Recently, I was speaking at a women’s conference for a Fortune 100 company when another speaker spoke about the importance of taking long vacations. I admitted to my table mates that I don’t take long vacations. I’m more of a micro vacation girl. I’m a bigger fan of the 4 day weekend then the full week or two week vacation. I was immediately chastised at my table for this. “You’ve got to fix that” someone said. The woman next to me leaned over & whispered, “I’m the same way” as if she didn’t want to get caught agreeing with me. What is so wrong with liking your life enough that you don’t want to be away from it for an extended period of time?
We all need breaks. Even from lives we enjoy. That’s why we take micro vacations. A micro vacation is a small getaway, normally 3-4 days & then your back to reality again. Here are the reasons we choose micro vacations over the extended or more traditional ones
1. We can actually unplug for a couple of days. Yes, I mean literally unplug. Let’s face it. Most of us don’t have lives, jobs, etc that allow us to go off the grid for 7-10 days. Micro vacations allow us to unplug the phone, leave our electronic dog collars turned off, and completely connect with the moment & each other.
2. They’re more affordable. We’re a frugal household but we also like nice things. Micro vacations allow us to enjoy nice vacations without the expense associated with extended vacations.
3. We see more places. Because micro vacations are more affordable, we can go more often & see more places. Yes, I realize we’re spending the same amount of money but we’re extending the expense over time which makes it budget friendly
4. Reentry isn’t as bad after 4 days away. Coming back to a huge pile of past due projects & problems tends to make me forget why I took vacation in the first place. The longer you’re away, the more you have to face when you return. You might be reading this thinking, ” we’ll aren’t you a little self important” but in today’s world, we’re all doing more with less & our employers are often quick to notice when your position is fine without you for a couple of weeks.
5. Extended vacations are extra special. When our 16 yr old graduates from high school, our hope is to take an extended vacation as a family. We have lots of ideas to discuss & decisions to make on where to go. After all, this trip won’t need to be as big as the one after he graduates from college but it’s still a great reason to celebrate. Taking micro vacations now allow us the anticipation & the time to save for bigger ones.
6. Packing & prep is much easier for a micro vacation. For summer vacations we can typically get away with packing one bag for both of us. There’s less to pack and less stress that comes with packing. We often add extra stress packing for a long vacation which seems counter productive. After all, this is supposed to be a vacation from stress.
As with most things, even vacations are about balance.
Enjoy your weekend!
