Skip to main content

Things all real working girls do: Travel w/ real world constraints, vacation days edition

If you’d believe all of the fashun bloggers out there, real working girls have unlimited budgets and vacation days which allow them to take 3 week vacations to Europe mere weeks after spending a fabulous week vacationing in Miami.  While we’re super jealous of that lifestyle, it’s not realistic for those of us stuck in economy with traditional jobs and limited vacation days.  So… how do real working girls make the most of limited vacation days and airline experiences that resemble cattle calls?  Well pull up an uncomfortable airport chair, put down your copy of Tatler (because we know we’re not the only ones who pick up this British staple at the airport newsstand), adjust your leggings, and listen up because we’re about to share some of our favorite tips on how to maximize vacation days.

  
With Labor Day on the horizon, this seems like a great time to discuss how to maximize vacation days by using holidays to your advantage.  Before we launch into that discussion, we first recognize that (1) traveling on the big holiday weekends (Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, etc.) can really really SUCK; (2) we work at a bank so we get a lot of the more minor federal holidays that others may not get (we absolutely use this to our advantage); and (3) our company’s vacation policy is very generous but we recognize that’s not the case for all real working girls. However, we stand by our advice. 

Typically, we don’t partake in long haul travel over the summer holidays, especially Labor Day because it's expensive and a hassle. Typically, it’s more of a holiday spent mooching off family with lake houses soaking up the last bits of summer.  However, this year Katie 1 and her husband are traveling to the Bay Area to attend a friend’s wedding (speaking of weddings, check this space later for our guide to decoding wedding dress codes!)  While they typically wouldn’t turn a wedding weekend into a vacation, because her in-laws live in the Bay Area, Katie 1 and her husband are extending their trip a bit.  Which brings us to the point of this post.  How do we maximize vacation time by using holidays and time zone differences to our advantage?  Well, in this case, Katie 1 and her husband are flying out after work on Thursday and returning on Tuesday afternoon.  With the differences in time zones, they will have 4 full days of vacation while only using one vacation day.  We understand this isn’t a super unusual use of vacation time, but hang on …. this same concept can be used for longer trips as well.  For example, Katie 1 has used those freebie days when traveling to Europe to take a 10 day vacation while only using 5 vacation days.  How does she accomplish this witchcraft? She leaves straight from work on Thursday for an overnight flight returning the following Sunday taking advantage of the 6 hour time difference to recover from jet lag.  This way, she is able to use 2 weekends and a Monday holiday.  Her favorite holiday to utilize this technique? Columbus Day which is perhaps the most underrated holiday for travel, especially for travel to Europe.  Why? First, it’s not a holiday that most of the workforce gets off so less people are traveling.  Second, it’s in early October, i.e. shoulder season for European travel and things are cheaper and less crowded.  Third, the weather is still pretty lovely in early October (not unbearably hot or cold) so there are no packing concerns.  

Other tips? If you travel for work (and your company allows it), use work travel as a jumping off point for vacation travel. Traveling for a conference to a place that doesn't suck? Don't have to take time off to travel for said conference? Flexibility on the days you can fly on the company's dime? If it's a Tuesday - Thursday conference, consider taking off Friday and flying back on Sunday or Monday to give yourself a nice little mini-break.  

We realize this is a long post, so here's the bulleted version of vacation time travel tips:
  • Long weekends are your friend when trying to maximize limited vacation days; 
  • Utilizing shoulder season holidays like Columbus Day along w/ weekends can maximize your vacation time (especially to Europe) and allow you to capitalize on cheaper prices and smaller crowds.  

Any other tips we should know about?  Please share in the comments!  
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Workout Wednesday: The Push-up

We wanted to take today to discuss the benefits of one of the most useful (and hated) of all exercises: the push-up.  First off, why should you even care? It's a great exercise to do any time, any where. No equipment needed. It targets multiple muscle groups. Get a lot of bang for your workout buck. This is really 2b: It's good for your core. A strong core improves your posture and can help prevent lower back pain (something you will struggle with if you sit a lot during the day and as you're getting older).  Calorie-torching! (Let's call this one "2c".) Because you're using so many muscle groups, you burn more calories with a push-up than you will for other strength exercises that involve only one muscle. (Want to burn even more calories? Do a burpee- a push-up and a squat jump. They're awful. Katie 1 says that Katie 2, the primary author of this post, is evil for even mentioning burpees.) They can be done no matter your fitness level. Yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

We Found It: The Perfect Plain White T

So back in March, we talked about the three ways we all styled the basic white t-shirt . At the end of the post, we gave some recommendations of shirts you could try. Since then, we have come across the best option out there. Disclaimer: it isn't short sleeved. But once you realize all the benefits, you will overlook that minor detail. Folks, meet the Halogen Reversible V-Neck Tee . How do we love thee? Let us count the ways: The price is a cool $39.99. Think that's too much to spend on a white t-shirt? It's really not. Keep reading and you will see why. It comes in white, black, and stripes (both black/white and light blue/white). Yes, we know we said we found the perfect plain white  t-shirt, but once you fall in love, you will want it in all the colors too. The thickness is legit. It's thick enough to where you don't have to layer a cami underneath, and thin enough to where it's comfortable to wear in warmer weather. (Note: as we already noted above, i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Super Popular Trends We Hate

Perhaps it's a byproduct of getting older but recently we're starting to realize that there are a ton of super popular trends that we really effing hate. We've decided to share this list with our dear readers in hopes that both of you will commiserate.  A Real Working Girl's List of Super Popular Trends That Suck Ombre Hair. It’s so hard to get right and maintain and just ends up looking sloppy and unprofessional. If you talk to a stylist, she (or he) will likely explain that ombre came from people who were growing out their color. To make truly good ombre, it’s just roots. Also, isn’t this over now? Crop tops. Just no. Unless you are a stick this is not a good look for you.  Midi-skirts. See above. Katie 2 would like to add that unless you’re over 5’8”, it’s floor length.  Mom jeans. See #2. If you’re normal sized, you ass looks like crap.  Top knots. Sorry… it just looks sloppy. Take a minute and do your damn hair.  Sex hair. See above. It looks s...
Post a Comment
Read more