In making the case for taking vacation time, I hope a few of you began to think about adding this important piece to your health regimen.  To solidify it, here are a few vacation and traveling challenges for you to consider.

Here we go…

• Schedule a day off.  Send the request to your manager today.  Have it coincide with a day your kids have off so you can explore a museum or zoo.  Or land it randomly in an upcoming week so you can spend a restoring day at a spa, driving in the country, or cross-country skiing in a city park.  Do what you want to do.  Feel your stress level go down…
• Dream.  I find that when I dream of traveling, soon I am.  Buy a copy of a travel magazine or, better yet, subscribe.  (Budget Travel is one of my favorites – because I’m a bit of a cheapskate.)  Make a bucket list.  Sure, you might not get to all the places you want to go.  But if you dream about it, you may get to some.
• Plan.  Have a dream spot in mind?  An event you don’t want to miss?  Friends or family you haven’t seen in too long?  How can you make it happen?  Figure out how much money and time it will take and then start working toward it today.  If you don’t start, the likelihood of your trip happening at all will decrease.
• Find something in your community you haven’t done before.  Do it.
• Get your passport.  You’re sure to never leave your country if you don’t have one.
• Change your thinking.  Next time you hear yourself say, “I can’t afford to travel,” or “I can’t take time off from work,” say instead “How can I find the money to travel?” and “What would I have to do to plan time away from work?”  Get creative.  Allow the possibility.

That’s a lot to do!  You better get right on it if you’re going to get out of here anytime soon!