Vacation. I do love to harp about how we all need one on a regular basis to keep ourselves not just productive, but sane. Do I practice what I preach – not always! I need a vacation right now. Thus I get on a plane this Saturday and step off in Frankfurt early Sunday morning.

Let me say it again – I need a vacation. I need this vacation like I have rarely needed one in my life. It is past time to get out of Dodge. Strasbourg, Frankfurt and, well, somewhere else in that region – here I come!

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

My past year has been stressful and crazy. In the last six months alone, my father died, there was a ton of work stress, some family drama, a bout with the flu, more family drama, trying to start a business, and oh, yes – family drama.

Which just means my life has been a lot like everyone else’s. We over-commit and over-promise and deal with the dramas (good and bad) that having a family inevitably brings. All of it seems doable on a daily basis until suddenly, it is just overwhelming.

Vacation gets us back on track; a little time away, a little distance for perspective. This is more than just sleeping to noon every day, moving to the couch and watching TV for the next 6 hours, then shambling back to bed. I mean, sure, there are times that is about all we can muster; but a true vacation should take you away from everything.

Vacation, Had to Get Away

When I leave my house, my city, my country; I leave all the contingencies that come with that package. You must change your surroundings to truly change your perspective. For me, that means going somewhere new. I must physically go somewhere else, preferably off the continent, definitely out of the country.

I am a different person on vacation, more aware, more in-the-moment, more in my own skin. The distraction of new places and different languages is life affirming for me. Our brains cry out for this sort of change, we need that distraction to recharge.

I am at my most productive, most engaged and most creative after I have had a real vacation. I am not talking about the three or four day weekend – but the true, 8-15 day away from home sort of vacation. My head is clearer, the drama is less dramatic, and I am more relaxed.

Vacation, Meant to be Spent Alone

(Okay, yes, that is the Go-Go’s spinning about in your head, but it fits!).

Solo travel – solo vacation – is my preferred method. This truly is just for me, I don’t want anyone to feel they must travel solo. I love it. A goodly amount of my day to day is about compromise and negotiation. There are contracts to haggle over, there are compromises on time and commitments and who needs what when. Even the very act of getting lunch turns into a mediation session.

Traveling solo means that the only person you have to haggle with is yourself. How easy is that? My vacation isn’t spent trying to find some happy medium that usually isn’t all that happy. There is no one to be irritated because I said I would go to that museum, but now I don’t feel like it. If I decide that I would rather go to this place rather than that one, there is no argument.

A solo vacation is also a great way to meet new people. Some of my best memories of past trips are of the folks I have met along the way.

Getting Up and Going

So, yeah, take that vacation. I know it can feel overwhelming to even think about planning a trip, but you will be so glad you did. For this trip, the hardest part was just getting it all started! Honestly, the very thought of getting the ticket booked was exhausting.

Once I finally got it booked, I started feeling the enthusiasm and excitement. Sure, I am still agonizing over hotels, but I have the first five days taken care of so I feel pretty good about that. Take the first step or two, and suddenly planning the trip becomes energizing!

Right now, I am so excited it is hard to not to look at hotels and things to do and places to go. I am in meetings and looking at tourism websites; on phone calls I am looking at pretty pictures. Three days and counting, with an overwhelming to-do list for both work and the trip – and I positively giddy.

Final Thoughts on Vacation

We are living in divisive and scary times. I get that. Taking a vacation – a real vacation, away from the phone and the computer and the constant news feed of Twitter and Facebook and streaming services – is a wonderful way to power down and recharge.

The bonus to this is that you get that experience of seeing other people doing the day to day you do at home. I have found that our similarities are far greater than our differences. For those who worry that traveling as an American right now is not a smart thing, let me assure you, the vast majority of people in the world get that governments and people are not the same thing.

So please, if you have the luxury of vacation time, take it. Go and see the world, discover new things and places, and rediscover yourself in the process.