For many of us though, taking a true vacation can be a challenge. Often the weight of job or business responsibilities doesn’t allow us to easily get away. Sometimes a vacation itself represents additional work in terms of budgeting, planning, booking, packing, and food prep. And when we’re on vacation sometimes it’s difficult to let go of what’s happening back at the office or worse yet, we are so busy that we bring work (or some other work-like thing) with us while on vacation, which completely defeats the purpose of what a vacation should do for us. That said, taking a vacation is more than just a good way use up company leave, it is a critical component of recreating and restoring our minds, body, and souls.

In another post, “3 Reasons Why We Absolutely Must Take Vacation” I talk about why it’s critical to take vacations. It doesn’t just serve as a personal reset mechanism, but there is a statistical correlation between those who take vacations and their likelihood of receiving pay increases and/or bonuses.

What a great vacation looks like

You know you are truly on vacation when one or more of the following conditions is true – when you are:

• Physically, mentally, and emotionally away from work or work-like responsibilities (this is a minimum requirement for a vacation)
• Completely and unquestionably present with those around you
• Engaged in some form of relaxation, fun, or adventure — or all of the above
• Making meaningful and lasting connections and memories with others
• Taking time for private reflection, recreation, or connection with yourself

What a great vacation does for us

A well-lived vacation is like pressing the reset button on ourselves, you should leave it feeling fully refreshed, restored, and encouraged to face life and work again. You should also walk away from a vacation slightly better in some way. You should be a more relaxed, self-aware, emotionally intelligent, or simply more grateful. I can tell I’ve had a really good vacation when I come back home with some new intentions, resolutions, and even some decisions on what will be different. On a recent vacation, I came back with several renewed intentions including being more present for my wife and kids, to “go with the flow” a little more, to care what people think a little less, and to push some important business initiatives more aggressively. So often we can feel wrecked coming back, and we often say, “I need a vacation from my vacation.” I’ve said this many times especially those times when the vacation was packed with fun and adventure. I think this kind of “wrecked” excusable. Work hard play hard, and leave it all out on the beach.

What’s less excusable is what I talk about in my post, “7 things you absolutely cannot allow on vacation”

So go ahead, plan your next vacation. You can never book too soon. And if you do it right, you’ll be happier, your performance will be better for it, and your bank account will likely thank you as well.

Question: What is an ideal vacation for you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.