February 28, 2020
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4 Minute Read
It can be tricky to plan out your trips when it feels like there aren’t enough vacation days to go around. So here’s how to do a year’s worth of trips, whatever your time-off budget.
If you’ve got two weeks
For those with office jobs, 10 days is generally considered the American standard. A popular practice is to take one week off during the summer and perhaps a week-long winter getaway someplace warm. But you might want to consider spreading those days out: Use one of those weeks over a period of months to give yourself multiple long weekends.
Three or four days away is just long enough to feel like a vacation, and with more airlines serving more destinations nonstop, even places as seemingly far-flung as Hawaii are accessible for a three-day weekend. If you’re looking to escape the weather where you are sometimes a long weekend is worth the airfare.
If you live in a large city (or even the suburbs), consider spending a few of your vacation days in nature, too. These sorts of trips, even short ones, can do wonders for mental and emotional health. A recent research study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found that time spent in nature can lessen “risk for depression and other mental illnesses.” Co-author Gretchen Daily stated that “accessible natural areas may be vital for mental health in our rapidly urbanizing world.” So it follows that vacations in pristine natural settings aren’t just relaxing or ideal for family bonding—they can have positive effects on wellbeing. Consider resorts whose locations are specifically meant to encourage unplugging from modern life.
If you have three weeks
Three weeks’ worth of vacation time is fun to play with: You can take two weeks for a trip that couldn’t possibly fit into a single week while saving that third week for multiple long weekends. An obvious winner for a multi-week trip is a safari, especially if you’re choosing countries like Botswana or Tanzania, which are hard to get to from the U.S. without multiple flight connections and/or long drives to game reserves.
Australia is another trip that’s perfect for two weeks away—and not just because it takes so long to get there. Nope, you need that time because there’s so much to see and do—an epic coastal road trip, going hotel hopping in Queensland, eating and drinking your way through Adelaide—that you can’t scratch the surface in just a week.
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For those with four (or more) weeks
First of all, way to go: You’re getting more time off than most Americans. Even better, an entire month of vacation gives you ample opportunities to escape the day-to-day. Do like the Europeans do and spend a few consecutive weeks of summer away from work.
A two-week stay in Paris, for example, allows you to actually live life like a local—long enough to have a “regular” morning coffee spot, to visit the Louvre multiple times, to explore some bistros (and go back more than once). For a more under-the-radar European experience, consider Rijeka, Croatia, on the Adriatic coast, which has so many amazing museums, restaurants and beaches, it’s a mystery that it doesn’t get the same attention as more popular towns in Italy or Greece.
Even after spending a few weeks exploring Europe, you’ll still have time left over to do a few long weekends, plus maximize your time off by booking around holidays. If you take off the three days before Thanksgiving, you’ll be able to take more than a full week away, including weekends. That’s some serious space to recharge before the holiday rush.
What if you don’t have any time off work?
Not to fear. Even if a week-long trip isn’t possible for you, there are still ways to get vacation vibes closer to home. The good news is that most of the health and wellness benefits of a far-flung vacation can still be had even if you’re just traveling across town. The simple act of breaking up your routine, getting away from work and disrupting your day-to-day can have a profound effect on the mind and body.
If a quick hotel stay isn’t in the cards, a day off is still worth it. It allows you to explore your own neighborhood or city with fresh eyes—and to score that lunch table in your town’s hottest restaurant that’s always booked for dinner. Or you might visit a usually packed museum that’s suddenly remarkably quiet when you go on a weekday afternoon. A visit to a spa, where a couple hours of uninterrupted quietude seems to be the equivalent of an entire weekend away, is always an option, too. The key is taking a moment to plan your escape—then going for it.
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