Vacation

[ImaginaryDay2]

I've been told I need to schedule my vacation hours for the year. I wasn't sure I'd accrue any so I hadn't planned on scheduling things. Turns out I have hours to use up. I really don't want to take a vacation this year because I want to save money. Besides, I already work a four on, four off schedule. My days off are enough of a break for now. But I have to use them. Thoughts?

 

[Lamb]

If you don't want to spend money to go away do a Staycation where you can go to places that are within a few hours drive there and back in one day. Then you can stay at home at night

Even though we've lived where we are now for 5 years, there are so many new things so we like to go to places that are a couple hours away. I try to find the "free" things to do like some tours.

 

[vince284]

I've been told I need to schedule my vacation hours for the year. I wasn't sure I'd accrue any so I hadn't planned on scheduling things. Turns out I have hours to use up. I really don't want to take a vacation this year because I want to save money. Besides, I already work a four on, four off schedule. My days off are enough of a break for now. But I have to use them. Thoughts?

I would never give up vacation time, especially if it's paid time off. If you don't want to spend any money, stay home for the day(s), you'll save the money you would have spent to commute. If you buy lunch at work, eat at home, you'll save some money. If you work from home, try doing something different. Do something you've been meaning to do around the house, read, go for a bike ride, spend time with friends and family. But, if you feel you don't need the down time or rest, then volunteer your day for a good cause. That may cost you a little money, but at least you did something different.

 

[Josiah]

Hawaii

 

[tango]

I've been told I need to schedule my vacation hours for the year. I wasn't sure I'd accrue any so I hadn't planned on scheduling things. Turns out I have hours to use up. I really don't want to take a vacation this year because I want to save money. Besides, I already work a four on, four off schedule. My days off are enough of a break for now. But I have to use them. Thoughts?

You can take time off work without doing anything specific. In the past I've used surplus vacation time to do home improvements or even just go to the park for a day when it's not as busy as at the weekends.

One year it was very hard for me to take any vacation time because I was the project lead on a critical project and just couldn't disappear for two weeks. My manager told me around November that I needed to at least use up some of my vacation by the end of the year. He understood why I hadn't taken anything to speak of, and also understood (albeit reluctantly) that if the company was going to pull the "rules are rules" card and demand I took time off rather than carrying it forward or turning it into cash then I'd pull the "rules are rules" card myself and say that if I'm on vacation I don't expect to take calls from work.

A few times I used a day (sometimes half a day) so I could go away for the weekend and come back Monday morning rather than fighting the traffic as everybody and their dog tried to get back into the city on a Sunday evening.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

If you don't want to spend money to go away do a Staycation where you can go to places that are within a few hours drive there and back in one day. Then you can stay at home at night

Even though we've lived where we are now for 5 years, there are so many new things so we like to go to places that are a couple hours away. I try to find the "free" things to do like some tours.

I'll probably do quite a bit of small trips around here. Maybe something 3 or 4 days or so on Vancouver Island. There are a number of places to see and some cheaper deals on AirBnB vs. a hotel right near the ferry docks.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

I would never give up vacation time, especially if it's paid time off. If you don't want to spend any money, stay home for the day(s), you'll save the money you would have spent to commute. If you buy lunch at work, eat at home, you'll save some money. If you work from home, try doing something different. Do something you've been meaning to do around the house, read, go for a bike ride, spend time with friends and family. But, if you feel you don't need the down time or rest, then volunteer your day for a good cause. That may cost you a little money, but at least you did something different.

I probably will spend some of that time at home going through some boxes and things that are cluttering up my closet. I'm in a rental suite that, although it's a good size, doesn't have much room for storage. So thinning that out would be good - and to do a mega-clean as well - perhaps a good carpet cleaning and disinfecting the fridge and cupboards.
Part of the "what do I do on vacation" thing is that I do get the four days off in between my work days so I have some time to recoup anyway, but you never know how a longer time off would be helpful - even if it were just as you say - volunteering, reading, exercise, etc.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

You can take time off work without doing anything specific. In the past I've used surplus vacation time to do home improvements or even just go to the park for a day when it's not as busy as at the weekends.

One year it was very hard for me to take any vacation time because I was the project lead on a critical project and just couldn't disappear for two weeks. My manager told me around November that I needed to at least use up some of my vacation by the end of the year. He understood why I hadn't taken anything to speak of, and also understood (albeit reluctantly) that if the company was going to pull the "rules are rules" card and demand I took time off rather than carrying it forward or turning it into cash then I'd pull the "rules are rules" card myself and say that if I'm on vacation I don't expect to take calls from work.

A few times I used a day (sometimes half a day) so I could go away for the weekend and come back Monday morning rather than fighting the traffic as everybody and their dog tried to get back into the city on a Sunday evening.

Right now it is a bit of a "rules are rules" situation and not wanting to rock the boat (taking a payout at the end of the year and upsetting my manager) I have to do it. So, I'll plan accordingly. There's a rock festival in Alberta in July I just found out about so that'll take care of at least part of it. It's a college town, too, so who knows - maybe I'll see what else is in the area and spend more time there.