The demands of today’s lifestyle can make extended, expensive holidays difficult for many of us to achieve. With household expenses at an all time high, the ongoing pressure of work commitments and the ever changing dynamics to the modern day family unit, many families have resorted to putting any holiday plans ‘on the shelf’.
The option of taking several short holidays across the calendar year instead of one large holiday is often overlooked and underrated. Just some of the benefits of taking short holidays throughout the calendar are listed below:
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Short Holidays Can Be Cheap
One of the obvious benefits to taking a short holiday is the financial benefit. You don’t need to pay as much in travel expenses such as fuel and accommodation, and if you are a contractor, self employed or a casual worker you will experience less interruption to your income.
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Career
Whether you are self-employed and need to be present to run your own business or you are in the middle of climbing the corporate ladder, there are many reasons why an extended break is just out of the question due to your work situation. On the other hand, if you were to take just one or two days for an extended weekend break, your work world is surely going to keep spinning.
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Stress Relief
Today’s fast paced lifestyle leaves us more vulnerable to feeling stressed than ever before. We need to recognise this and also implement effective ways of dealing with this. As stress tends to build up over time with life’s pressures, we need to have avenues for release. It stands to reason that several short holidays each years would help reduce stress, rather than letting it build up across the year.
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Family Relationships
Going away as family on a few short holidays rather than one long holiday allows you to spread out your quality time more evenly throughout the year. If a family member is unable to make it to one of the short holidays due to work or social commitments, they are likely to be able to make it to the next one rather than missing out entirely.
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Sight Seeing Opportunities
Taking smaller holidays to different places allows you to see more locations and learn more about different places than if you spend your entire holiday in one place.
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Something To Look Forward To
It’s a great idea to always have your next short holiday booked in advance. This helps you not only to prepare financially but also has a positive psychological impact by giving you something to look forward to amongst the daily grind of life. If lack of money or time is stopping you from booking that big dream holiday overseas, it can be quite a deflating, depressing feeling. Instead of putting it on hold, book your big trip several years in advance so you have time to adequately prepare and make it a reality. At the same time, reward yourself and your family by scheduling in several short holidays that fit within your budget and time restraints.
Many of us acknowledge that holidays can be fun, relaxing and a chance to escape from every day life. The health benefits of taking short holidays can flow in to all areas of your life, including emotional health, physical health, your ability to be your best at work, your relationships and even your financial well-being. Rather than viewing short holidays as a luxury that only some can afford. they are in fact an essential part of your overall health and wellbeing plan, and should be prioritised as such.
