That precious time away from the workplace where one gets the opportunity to, hopefully, disconnect from the workplace.

But with “first come, first served”, and X weeks vacation, it can be challenging to schedule time away, and actually be able to get away. And then there is the saving for vacation as well. And where to go.

While still in the early stages of a career, there was the balancing of the entire family’s schedule to take a vacation – my wife had to get time off, I had to get time off, and we had to work it around our daughter’s school year and take it – like a bizzilion other families – around Easter break, and or summer.

While working for my current employer, especially for the last half-dozen or so years of my decade-plus career, I hardly ever took a vacation at the beginning of a month because I was heavily involved in a financial process that favored my being there.

In addition to the week or week-plus long vacations, there is the convenience of the day trips too. When there is no vacation day count to have to worry about, one can take a day trip – or even an overnight – whenever they want, assuming one can afford it (again, see the Money posts). But day trips need not be expensive. We spent a little bit of money once to purchase a lifetime state park pass. We’ll be able to go to any state park (in our state) whenever we want. We’ll be able to go to Baltimore, Washington DC, Philly – whenever we want. We plan on getting a boat. That we’ll be able to go out on for the day. Whenever we want (assuming the weather cooperates).

As long as we save enough (see the posts about Money), after retirement, we should be able to go when we want, where we want, and for however long we want. It will probably NOT be during the “peak” summer (for the most part), and NOT during Easter break. But we will be able to leave whenever we want. And go for as reasonably long as we want – two or three weeks at a time. Maybe two or three times a year. Or four. Or five. You get the point…