See the World, One Weekend at a Time
So how can you, the ambitious but overworked professional, find time to travel?
Start by eliminating one common misconception. Repeat after me: "A trip doesn't need to last a week or more in order to be worthwhile."
We all know this intuitively. If we didn't, we'd never go anywhere--the zoo, a football game, home for the holidays, or even one of those endless "business appointments" that keep coming up. But we've been conditioned to see travel time as an investment, one that needs to get a rate of return. Because of that conditioning, we avoid taking trips where we spend a long time traveling unless we can spend a long time at our destinations.
The biggest problem that this thinking creates is that it prevents busy people from traveling at all. Busy people are lucky to be able to count on their weekends. Maybe they can take a Friday or a Monday off, or an occasional four-day weekend, but a week? Not happening.
As a result, busy people stuck in the rate-of-return mentality just can't get away. But the premise is flawed from the start, and you can break free by changing your mindset. Here are a few tips to help:
When you're busy working outside of the office, that means you have work that can be done while you're traveling. So, time spent on a plane from New York to London, or from San Diego to Alaska, isn't wasted at all; it's actually work time, uninterrupted productivity.
When you arrive, you'll just finished working, so enjoy your time at your destination without worrying about what's waiting for you back home. If you do still have more work, there's a return trip tomorrow for you to get it done.
Use time zones to your advantage. Schedule westbound flights early in the morning and a lot of your travel time is offset, allowing you to arrive shortly after you left. Leave late at night when you're heading east and sleep on the plane; you'll arrive early the next morning.
Understand, really understand, that there is no relationship between time spent traveling and time spent at a destination. Either the destination was worth seeing or it wasn't. Enjoy your trip for what it is. You don't have to convince anyone else.
By treating your travel time as blocked-aside work hours, you do more than free up time for travel. You let go of a lot of the stress that builds up from spending all of your time at work. You recharge so you can approach the next challenge with more energy. You create a life outside of work, one focused on open spaces, exciting places, and new people.
Make the decision today to see the world before you retire. You can do it without having to give up your career.
Related Tags: travel, work, time management, tourism, weekend travel, busy, schedule, day trip
James C. Samans is the author of Spontaneous Tourism: The Busy Person's Guide to Travel. He travels more than 200,000 miles each year by air, rail, road, and sea and holds elite status with United, Continental, and Amtrak.
Visit his web site at http://www.spontaneoustourism.com or email him at author@spontaneoustourism.com.
Recent articles in this category:
- Increase Your Productivity - How To Clear The Mechanism
How can I increase productivity and what is productivity? Well, I'm glad you asked…First, the dictio - Are You In Check?
Work/life balance is really a broad concept comparing the proper prioritizing between career and det - The Ebb & Flow Of Balance
One recurring theme we all face is balancing the demands of their career with those of our personal - The Three Rhythms Of Workflow - Getting And Staying In The Groove
It's been a rock and roll day here at QuietSpacing(R) central. Monday's always are … for most of us. - The Real Key To Time Management
One of the biggest struggles all of us have in our modern world has to do with how to manage time. M - 4 Tips To Better Command Your Workload
We entered the workforce well educated, but few entered well skilled. Gaining skills on the subject - When Is Asap?
Our 24×7 world has a rash … a rash of ASAP. It's highly contagious and seems to strike from the top - Effective Time Management Training
Most losses incurred by companies are due to a lack of sound time management program. Then, it leads - Busy Work Is Not Always Productive
Busy work can be regarded as any task or assignment we engaged in that consumes our time but in the - You Need To Overcome Procrastination Before It Kills You
Sounds a little dramatic doesn't it? Well let me give you several examples and you can decide for yo
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Time Unmanagement
Is that really a word, "unmanagement" ?"Sorry, we have no matches for unmanagement", well I guess if - How To Implement A Time Management Strategy For Better Productivity
I've often been asked why my life seems so organised. When this question was first put to me I didn' - It's About Time
Of the essential elements it takes to start and grow a profitable business - a concept, money, a pla - Tips On Time Management
Time management is one of the hardest things to master. For some people it comes easy and for others - Big Rocks
As I sat at the edge of the pool, watching my kids swim, I thought about what a blessing it was to b - The Challenge of Focus
Laser Beam Focus. To be successful you need to be focused. I make a plan. I plan the day, then I sti - Are You Ready To Throw Time Management Out The Window
Forget about time management, I have. Why? Have any of the hours upon hours of training, or readi - Work at Home Moms: Tips on Staying Focused
Let's face it…moms working at home have a ton of distractions. Staying focused on your business can - More Efficiently Utilize Your Time by Listening to Audio Books
Are you short on time? With everything else you need to do these days between work, taking care of - Suggestions for Using Time Wisely
There are twenty-four hours in a day. At a first glance it seems a lot, but in our practical day-to-