“I want the exact opposite of my normally hectic work schedule . . .”
When I was little girl and my parents told me we’d be going on vacation in June, I’d start packing in April. I can still remember the smell of the matching Samsonite Suitcase and Make-Up Case (anyone remember those?) that my mother would let me pack my things in . . . smelled like vacation! Just preparing for vacation, the anticipation, was so exciting for me.
Now, as an adult, I have to say that the eagerness and anticipation I felt about vacation in my younger years are still part of my psyche. The old Samsonites are long gone and I don’t pack two months in advance anymore but I still countdown and anticipate. As I write this, it is 74 days until I leave for Destin. (I start counting down days at 100 – no more weeks or months after that, just days!)
Taking vacations, whether flying somewhere or staying close to home, are important to our health. I could probably give you 50 ways taking a vacation can benefit your health. But here are a few, according to Standard Life.
1. Leave everything behind and relieve your brain of everyday worries – reduce stress.
2. Some studies find a positive relationship between vacations and intellectual function. You’re going to think and work more effectively after some “down” time.
3. Vacation can provide more opportunities for sleep and exercise.
4. Strengthen ties and build lasting memories with your family.
5. Taking time off gives you the opportunity/permission to laugh and do the things that you most enjoy.
What do some of Northern Kentucky’s business leaders do for vacations?
Lytle Thomas, president of Heritage Bank, says, “We vacation as a family. I enjoy planning our trip and using it as a teaching moment for the kids . . . from reading a map where we are going, to talking about local sights, foods, entertainment. It makes the anticipation and build up to the trip fun for them.”
Rhonda Whitaker, Director, Government and Community Relations for Duke Energy is a woman after my own heart. “I prefer not to fill up every minute of vacation time with too many “planned activities” – I want the exact opposite of my normally hectic work schedule.”
And, when I asked Rhonda about her “countdown” method . . . “I keep “vacation planning” lists in a notes section of my phone; I begin checking off items a good two to three months out, prior to an extended vacation trip, so that I’m not so stressed to organize everything at both home and work before leaving.”
I think if Rhonda and I ever traveled somewhere together, we’d get along just fine!
“My husband and I are foodies”, says Kelli Gilbert, Metropolitan Club President. “We’ll plan dinners at some restaurants, where we’ll be vacationing, months in advance.”
When asked what’s on her vacation “bucket list”, Kelli explained, “I want to explore this amazing planet. Assuming I do not win the lottery, we take a few trips each year. In ten years, we’re boarding up the condo and moving to Italy for a couple of years!”
Verst Group President Paul Verst prefers long stretches of time with his wife, visiting their three kids. “One of our sons is an officer in the Navy and based in Hawaii . . . ‘nough said!”
And if Paul and his wife are visiting someplace new . . . “My wife loves to plan our days, which normally involves outdoor “out of my comfort zone” activities and I am happy to participate in most of them!” You’re a good man, Paul Verst!
And, just as I have some childhood vacation memories, so do my friends . . .
Lytle . . .”piling in the back of the family station wagon with all of our luggage in the cargo carrier on top of the car . . . we would each claim territory for the ride then try to irritate each other (siblings) by crossing the imaginary lines . . . waiting for Dad to shout back at us . . . ‘don’t make me pull this car over’!”
Rhonda. . . “we were never able to fly anywhere when I was young but especially with my parents now deceased, I relish all the memories from many a summer road trip to visit family in other states . . . then at 17, my parents afforded me a trip to Europe for three weeks . . .it was quite the experience for a young girl from Ohio who had only driven as far as Wisconsin and Virginia!”
Kelli . . . “we rented RV’s and camped a lot . . . who knew there were so many KOA’s and Cracker Barrels!”
Paul . . .”my most memorable, but not the best, is going to Florida at Christmas in my Dad’s pink four-door car with six kids under 17 via old US 27 . . . and arriving in Florida and it was snowing . . .”
Whether it’s a vacation that takes you to another country or a few miles down the road, it seems to me it’s always good to have that “carrot” out there, that light at the end of the tunnel that gets brighter as the weeks, and days, go by.
So, if you haven’t yet planned yours for 2015, it’s time put that countdown in your phone or pull a map up on your computer and decide where your next vacation adventure will take you. As for me, even though a few weeks in Destin is 74 days away, I just returned from a short weekend getaway and have another one planned in March. I’m always looking for ways to enhance my “intellectual function” . . . that’s as good an excuse as any!
NKyTribune columnist Helen Carroll, interim president of the United Way of Kentucky, retired from Toyota in 2014 after 27 years of service.. She is a resident of Northern Kentucky and owner of Carroll Project Planning LLC. She is also a board member of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. Email: Helen.Carroll@uwky.org