How To Make The Most Out Of Limited Vacation Time

Nowadays with strict vacation time and limited days off per year at work, it can be challenging to find the best place to travel to that fits with your schedule. With just two weeks on average off a year, sometimes it can seem impossible to go on your dream trip or venture as far away as you would like. I am a firm believer that even with limited vacation time, along with some strategic planning, you can definitely make the most of your time off. Here’s my input for how to maximize limited vacation time.

Choose your destination carefully

Depending on how much time you have off, it's important to choose your destination very carefully. Factors like transit time, difficulty in getting around once you’re there, and how much you hope to accomplish are important factors to take into consideration. While I don't believe you should be limited to only visiting places near to where you live, if you plan carefully you can definitely travel much further than originally imagined, even out of the country if you like.

Take advantage of scheduled holidays

While it might be competitive to take off time around some of the more popular holidays, like Thanksgiving or Christmas, chose time around one of the less-traveled ones, like President's Day. Combining personal vacation time with national holidays is a great way to maximize your trip. So if you want to travel for a week, you only have to take 4 days of personal leave instead of 5. This can make a big difference. 

Make some sacrifices

When your job doesn't allow for much flexibility concerning vacation time, sometimes you have to make some big decisions or hard choices to make sure you do get the vacation you hope for. The biggest hardship in overcoming short vacations is transportation. Less can be more. Sometimes it's better for your schedule to spend less time traveling around to different places, and instead chose one or two spots to spend more time.

Less spontaneity and more planning

Crucial questions to ask yourself are how long is it going to take to get there? Is the amount of travel time worth the trip? Will I be spending a lot of time in transit once I arrive? If your time off is limited, it might be worth considering a very specialized vacation or a going on a tour, so you don't waste time in logistics or commuting from place to place trying to see it all. Maybe you spend a little more money on a direct flight instead of saving a few dollars with multiple stopovers. These are key factors to take into consideration when booking your vacation, and the more precision you can put into your planning, the more you can see and do.

Note: Available plans and coverages may have changed since this blog was published.