It is the one regret of the summer. Although the family agreed that this summer would be a slower schedule, it still flew by too quickly. It is barely the end of July and your oldest daughter has already headed back to her college campus, 12 hours away from home. And while everyone agreed that you would skip the big family vacation this year, the house seems empty, the summer seems over, and you now all feel like you should have taken the time to get away together.
Your two daughters did get away for a weekend of boating with their cousins, but you really regret the fact that you did not take your usual family vacation. Those days were a chance for all four of you to stop what you were doing and simply spend time together. As you see the social media posts of one family from school who visited Washington, D.C. together and another family from church who went whale watching together off the coast of Maine, you seriously long to turn back the clock and demand that the family vacation gets scheduled.
Graduations and sad good-byes mark the end of school years and New Year’s Eve parties mark the end of winter holidays, but without a traditional family vacation, it is hard to admit that the summer is coming to an end. Vowing to now let this happen again, you are already looking at the calendar for the year 2017 and picking a time when you will again to travel as a family to a vacation destination.
You Could Fly Them to the Moon and It Still Would Not be as Cool as the Hotel Pool
There was a time when the only thing you had to do to have a vacation was check into a hotel and let the kids swim. As children get older, however, the long list of their activities, including athletic practices and jobs, can make family vacations difficult to schedule. And while it might be tempting to demand that your growing children stop everything and travel with the family, this may not always be the best approach. Instead, some families simply book their family vacations to all inclusive resorts and let the amenities and the location do all of the talking.Fortunately, luxury resorts can be pretty convincing!
All inclusive vacation resorts are especially popular for families with older teenagers or college age children. When all meals, including desserts, are included family vacations are easier to budget. Understanding the fee up front keeps families from unexpected expenses or from vacations where parents are constantly having to say no the entire week. All inclusive resort vacations provide families an opportunity to spend long days on the beach, afternoons snorkeling among colorful reefs, and deep sea fishing. With a lost of activities like that, even teenagers with the busiest of the schedules will reconsider.
Vacations Can Make All Workers More Productive When they Return to Their Jobs
Unfortunately, teenagers are not the only ones who need to be convinced to step away from their hectic schedules of work and activities. In fact, 75% of employees with paid time off did not take all their vacation days in the year 2013, according to Glassdoor, an online employment site. Furthermore, even when they are on vacation, some workers are constantly checking email and voicemail. As a result, 10% of travelers claim they cannot relax even when they are on vacation, according to Happify, another online travel site.
The 25% of Americans who use all of their vacation time can likely speak to the benefits of time away from work. With today’s technology and the risk of 24/7 interruptions from work, it is even more important that people in the work force take the vacation time that they are given. And while some companies may send a message that vacations are not really encouraged, the wiser employers realize that everyone benefits from days away from the office. In fact, typically people who return from vacation are rejuvenated, more focused, and more productive.
Whether it is to benefit the older children in your family or to benefit you, vacations are important. Making the decision to visit an all inclusive resort can take the work out of much of the planning.