Vacation | She Owns It

by Silke Wolf

Do you need to go on a vacation? No. Nearly 50% of Americans got by without taking one last year. But if you’re a hard-working entrepreneur juggling everything from funnels to freelance employees, you should go on vacation this year. And I’m not just saying that because, as a vacation concierge, it’s my business to send people on spectacular, bespoke trips. I’m saying it because as a business-owner, I’ve seen the immense value of taking time off: everything from increased productivity to breakthrough creativity and more.

In this story, I’ll share five surprising reasons why you should start planning your 2020 vacation right now. They’ll include giving yourself the chance to:

Connect with neglected loved ones. While you’re out there hustling, it can be very easy for your friends and family to feel completely ignored. On a digital-free vacation you can show them they’re a priority.
Shower yourself in self-care. Going to a live concert at a dream destination is far different than listening to streaming music at home.
Shift your perspective. It helps to get a different look at things while we’re away from home. To travel is to see the world through new eyes.
Meet potential business partners. Yes, you can mix business with pleasure–briefly. Grab a business card or connect with them on LinkedIn and email them when you get home.
Recharge your batteries. Your body will reward you with creativity when you get rest. You’re most creative when you least expect it. Just let your mind wander. There’s science that proves that you’re most creative when you don’t try to force yourself into being creative
Just take time to unwind for no other reason than to just be and to enjoy. You only live once. So often we hustle when we should just stop, listen, quiet our minds and just enjoy being in the moment for once. Being away from home makes it easier to do so.

Silke Wolf is an international vacation concierge and founder of Local Insiders, a bespoke travel service that makes you feel like a local even when you are thousands of miles from home. Her customized travel experiences perfectly pair visitors with locals who are passionate about art, food, fashion, beauty, music and more. Silke has been an avid traveler for decades and has visited over a hundred cities across the globe from Honolulu to Havana to Paris to Shanghai. She has connected with experts around the globe to create a network of more than 100 insiders to match with her clients. Silke’s travel advice has been featured in Thrive Global, Travel Awaits and Business Travel Life. While she lives in Switzerland, Silke travels almost every weekend to find the unique sights, sounds, and tastes of regions that you won’t read about in a guidebook. Her mission is to help vacationers experience their dream vacation, discover the undiscovered, escape the crowds, and add a little magic to their time away.

Guest Post

by Nicole K. Webb | Featured Contributor

Have you ever said to yourself, “I need a vacation!” and then seconds later, talk yourself out of it? It’s not the right time or you have too much work to get done?

Many professionals don’t take vacations because of fear of falling behind and jeopardizing their employment. However, many fail to realize that the reason they are falling behind in the first place is often due to working ineffectively and failing to be strategic. Instead of avoiding a vacation, using one to analyze and assess what could be done differently could actually be more effective.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a vacation is a period of time that a person spends away from home, school, or business, usually in order to relax or travel. It’s not uncommon for individuals to come up with their most creative ideas when they are relaxed and not intentionally working to create. This is why most major companies and organizations afford their employees paid time off (PTO). They want their employees to be more motivated and creative at work once they return. This is also why employees return to work more refreshed and empowered than they were before they left.

Here are a few more benefits to taking a vacation:

You get the opportunity to decompress and disconnect from your daily work routine.

You decrease your chances of experiencing burnout.

You get the opportunity to catch up with family and friends whom you don’t typically have time for when you’re working.

You get the opportunity to take care of your personal business endeavors (e.g. banking) during the work week instead of waiting for the weekend which saves you time and energy.

I strongly encourage that all career professionals take a vacation in order to break from their careers and gain clarity in their professional and personal lives. This will help to reduce stress, anxiety and unhealthy feelings that are detrimental for an individual’s mental and physical well being. Whether you take a vacation to relax at home or travel to a designated destination, the overall goal is to take time to step away. Make the decision to give yourself a break.

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Nicole K. Webb is a former “Perfect Patty” who was committed to doing everything by the book because of her fear of failure. However, in 2012 she faced some life-changing decisions that revealed to her that although you can try your best to do things perfectly, it’s impossible to be perfect at everything. For the first time in Nicole’s career, she struggled with a job in which she was not a good fit and was able to recognize this for herself. Nicole decided to resign from what many would consider a dream job in human resources in order to take time to figure out what to do next.

After being unemployed for two months, she found herself a great career opportunity in the human resources field. She also began to follow her dream of becoming a business owner. She opened her very own human resource consulting and career coaching business, NK WEBB GROUP LLC. Since launching her business, she has authored The Workplace Playbook: Strategies to Help New Employees Win In Their Careers.

Nicole has over 10 years of experience in human resources. She has an MBA from University of Baltimore and a BA from Coppin State University.

Nicole Webb

Why The First Trip You Plan for 2020 Should Be A Vacation by Silke Wolf of @local_insiders

Why You Need A Vacation! by @nkwebbgroup1