Americans may work hard, but many don’t play hard. According to USTravel.org, 55 percent of Americans left vacation time on the table in 2018.
However, planners are more likely than non-planners to use their time off to travel (39 percent VS 20 percent). Enter National Plan for Vacation Day: In an effort to spark inspiration surrounding America’s significant yet untapped wanderlust, the U.S. Travel Association celebrates this holiday each January. This year, National Plan for Vacation Day falls on January 28, and to mark the occasion we’re highlighting the vacationing styles of some of the leaders at Expedia Group Media Solutions. Here’s a glimpse inside how Director of Business Development Haley White chooses to spend her vacation time – and what she has in store for 2020.
I recently took a last-minute trip with my husband to San Miguel, Mexico. It was planned somewhat spontaneously when my husband and I saw an opportunity to do something fun while the kids were away at summer camp for two weeks. The flight was quick and easy, and the city was highly walkable, with perfect weather and incredible views, surrounded by mountains. We fell in love with the city and were pleasantly surprised by how a little bit of planning went such a long way to create an ideal holiday filled with delicious food and shopping.
Family Travel
As for family planning, we refer to our bucket list with trip ideas spanning a wide range – from destination offering complete relaxation to city destinations that provide learning and educational experiences for the entire family. We love to involve the kids in the research and planning. Not only does it allow them to feel excited and included, they’re able to learn more about the destination at the same time. We try to blend in their ideas during the planning process, whether their sights are set on a particular ice cream shop, the best fish and chips in the city, or another fun activity.
One of my favorite family vacation memories is hiking Mt. Cook and exploring the south island of New Zealand. The scenery is unreal, the food amazing, and the people are extremely friendly and fun! It truly is an outdoor playground for any age.
Vacation Planning and Influences
When it comes to how we plan our vacations, it’s a mixture of tradition and technology: My husband loves maps and showing our children how to plan the “old fashioned” way. In fact, we recently took an RV camping trip with our path highlighted on a map so the kids could help navigate. But when it comes to selecting activities, we enjoy using the internet to read reviews and help narrow down activities and destinations.
We also talk to our friends when making a decision about where to travel. We love hearing others share their firsthand experiences about destinations. For example, we recently chatted with some friends about their experience at a National Park and realized that we might want to wait a few years before visiting that particular destination so the kids would be a bit older and enjoy it to the fullest.
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