Finding the time to get lost
You’re never too busy to travel, really.
A draft of this story was first posted in the Travelling Occasionally column on theoccasionaltraveller.com
A common refrain from the working folk is that they don’t go on vacation because they can’t find the time to do so. With a full-time job, your travelling time is limited to the amount of leave days you have. For most office workers, it generally ranges from 14-21 days though with some fortuitously placed public holidays and counting weekends, you probably have an average of 1-2 months worth of non-working time.
But how is it that even within the same company, comparing people with the same amount of leave days, some people always seem to be going on some sort of adventure, while others perpetually moan about being bogged down by life’s myriad of commitments and burdens?
There are many reasons and excuses not to travel, but for me it boils down simply to priorities – is travelling a priority for you?
Travel is definitely my priority. The perks of being single, not being tied down by responsibilities and having a steady job mean that I can, and I will, take off any time the opportunity arises. Other than family and friends, travel trumps many other things in life for me.
It is not a bad thing if travelling is not your priority – if you value other things in life more than travel, then so be it, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about if travel ranks low on your list of must-dos. But if it is something you truly value, and something that you really want to do, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to find some time to travel – why are you still moaning and groaning about not being able to travel?
So if travel is what you want to do, make it a priority.
Here are three tips to help you make it happen:
Plan
You can be as spontaneous about going on a trip as you want, but when tied to a corporate structure most of your waking life, the best way you can get around it is to do some forward planning. Book your leave days early; tell colleagues and family about it; check and clear out your schedules way ahead of time; and as the date approaches, fend off anything that stands in your way. Barring any emergencies, there shouldn’t be any reason for you to have to cancel your leave as long as you make plans in advance and stick to them.
(If your company or boss does not want to let you take a vacation despite your best efforts and planning, think about whether this is a company you want to work for in the long run!)
Maximise
If you book your holidays in advance, you will have plenty of time to scope out and reserve the best days that can help to extend your trip. If you are travelling for work, use that trip to save you some airfare for a short break by extending your trip after your work is done. Or work extremely hard during peak periods to accumulate extra leave days for a good long holiday... there are many ways you can get more travel time, get creative! Remember, you don’t have to do one long epic holiday for your vacation time to be maximised; consider several shorter trips to locations closer to home, which might be less disruptive to your work schedule while helping to curb the wanderlust.
Sacrifice
It’s not always necessary, but sometimes for your holiday to happen, you might have to give other important things up. Hence, it is important to establish how much of a priority travel is for you, and once you have determined that, things should fall into place quite logically afterwards. Choosing to get a second-hand car over a brand new one so you can afford that two-week vacation to Europe may be painful at first, but if travel is a top priority, then it’s definitely worth it! If you plan early enough, you can maximise your resources and subsequently (and hopefully) sacrifice less.
Its August now and I have already been on three short overseas trips to nearby countries this year. I’m right in the middle of a crazy-busy work event now that’s consumed my past few weekends, but I am looking forward to my 2-week trip to Europe later in October, booked way back late last year when there was a great deal on airfare, timed to avoid any major work events this year. In fact, all my 18 days of leave have been scheduled since March this year, and I have another trip to go scuba diving in the Maldives in November lined up as well.
It’s definitely not impossible to take a vacation if you want to — I’m just your average office worker who happens to really love travel, so you can work out some great holidays for yourself too. Don’t waste those precious leave days people, get planning and get going!
