6 Ideas To Get More Time Off Work To Travel
Taking time off work offers critical mental and physical health benefits. Regular vacations can even reduce your risk of heart disease and greatly enhance your outlook on life. Of course, not every employer gives a lot of time off. Even if yours does, more time off may be necessary due to the stressful nature of the work. Here are some ideas to get more time off.
1. Focus on Slower Periods
Employers may be more willing to give you vacation time (paid or unpaid) when work is slow. If nothing else, you could plan your vacations around anticipated slow times, making it more likely these vacation days get approved. An alternative is to plan a remote-work option during these slower periods (see next tip).
2. See if You Can Do Your Job Remotely Sometimes
Remote work is among these current business trends that has true staying power. You may be able to work from anywhere in the world, which lets you use your time off wisely and perhaps extend your vacation periods. With self-paced remote work, you can work from various locations, take a break when you need to, and continue working when you are ready.
If your employer does not allow remote work, you could try negotiating or looking for another job. If you negotiate, explain the positive effect that working remotely will have on the employer and the improved impact you can make at work. This is not the time to mention you want more days to travel.
3. Strategize Around Holidays and Weekends
If you take a day or two off before or after holidays or weekends, you could give yourself a five-day or even weeklong vacation without using up more than a couple of precious vacation days.
You could also consider taking shorter but more frequent trips that span two or three days. Camping and road-tripping are good options for these types of situations.
4. See if You Can Travel for Work
Maybe your job does not involve travel right now, but could it if you made a request or two? Maybe. Some people make lateral changes or apply for promotions on purpose to get jobs that let them travel more and combine work and personal travel.
Also, depending on how important travel is to you and the nature of the travel involved with a certain position, it may be worth taking a pay cut or “demotion” to get more opportunities to see the world.
5. Take a Sabbatical
If you have been with your employer for a long time, you might be able to negotiate a sabbatical (a period of extended paid leave). Sabbaticals are most typical in university or academic settings, but many employers are willing to make accommodations for valued workers. You might not necessarily be able to get four months off, but would two months do?
Otherwise, talk with your employer about taking an unpaid leave of absence. Save more money in the meantime to fund the trip and take care of other expenses during that time you won’t receive paychecks.
6. Request More Vacation Time
There’s nothing like cutting to the chase and directly requesting more vacation time from your company. Emphasize points such as how long you have been with the employer, how the time off will benefit you (and the employer in turn), and what arrangements you could make to minimize the impact of your days off.
Traveling is something many people love but may not always have the time to do. You may find that your employer can be flexible with vacation days and remote work options, though.
