5 REASONS TO TAKE A FAMILY VACATION

1. Vacations strengthen your relationship with your family
2. Vacations make you a happier person
3. Vacations make you a better employee
4. Vacations are a stress reliever
5. Vacations help make you healthier

1. Vacations strengthen your relationship with your family

Exercise gets easier with practice. So does communication with family. The more practice you have spending time with your family makes spending that time easier. We have sometimes been asked, what do families do for a whole week? Let me tell you… the answer varies. Some families choose not to do much other than to relax, eat, nap, fish, swim or look at the lake (awesome!!!). Other families do all of that plus play games or schedule activities. Some families do all of that and plan some day trips to visit the area. Choose what is best for you and your family. But, no matter what you plan on doing, the more time you spend with your family on vacation, typically, the better your relationship can be with your family.

Maybe you vacation with extended family, perhaps grandma and grandpa. Your kids may say, “I don’t know what to say to grandma or grandpa.” If they haven’t spent a lot of time with them, then, as I stated above, practice. The more time they spend with their grandparents, the easier it is to spend time with them. They will have experiences to talk about. So, take the time and effort to spend time (it may be uncomfortable at first) to make memories so you can talk about them later.

2. Vacations are a stress reliever

Do you ever feel stressed? How do you feel when you are stressed? People who don’t take vacations may have a higher stress level. Chronic stress takes a toll on the body, making it more difficult for you to fight off infections, avoid injury and live a healthy life. When you are stressed you are more likely to have an accident, sleep problems, increased blood pressure and more.

The type of vacation you take may determine its stress level. There is some stress involved with making the plans, dealing with transportation issues, being unfamiliar with the area etc. Poor vacation planning may cause stress. A less stressful vacation may mean a more beneficial vacation. So, make the plan, relax and de-stress. You will experience positive effects and less stress from a vacation.

Your brain needs a break from your daily stresses and commotion. A vacation from work and every day activities results in more happiness and less stress. Plan a vacation, reduce your stress.

3. Vacations make you a happier person.

Being on vacation isn’t the only part that makes you a happier person. Many times it happens during the process. Sure, being a vacation planner, especially if you are planning for a larger group, can be stressful. But, most of us are planning for ourselves and our families. Planning a vacation can be relaxing and after the plans are made, then THINKING about being on vacation can make you happy. Make your vacation plans, use a screen saver with a photo of where you are going, save the location on your phone to check the weather where you are going, LIKE the resort on Facebook, occasionally look through the resort’s website and look for updates or just at the photos of where you will be.

Preparing for a vacation can make you a happier person. THEN imagine how you will feel when you get back. The stresses of life will be there. But, you can always take a couple minutes to think about your vacation, look at photos you saved on your phone, look at the new screensaver of a photo of you on vacation, remember how it felt to try something new (perhaps it was kayaking, canoeing, trying the stand up paddleboards, fishing off the dock, making S’mores over the fire).

4. Vacations make you a better employee 

Yes, that is right. Typically employees that take vacations are better employees. They take fewer sick days and are more productive at work. So, do you want to be a better employee? Then take a vacation. Not taking vacation is bad for your health. If you are the boss, then show by example, take a vacation. You and your employees will be better for it.

If you are the employee, take a vacation. You will be a better employee. Of course, you need to make sure it isn’t during the time of year that you are the busiest at work. Work with your employer. Be prepared for your vacation. If need be, plan for your time away and hire temps, cover your shifts or assist your employer in covering your time away.

When you get back from vacation make sure to put a smile on your face. Hopefully that will be easy to do. Make sure that others see how important it is to have a balance between work and home.

I don’t know of anyone that has said, “Gee, I wish I hadn’t taken so many vacations.” You typically hear, “I wish I had taken more time for myself and my family.”

5. Vacations help make you healthier

Stress can cause many illnesses and negative health conditions. It is important to have multiple activities that help you enjoy life. Vacations and other leisure activities help you maintain positive feelings and experience less negative feelings. Engaging in varied activities, including vacations, lower blood pressure, lower stress hormones and actually help you lose weight.

People typically feel healthier during their vacation. They sleep an hour more per night and have higher energy levels. All this and they felt more satisfied with their life. It has been argued that people that take vacations live longer. Gee… if for no other reason, maybe take a vacation to live longer!