I Never Had a Vacation...Until Now.

By Vik Bangia, CEO Verum Consulting

I’m going to say something most people will find hard to believe.

I’ve never had a vacation...until last week.

Those of you who know me are probably calling B.S. right now because there are literally a thousand photos of me taken in various places all over the world. And I'm doing very "vacation-like" things such as hiking, ziplining, mountain biking, kayaking with manatees...

In fact, I’ve made several videos during my travels and posted them here on LinkedIn strongly encouraging people to take time to “Rest, Relax and Recharge” and "See the World." Here are two of them.

My advice to everyone in these videos is sincere, and I was following my own advice while filming them. My travels have always been an opportunity for me to recharge. And I always did! 

But, looking back, those were "trips", not real "vacations." Let me explain…

I made every trip before this one without disconnecting from my work. Each of my prior trips had a highly specific (and usually a physically active) agenda for every day, with adventure activities, meals, events, concerts, walking, biking, hiking, etc. all mapped out. One of those scheduled “activities” was getting online every day for a few hours and working. 

When I worked on vacation, and long after I had logged off, my brain remained engaged on work. For me, that was never easy thing to reconcile or to stop. For example, I clearly recall once while trekking in the Scottish Highlands, I was thinking about work and mentally formulating my responses to several emails I saw earlier that morning before setting off. My headspace was never fully clear. And thus, I was not truly vacationing.

Last week, Lori and I went to Riviera Maya in Mexico (about an hour south of Cancun). There was no agenda, except to relax. I have to admit, I was freaking out because I had no idea if I could survive laying on a beach for hours doing absolutely nothing. Turns out, I could. 

I had no idea if I could resist posting real-time vacation photos on social media while on vacation. Turns out, I could.

I was unsure if I could avoid checking and responding to work emails for a whole week. Amazingly, it was a lot easier than I imagined! 

To be sure, we did take a few adventure-filled day trips during our week's stay in Mexico, but the overall pace was slow, and we never felt rushed or under any time pressure whatsoever. This is what "relaxed and happy" looks like, by the way. Turns out relaxing is pretty nice!

And to be even more certain, all my clients were notified ahead of time that I would be completely 'off the grid', and that this was going to be the first time I’d ventured out in two years. I told my clients that I had a significant and important need to disconnect. They were all very accommodating and understanding, so I felt no guilt, shame, or obligation.

The photos that I ultimately posted for family and friends came after we returned to Minnesota on Saturday. Sunday was Easter. We were back home, but still in 'vacation mode.' The first business email I responded to was on Monday morning...as it should be.

THIS. This was a vacation. My first real one. And certainly not my last.

Yesterday, I heard on the radio that Finland is considered the happiest country in the world. One of the people interviewed said their boss EXPECTS them to take time completely away from work, ENCOURAGES them to disconnect from all technology, and SUPPORTS their indivudal methods to relax and recharge. That's my kind of boss!

And Finland sounds like my kind of place. I think I know where one of my future vacation destinations will be!

Some advice? Take guidance from the videos above and add one important step for your post-pandemic future: “Rest, Relax, Recharge, and....Re-connect AFTER you Return!”

Your brain will thank you!

Vik Bangia is CEO of Verum Consulting, a corporate real estate and facilities management outsourcing advisory practice based in Minneapolis. Verum also runs the OutsourceUSA network. Learn more at www.verumconsulting.com and www.OutsourceUSA.com.