Today’s travel concern: “I want to travel but my partner doesn’t want to.”

Every once in awhile, the perfect match is made in heaven, but there’s one small problem: One half of the couple can’t live without traveling, and the other one hates to leave home. Some people would walk away from this relationship, but others stick it out, knowing that somehow, travel may have to go on the back burner for the sake of a relationship.

Just so there’s no confusion, you should all know that I’m one of the lucky ones who is in an awesome relationship with a guy who adores traveling as much as I do, but I also know many people who yearn to hit the road even though their significant other doesn’t want to.

If you have wanderlust, do you have to just stuff it in a closet and let it get dusty?

NO! There are lots of ways that you can still feed your travel bug while not alienating your other half. Here are three things to consider:

• An increasing number of couples are taking time to travel (or stay home) on their own, so it is completely acceptable to travel without your significant other. If he or she is working, your other half will hardly realize you’re even gone.
• It may be possible that your partner just thinks he or she doesn’t want to travel. If travel wasn’t part of how he or she grew up, and it was never something ingrained in the fabric of life, then the lack of interest may just be a hibernated interested.
• That said, it is important to realize that some people do not like to travel, and it’s important to respect that.

But the problem still remains: You want to travel, and he/she does not. How to remedy this?

• Travel on your own. Solo travel is a completely legitimate way to hit the road. Hopefully your partner can appreciate your need to explore the world, and if that’s the case, there is no reason why you can’t pack your bags and head out for a bit of alone time.
• Travel with friends or other family members. If you don’t feel comfortable traveling on your own and your partner won’t travel with you, tap other resources. Take a girls’ weekend with some friends from college, ask your brother if he wants to go on that epic hiking trip or take the kids with you. If you can’t find anyone to go with you, consider signing up for a tour group.
• Find out why your partner doesn’t like to travel. Is it because he or she is afraid of learning a new language? Is new food freakish? Does your other half find it frustrating and expensive? Or is it possible that your partner just doesn’t have any travel experience so he or she doesn’t know what to think about traveling? Talk about why travel isn’t a part of your partner’s life, and that will help you figure out if (and how) it can become part of the life you live together.
• Travel in your own backyard. The truth is that many of us don’t take advantage of the awesome opportunities that our own cities and local surroundings offer. When was the last time you took a “staycation” to explore what your neighborhood or nearby towns had to offer? You may be able to convince your partner to take a trip not far from your own home. Plan to spend a night or two in comfortable accommodations and eat food you enjoy. The unknown is scary for a lot of people, so ease into a travel situation that is similar to the familiar.
• Make a deal. Just as your partner shouldn’t have to be part of your plans to pick up and bike through Vietnam at the last minute, you shouldn’t be stuck at home either. Agree to meet each other halfway by spending vacation time at home half the time and traveling the other half of the time.
• Don’t force travel, and keep it simple. If you find yourself arguing and fighting to travel, then it’s not worth it. Travel loses its zest when it becomes a fight, so if you can convince your partner to take a trip, keep it as stress-free as possible. Choose destinations similar to what your living conditions are. These are likely places where people speak English, clean beds and warm showers are available, transportation is abundant and food is familiar. All-inclusive resorts and cruise ships might be good options because someone else is taking care of all the details for you. Road trips will keep you a bit closer to home.

The bottom line is this: If you want to travel, you should. Ideally, you can find a middle ground with your partner and together the two of you can come to an agreement about how travel fits into the life you lead together. If, however, your partner has firmly planted his or her foot down and said no, then you can and should find a way to meet your need of exploring the world. After all, if you don’t travel now, when will you go at all?

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Why People Don’t Travel, Part 1: Fear of Going Solo
• Why People Don’t Travel, Part 2: Lack of Money
• Why People Don’t Travel, Part 3: Kids
• Why People Don’t Travel, Part 4: Time

Why People Don’t Travel, Part 5: My Partner Doesn’t Want to Travel | Kaleidoscopic Wandering

What did she achieve? That’s a good question. She was frazzled, pulled through the days by can after can of soda. Her paranoia regarding our department’s achievements was incredibly severe, as if our lives depended on it.

And therein is where the problem lies. Work is work and life is life, but work should not be life. Making time to travel is important in keeping a balance between work and play. Can you believe that a quarter of people say they haven’t taken a family vacation, if they’ve taken one at all? There are lots of reasons why people don’t travel—in fact, many people don’t even like to travel—but there is still an incredible need to take time away from the workplace.

Studies have shown that there are very positive effects when people take the time to vacation (this includes those who take long-distance trips and those who stick around their own backyards). Consider the following benefits of vacations:

• Increased creativity
• Increased productivity and efficiency on the job
• Less likely to burn out on the job
• Regular vacations keep stress levels lower and energy levels high
• Improved mood
• Better relationships with family and friends
• Less stress overall

Despite the numerous studies that have shown why taking breaks from work is so important, more than half of all Americans do not use their vacation time. It’s been said that the United States is a no-vacation nation, and the stats don’t lie. What’s even more troubling is that, when people do travel or are forced to take paid days off, they are still likely to work. They take their laptops to the beach, their Blackberries to Walt Disney World and their work-heavy mindsets to places that should be far removed from our everyday comfort zones.

I can appreciate that there is an innate fear of taking advantage of vacation time, especially with a rocky economy hovering in the background. I had the same concerns:

• Who will respond to my emails, phone calls, etc?
• My work will pile up and then I’ll fall behind.
• I am the only person who knows how to do my job.
• Will my boss decide that I’m not necessary?

You earned your vacation, so use it, and use it well. Work ahead if possible, and then make a commitment to truly leave the work behind. Unplug. Breathe. Enjoy. Relax.

Your body and your family will thank you for it.

Why Vacations are Important | Kaleidoscopic Wandering

Today’s travel concern: “I don’t have time.”

Trust me, I hear you on this one. After several years in Corporate America, I know that the vacation days do not flow freely. Even if you are given time off of work, rarely does the work actually stop, so returning to the desk can be so stressful that you avoid leaving it at all. And, given the current economy, many people feel their careers are at risk if they decide to take time off from work.

Not taking or having the time to travel can have a detrimental domino effect on our health, relationships and even work. The longer we put off our vacation, the more stressed out, unfocused, unmotivated and inefficient we become. You think it’s stressful to return to work? Try not leaving the office at all!

Somewhere in the back of your mind you know you’ve got to find the time to hit the beach, take a hike, explore the sites, visit family or otherwise escape the routine of your day-to-day life. There are lots of reasons why you might not be able to find the time, namely:

• You have a job.
• You have responsibilities at home.
• You have responsibilities to people who need you.

So how do you work through these roadblocks and ensure you give yourself the time you need for a vacation? Start with the following:

Make a commitment to make the time to travel. Once you tell yourself that taking advantage of your vacation time is possible and important to you, you’ve already hit a major milestone. With adequate planning and the right attitude, any time can be a good time to travel.

Once you’ve done that, do the following:

1. Prepare and delegate in advance.

Once you’ve decided when you’ll be traveling, take it upon yourself to notify colleagues. Share information on how coworkers can assist you while you are out of the office, and don’t be afraid to let them help you. If you are able, work ahead on some of your projects. If you plan to check in, let people know when that will be, and then, while you’re traveling, make sure you unplug and enjoy the rest of your time worry-free.

Those who are self-employed or run small businesses may feel especially overwhelmed with the idea of taking time to travel because leaving work can feel like cutting a lifeline. Notify clients about when you’ll be traveling, and work with them to finish pending projects prior to leaving or establish a reasonable deadline that will allow you to complete the work once you return home. Consider hiring a freelance assistant to manage small tasks such as email and phone calls.

If you can’t take time off from caring for someone, again, it’s important to delegate those tasks. You can prepare and freeze meals in advance, and hire a home nurse to care for elderly parents. Do not schedule appointments for anyone you are responsible for during your travel time.

Remember … the sooner you begin planning, the more you can put your mind at ease once you actually leave for your vacation.

2. Make the most of your vacation time.

The average person is juggling 14 vacation days a year, so for the sake of argument, that’s what you, too, are working with. How can you make the most of those 336 hours?

• ŸŸMix business with pleasure. If you have to travel somewhere for work anyway, piggyback a vacation onto that excursion. The actual act of traveling can take up a lot of time, but if you have to travel somewhere on the company’s time and dollar anyway, you might as well take advantage of the fact you’re somewhere other than home.
• Decide early in the year how you want to spend your vacation time. If you consider all of the things you’d like to do with your vacation time sooner rather than later, you will know whether your travel goals are achievable (plus it gives you more time to prepare and delegate). Perhaps you’d like a week-long trip and then several long weekends. Or maybe there’s a longer jaunt you’d like to take that will require all 14 days in one expenditure. Don’t forget to figure in time you may need to set aside for family gatherings or holidays.
• Travel north and south. Though you gain hours by flying from east to west, you lose those hours going the other direction. Take advantage of single day travel by moving north to south or vice versa.
• Save your days if you have a long trip in mind. It seems like fewer and fewer businesses are allowing employees to roll over their vacation days, but if you are able and willing, you may want to consider doing this if you’d like to take more than two weeks off at a time. I don’t want to be a downer here, but do keep in mind that, if you are laid off, you will lose all of that vacation time and likely won’t be able to take a payout either.
• Take advantage of holidays. It may be more expensive to travel over the holidays, but this is when you’ll have mandated days off of work, so you might as well tack a couple extra days on to an already longer weekend in order to maximize your time.
• Travel over weekends. If you leave right after work on Friday and get home the following Sunday, you only spend five days of vacation time, but you get to be on vacation for nine days.
• Ask for more time. You may be able to extend your vacation with unpaid time off. It never hurts to ask if it’s an option.

3. Book your trip.

Rewind back to the discussion about the commitment to travel. Now you actually have to take steps to do it. Pick a date. Book a plane ticket. Make reservations for a rental car and hotel. It’s time to ensure that your vacation becomes a reality.

There are two more important things to say about the need to carve out time when we travel:

First, don’t try to do it all. You definitely can’t see everything in China or Australia in a week, and it’s also going to be hard to sufficiently explore California or Costa Rica with minimal time. No one said you had to do it all, so don’t try to force it. Instead, focus on the one or two things you most want to see or do, and then plan the rest of your trip around those. Stressing yourself out in an attempt to squeeze too much into your schedule defeats the purpose of taking time off.

Second, don’t discount local exploration. Staycations have a bad reputation but they don’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, with some wide-eyed curiosity and a bit of research, you can tour your own city like a traveler. By staying in local accommodations, eating at locally owned restaurants and participating in neighborhood activities, you not only save travel time but you also support your local economy. It’s still a vacation if you get away from a routine, so let your imagination run wild in figuring out how to make the most of the time you have to explore something new.

How do you make the most out of your vacation time? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• Why People Don’t Travel, Part 1: Fear of Going Solo
• Why People Don’t Travel, Part 2: Lack of Money
• Why People Don’t Travel, Part 3: Kids
  

Why People Don’t Travel, Part 4: Time | Kaleidoscopic Wandering