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28 Days – Tropical Paradise or Bust

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To breathe out, you must first breathe in...

Twelve days ago I began the marathon of counting down until my cruise. Gathering, planning and executing is something I do well at work but translating that for  vacation planning is hard work. It's more about growing devil may care attitude than actual planning. After all, the ROI is much different for a vacation.

Healthy VacationsHealthy VacationsIn North America, we're trained to view our vacation as a gift, something bestowed upon us by the higher ups. For 50 weeks a year we burn the midnight oil, arrive early to get a headstart on the year and tether ourselves to a BlackBerry the rest of the time. And we still feel a little guilty when we step outside that world for a vacation.

I believe it's because measuring the value of our vacation is more complicated than a tallying up a profit/loss balance sheet. And because that final measure ripples through the people in our lives, it's even more knotty.

My 2-week Princess Cruise suddenly became even more tangled this week with the earthquake in Haiti and a friend I'm still waiting to hear from. But then I started how not taking a vacation can have lifelong effects and found some well-known stats:

  • Vacations increase work productivity by 25%
  • Women who vacation once every 2 years are more likely to suffer depression than women who vacation every year.
  • Not taking vacations significantly increases a woman's risk of developing heart disease

Even more importantly, completely disconnecting fromGive yourself space to breathe.....Give yourself space to breathe..... all things work-related can be a spiritual experience. Why? Cutting out the clutter gives your mind space to breathe and that's good for your soul.

What's more, even the Pope gets a 2 week vacation - every year. If he can take a vacation, I can too.

Do you give yourself permission to take a break from work? Do disconnect yourself completely from work - including your BlackBerry?

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Comments

Well I don't know what to

Well I don't know what to say about this but the fact is that I always loved this kind of places. This can be the dream trip for everyone.

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Most Recent Comments

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Sad and heavy heart said "On a note about the roads of Totrola which are steep, and windy and narrow, all the more reason that tour vehicles should have regular safety checks, SEATBELTS (which dirvers should mandate use or not allow passengers to continue with the tour, driver's should go slow, and Princess Cruise Lines should do extensive background checks, and not hire people with the nick-name of Crash-Dummy."

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Jan said "We were also on the ship with our friends, had spent the day at the beach in Tortola where the slider on my Omega came off, "broke" and lost. I had just purchased it on board the ship the day prior. But nothing can compare to the loss of a family member. The Captain had everyones attention for the announcement. Captain Draper done a great job informing the passengers of the accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Rumphrey family."

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Anonymous said "I was on that cruise that took Aaron's life, and it definatley upset my week. My heart was so heavy over the thought of his dear parents losing their son on what was to be a very happy time. My heart is with his family and I will pray for them."

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Julia Rosien said "Thanks for posting your comment. I was very impressed with the way Captain Draper handled the situation and I told him so. He made it a priority to inform all passengers and eliminated rumor and speculation. It's nice to know the other passengers involved felt the driver saved their lives. The roads in Tortola are terrible and I'm sure much skill is involvd navigating them safely. I hope you enjoyed your cruise, despite this tragedy. Julia"

  • On Tour Bus Crash in Tortola – Caribbean Princess Passenger Dies, Anonymous said "I just returned from this tragic Caribbean Princess cruise. Although I was not a part of this particular excursion, it was both saddening and shocking for everyone on the ship when Capt. Draper made the announcements. The following day, we spoke to one of the excursion bus passengers who felt the bus driver did everything in his power to slow the bus down and they felt the bus driver had saved all of their lives. According to my fellow passenger, the fatality was caused by the young man being thrown through the front windshield. Of note, it was rumored told during the cruise that a witness saw the brakes being worked prior to the excursion."