Many of us have the travel bug, especially now with the Internet and social media making such a big deal out of it. But it doesn't take away from the fact that travelling is essential for our mental health and a good work life balance requires all of us to be mentally sane. Which then makes it essential for us to travel after all, if not for the sake of travelling and seeing new places then simply to get a change of scene and be cut off for a few days.
But we all have jobs to keep and bills to pay, and the whole 'quit your job to travel the world' thing is not really a feasible option for all of us, now is it? And although many companies and corporates now have designated vacation policies for their employees, many don't and that becomes a hard thing to juggle.
So how do we manage to keep our jobs and still take our much-needed vacations through the year? Here are some pointers to keep in mind.
1. Plan holidays around your weekends and public holidays
That's the one thing we mostly do, isn't it? But we depend on long weekends too much and not on our usual weekends enough. Our weekly offs can be converted into mini getaways as well if they are planned wisely. Leave early on Friday, start a teeny bit late on Mondays and you have a treasure trove of days you can devote to your wanderlust.
2. Extend your work trips
Conference in Bangalore? Meeting in Mumbai? Recce in Goa? Well, why not club these with a few offs, or maybe ask your boss if you can work from where you are for a couple of days and voila! Your work trips are now not as bad to look forward to.
3. Request flexibility when you can
A lot of companies allow flexibility when it comes to where you are working and the hours. And that's a boon for travellers. But in case yours isn't one of those companies, you can always work extra on weekdays, or work some weekends in lieu of offs later on? It will do good to talk to your management about it.
4. Travel closer home
It doesn't have to be extended holidays that you take all the time. There are so many places worth visiting in your own country and around your city, you will be surprised. Explore those and you probably won't need as many offs.
5. Travel rider in your contract? Worth a try.
You can always discuss, before starting a new job or in an existing one, the possibility of travelling more frequently than others as long as you are putting the work in efficiently. It is no longer looked down upon by companies.
If you have more tips, we will be happy to hear about them in the comments section.
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