I glance at the clock in the corner of my screen, 4:55 p.m. peers back at me. I pen my out-of-office email and shut down my computer. I suddenly feel as if I’m floating. My vacation has officially started, and there’s nothing standing between me and 10 days of hiking in Washington’s beautiful North Cascades National Park. But here’s the best part: I’m only using four vacation days!
Over the years I’ve learned ways to maximize my limited company vacation days to the point where coworkers have asked if I negotiated more personal time off, or PTO, or if I somehow discovered the secret to being in two places at once. I haven’t quite cracked that quandary yet, but here are some tricks I use to maximize adventure time while maintaining work-life balance.
Take the red-eye
This is a tip I love to use but hate to experience. By opting for the last flight home, I can squeeze in an extra day of sightseeing, which is especially helpful on long weekend trips. I can spend all day hiking or exploring a city before going to the airport late at night. I’ll admit it’s tough to land and head straight for the office, but after one good night’s sleep, I’m back to business as usual.
Use holidays as freebies
I like to use every Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day to go on extended trips. These are great annual opportunities to take a week-long trip while only taking four days off!
Explore your own backyard
Many of us suffer from wanderlust, and our idea of a vacation is traveling to far-flung tropical locales on the other side of the globe—but there are places all around us that are worthy of exploration. Check out local state parks, national parks, or other hidden gems that you might have overlooked. I have a tendency to seek out distant destinations when trip planning only to reel it back in and spend more time in my home state. For example, I could fly across the world to visit beautiful mountain ranges, but I could also just visit the Cascades in Washington instead. They’re a short drive from my home and boast some of the most spectacular mountain vistas on the planet. (This also saves money and often leaves a smaller carbon footprint.)
Schedule early appointments
I always try to seek out dentists, optometrists, and doctors that offer early or late office hours and schedule appointments as early as I can to avoid using my personal time to go to the doctor.
Ask for flexibility
This tip depends on your job, but some workplaces allow you to take a day off if you make up for the lost hours other days of the week. You can apply this same concept to asking to borrow unearned or future vacation time. This will need to be made up later, but it can be useful if you have a particularly long trip planned early in the year. The key is to ask. If you don’t, the answer is always no.
Social media might tell you that in order to explore the world, you must quit your job and sell all your possessions. While that may be the ultimate dream, it isn’t necessary, and I’m here as proof that you can work a traditional nine-to-five and still have time to explore. Last year I was lucky enough to spend 26 nights in the backcountry and hike nearly 400 miles through the wilderness using only my weekends and 12 days of PTO. I know these tips may not apply to everyone, but I wanted to share a few I’ve used and loved over the past decade of traveling the world and working full-time. See you out there!
I glance at the clock in the corner of my screen, 4:55 p.m. peers back at me. I pen my out-of-office email and shut down my computer. I suddenly feel as if I’m floating. My vacation has officially started, and there’s nothing standing between me and 10 days of hiking in Washington’s beautiful North Cascades National Park. But here’s the best part: I’m only using four vacation days!
Over the years I’ve learned ways to maximize my limited company vacation days to the point where coworkers have asked if I negotiated more personal time off, or PTO, or if I somehow discovered the secret to being in two places at once. I haven’t quite cracked that quandary yet, but here are some tricks I use to maximize adventure time while maintaining work-life balance.
Take the red-eye
This is a tip I love to use but hate to experience. By opting for the last flight home, I can squeeze in an extra day of sightseeing, which is especially helpful on long weekend trips. I can spend all day hiking or exploring a city before going to the airport late at night. I’ll admit it’s tough to land and head straight for the office, but after one good night’s sleep, I’m back to business as usual.
Use holidays as freebies
I like to use every Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day to go on extended trips. These are great annual opportunities to take a week-long trip while only taking four days off!
Explore your own backyard
Many of us suffer from wanderlust, and our idea of a vacation is traveling to far-flung tropical locales on the other side of the globe—but there are places all around us that are worthy of exploration. Check out local state parks, national parks, or other hidden gems that you might have overlooked. I have a tendency to seek out distant destinations when trip planning only to reel it back in and spend more time in my home state. For example, I could fly across the world to visit beautiful mountain ranges, but I could also just visit the Cascades in Washington instead. They’re a short drive from my home and boast some of the most spectacular mountain vistas on the planet. (This also saves money and often leaves a smaller carbon footprint.)
Schedule early appointments
I always try to seek out dentists, optometrists, and doctors that offer early or late office hours and schedule appointments as early as I can to avoid using my personal time to go to the doctor.
Ask for flexibility
This tip depends on your job, but some workplaces allow you to take a day off if you make up for the lost hours other days of the week. You can apply this same concept to asking to borrow unearned or future vacation time. This will need to be made up later, but it can be useful if you have a particularly long trip planned early in the year. The key is to ask. If you don’t, the answer is always no.
Social media might tell you that in order to explore the world, you must quit your job and sell all your possessions. While that may be the ultimate dream, it isn’t necessary, and I’m here as proof that you can work a traditional nine-to-five and still have time to explore. Last year I was lucky enough to spend 26 nights in the backcountry and hike nearly 400 miles through the wilderness using only my weekends and 12 days of PTO. I know these tips may not apply to everyone, but I wanted to share a few I’ve used and loved over the past decade of traveling the world and working full-time. See you out there!
