Vacation Justification

Snorkeling in Mexico

We will soon need a new roof. The stairs that lead up from the driveway tilt at an angle that’s disconcerting and frankly, dangerous when even slightly slick. Converting to natural gas would probably save us a lot of money long term. Perhaps overly sensitive to the cold, last winter I swore we would get a pellet stove insert for the inefficient fireplace in our living room.


I’ve got an 11 year old with teenage tastes. She’s got an iPhone. She wants a laptop. She’s got a fashion sense of her own now and I can’t get away with less expensive clothing anymore. Voice lessons. Gymnastics. A whole new school year ahead of us with higher after school care costs and hot lunch has gone up as well.

Build confidence.  Try new things.  It's good for you.

My point is that we have better things we should be doing with our money than thinking about vacation.

Suze Orman would scold us. Her show has a segment called “Can I afford it?” We watched it a while back as she denied a caller who made much more than we do and had quite a sum in savings. The man and his wife wanted to spend $2500 to take their two little kids to Disney World. The woman denied Disney! She said take them when they’re teenagers, a decade into the future, because they’ll remember it more. What about the creation of memories NOW? What about the value of the experience? How does that translate into an asset?

Well, that’s a good question. In search of justification – and NO I will not be calling into Suze’s show – I thought I’d do a little research into the benefits of vacation, a break from the stress and strains of daily life.

Okay. To the proof:

Don't we look healthy?  Two years ago in Mexico.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Plodding along at the office might get you brownie points with the boss, but can be detrimental to your overall health and wellbeing. Being stressed for long periods of time without a break has been shown to lead to higher blood pressure and an increase in coronary heart disease. If you are a female, taking a vacation can cut this risk by half, according to a study conducted at the State University of New York. Stress can impair hippocampus function, too, making it more difficult to acquire new information, like people’s names, meeting times and dates, and things like logins and PINs. A study quoted in Forbes.com showed that women who took vacations more frequently were less likely to become tense or depressed, and also reported being more satisfied in their marriages. Remember that your physical and mental health have a direct link to your social and psychological outlook on life. bottom line on this one is that the more you vacation, the more likely you are to be healthy and enjoy life.

From a financial perspective, being sick is expensive! Staying healthy can save you money on doctor and medical bills. Taking a vacation can reduce the stress triggered health ailments that wear you down and less money will be spent dealing with the negative consequences of poor health.

Me & my daughter at Virginia Beach.

STREGNTHEN BONDS IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Vacationing together can strengthen family and marriage bonds. Traveling together is at time harrowing, and making it to your destination can bring a sense of camaraderie and accomplishment. Sharing new experiences and creating memories that can last a lifetime. Partners often reveal new sides of themselves to each other that wouldn’t have been prompted in their home environments.

A quiet moment at the beach.

GET A CREATIVE BOOST

In our day to day lives, we often find ourselves mired in patterns of behavior that don’t leave much room for inspiration. The same morning routine, the same meals, the same TV shows and the same, well, everything might be comfortable but it doesn’t provide the opportunity to explore new ways of thinking. Taking a vacation and travelling out of your regular environment can open your eyes and your mind and bring about self discovery. Being in a foreign setting, we put ourselves in an uncomfortable situation, and this allows our brains to think differently. A good vacation can help us reconnect with ourselves. It satisfies our own human curiosity about other places. It is your moment to explore the world. When was the last time you could PLAY? I mean really play, without phone calls or interruptions. Vacations let you recapture that childlike freedom.



If taking a vacation will bring us closer together, give us better physical and mental health, and promote overall well being then what’s the argument. It would seem that the benefits far outweigh the costs. I’m not suggesting that we deplete our savings to do this. If we didn’t both have steady jobs and a retirement savings going on, I might leave this on the shelf as a dream. But the justification is right there in black and white.

New experiences.

It won’t be long before my eleventeen year old really won’t want to be taking vacations with us, or if she does, no doubt that a friend will be coming along. I feel that I need to seize the opportunity to create these memories with her now, not wait for a later date. I was reminded just last night about how fast the time goes by with children.

I know from experience that when my husband or I is stressed, we tend to have less patience with each other and laugh less frequently. We find ourselves just existing together, not really enjoying each other. That’s not why I got married.

Carpe diem I say. Seize the day. Request the time off. Make the reservation. Pack it up and get away for a bit. It will do you good on so many levels.