Remember the good old days of summer vacation? No school, lots of time by the pool, staying up late and playing outside? Ahh, to be young again. Now we are all grown up and would love to have a three-month break where we get to chill out all the time. Heck, most of us would enjoy a three day weekend!
We were chatting as a staff the other day reminiscing about how great summers used to be, and then it hit us! Summer vacations are still really great they are just different. We asked our full nationwide staff what they learned on their summer vacations this year, and the answers ranged widely!
1. Be Attached & Detached
The whole point of taking off work is not to be working, but it can help to do a quick check once a day to make your life easier when you return. Kavaliro's COO, Bill Peppler went on a family vacation this summer but "even when away from the office on vacation or PTO, I have to take time every day to make sure that I attend to critical business issues." Spending time with family should remain your priority but doing a brief email review will help you stay current even when out of office. It will also make the transition back to work easier!
Tim Davis, Kavaliro's Directory of IT Operations told us that "an international data plan is a must. There was an issue while I was on vacation that only I could fix, good thing I had international data because I ended up having to FaceTime one of my team members to get it fixed."
2. Stay-cations Help Re-charge
Even if you don't have a big trip planned, you can still make the most of your weekends to disconnect and re-charge. "This summer I learned that a “vacation” doesn’t have to be a full week off; you can make a weekend feel like a vacation if you truly disconnect- no emails or “catch up” work, don’t do any laundry, don’t go to the grocery store. Go to the beach, hang at the pool and spend the afternoon at brunch. If you spend those two days with your family or friends doing the things you love, it can be just as much a recharge as it is going to a far-away destination." - Stephanie Bruha, Directory of HR.
We agree with Stephanie all the way! Stay-cations are less expensive than regular vacations and can be a fantastic way to recharge your batteries. If you have kids, the mini-vacation can be a quick and easy way to get away from the family and hang out with some friends.
3. Surround Yourself with Friends & Family
Photos courtesy of Lisa Moore and Mark Moore
The most common answer we heard was how important it is for our team to spend time with their family, especially kids. "If the only memories I ever keep are the ones spending time with my wife and daughters, that will be enough," said Mark Moore, Kavaliro's President. Whether splurging to experience a Broadway show (like Hamilton) or just enjoying an afternoon outside, being with loved ones is what matters most. We do our best to support this at Kavaliro by having a summer event every year to invite families along for some shared fun! Mark also wanted us to mention that he learned that there is a lot of yellowfin tuna in the Bahamas and they taste delicious!
4. Last but not least- Don't Drink the Water in Mexico!
Special thanks to Monica Garcia from our Petaluma branch who (unfortunately) learned the hard way! "DON’T drink the water in Mexico. That includes the ice that you get from restaurants on the side streets when ordering your margarita." There's a high chance for travelers to be infected with E. coli and that's not something you want to learn for yourself. We are glad you feel better Monica but are sorry that you learned this lesson!