blow off some steam.
The hotels and resorts, meanwhile, really suffered in 2020. They lost a ton of money last year, and they now have an opportunity to earn it all back.
With demand peaking, they’re not offering sales and discounts – they’re charging the maximum rates possible.
By the time summer arrives, many hotels expect to be sold out almost every day.
With that in mind, the ideal way to travel is by going where your buying power is greater.
In places like the Caribbean, it may even be within your reach to rent out a private villa, especially if you’re traveling in a group.
These types of rentals often are accompanied by a plethora of amenities like a 24-hour private driver and a personal chef.
You’ll enjoy a level of laid-back luxury that you can’t get in the United States without spending a fortune.
A Vacation Can Make You More Productive at Work
You’re feeling stressed these days – and so is everyone else.
A 2021 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association found that 84 percent of adults in America are experiencing sadness, anger and anxiety associated with prolonged stress.
It’s making you unproductive at work. After more than a year of living amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, maybe you’ve even started to become a bit snippy toward your family.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance sometimes means that you have to pause work and live a little – and if you happen to be a bit of a workaholic, it’s also possible to think about vacations in a different way.
Have you ever considered how much more productive you would be at work if you reduced your stress levels a bit and actually had something to look forward to?
In a sense, going on a vacation is actually a way of investing in yourself because stress reduction can make you more productive and effective at work.
That’s not just an excuse to splurge; going on regular vacations is actually a habit of highly successful people.
In fact, people who use all of their vacation time at work each year are more likely to earn raises and promotions.
That’s probably because of improved performance. After going on a vacation, you’ll return to work feeling less stressed and more motivated. As a result, you’ll accomplish more in less time.
A Vacation Can Help You Reconnect With Your Spouse
Think a bit about how your relationship with your spouse has evolved over the past year.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, both of you probably worked more than 40 hours a week and spent the vast majority of your time on weekdays – maybe weekends as well – out of the home.
Then, COVID happened. One or both of you began working from home, and you saw a lot more of one another.
You reconnected, and you discovered that being able to spend plenty of time with your family is a pretty great thing.
Do you know what else is great, though? It’s great to experience new things with the person you love. That’s what you’ve done over the past year:
You’ve seen a lot less of other people and a lot more of each other.
Now, though, you’ve fallen into a new routine and probably do almost exactly the same things day after day. It’s time to shake things up again and reconnect in a different way.
A vacation can be a truly wonderful thing for your marriage.
Vacationing Is Healthy
This article has already presented the idea that going on a vacation is making an investment in yourself.
That statement, however, isn’t just true in financial terms. Vacationing also improves your health, and that can pay great dividends in all areas of your life.
- Vacations reduce your chance of developing heart disease or high blood pressure.
- Vacations reduce stress-related health issues like headaches and back soreness.
- Vacations make your mind more agile and resilient, thus improving your ability to deal with unexpected situations.
- Vacations help you sleep longer and more restfully.
It’s not a stretch at all to say that regular vacations can improve your quality of life and increase your life expectancy. You can’t put a price tag on that.
Living Is the Point of Being Alive
You need to experience new things, meet new people, enjoy your family and have fun. Otherwise, what’s the point of all the time you spend at work?
You want to travel and see the world, and you’re not doing yourself a favor by putting those things off until retirement because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to anyone.
You’re also not doing yourself a favor if you’re waiting for a time when there’s less stress and fewer financial concerns because those things will never truly go away.
Living is the entire point of being alive, and you will never feel more alive than when you’re enjoying a well-deserved vacation.