You Need a Vacation, and Here is Why

By Susan Finch

If you’re neglecting your hard-earned vacation days, you’re not alone. According to Gallup research, only six in ten Americans took a vacation, showing a drop in previous years. Deciding you need a vacation may feel indulgent, but is a crucial key to our overall health. Studies show a wealth of benefits for taking a vacation and really savoring your time off. Not convinced? Here are all the reasons you need a vacation.

Must Do Visitor Guides You Need a Vacation and Here is Why.

Stress Reduction

It’s no secret vacations can immediately and profoundly lower your stress, but they also provide long-term benefits as well. Stress is linked to various illnesses and ailments, as well as poor moods and overall mental and physical health. One way to de-stress is to spend more time outdoors where the fresh air and sunlight can improve our moods. But there’s an added benefit to de-stressing outside. The natural sunlight gives us a much-needed boost of Vitamin D that can enhance moods and help our bodies absorb more calcium for strong bones, teeth, and muscles.

Decrease in Heart Disease

It’s not just your imagination. Going on a vacation gives you overall health benefits that can impact your life for years to come. A study sponsored by the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease found that men who didn’t take a vacation for several years were 30% more likely to have heart attacks compared to men who took time off. Meanwhile, women who took a vacation only every six years or less were eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack compared to women who vacationed at least twice a year. When you need a vacation, think of it as a health benefit that could save your life; not an indulgence.

Enriching Relationships

There’s no escaping it. We live in a fast-paced world where work and getting ahead often takes precedence over everything else. Families also face the added stress of managing a whirlwind of academics and after-school activities. It’s tempting to think we can re-balance our relationships over dinner or a weekend afternoon, but people need time to relax and bond. A much-needed vacation doesn’t just escape the rat race; it offers ample time to enrich relationships and share experiences together.

Experiencing Something New

Experiential travel is on the rise. When today’s travelers need a vacation, they want to do more than lie around on the beach every day. They’re also looking to experience something new and gain a fresh new perspective. Choose from water sports like parasailing and paddleboarding to live music, festivals, fine dining, and world-class spas, and shopping. And the best part about a Florida vacation is different areas provide unique experiences like the Everglades near Marco Island or shelling on Sanibel Island. 

Increased Productivity

It may seem counterintuitive to leave work and take a relaxing, transformative vacation to increase your productivity, but it’s surprisingly effective. Numerous studies reveal taking vacations is closely linked to productivity. Employees who take long, regular vacations are usually the most efficient and productive. Start vacation planning the next time you’re feeling burned out and wish you could somehow get more work done and come back feeling refreshed.

Start planning a Florida vacation to Sarasota, Siesta Key, Fort Myers, Sanibel, Naples or Marco Island here

You need a vacation and here is why.

Written by: Susan Finch | Author Website

Susan Finch is a travel writer and content marketer for the tourism industry who spends her time obsessing over the latest travel trends, wrangling her small kids, and planning her family's next big adventure.