Beyond Folders : vacation

Top 10 Ideas for Last Hurrah Vacations

Community Manager — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:54:00 GMT

August is in full swing; Labor Day, right around the corner. If you haven't booked a vacation yet, it's not too late for a last hurrah. We have ten last-minute trip ideas that get you from desk to dunes in no time flat.

1. Bright Lights, Big City: Enjoy hotel discounts in many major cities as business travel drops and hotels seek to woo vacationers. As an added bonus, city dwellers are often out of town, meaning shorter lines at cultural attractions and restaurants.

2. Warm Weather Deals: Can't get a hotel room during Disney's busy season? Many popular winter destinations offer summer discounts. Say hello to Mickey & Minnie.

3. Paradise, Close at Hand: For East Coasters, the Caribbean offers a three-hour flight to white sands and turquoise surf. Off-season rates and fares make a high-end winter getaway a summertime bargain.

4. Europe: Many European capitals are a relatively short 5-6 hour flight from major U.S. cities. While it's tough to cram an entire city into a short trip, you can focus your time by picking one or two destinations per day and reserving the late afternoon for relaxation in local parks followed by leisurely evening dining.

5. Home for Dinner: With so many vacationers departing their homes for weekend getaways, a wealth of newly vacated homes can be found on rental sites such as VRBO.com. Troll the site for last-minute openings in your desired destination.

6. Camping: Warm late summer weather makes camping a low-cost way to immerse yourself in summer scenery. Visit www.nationalparks.org for information on parks and availability.

7. Be a Tourist in Your Town: The high cost of travel (plane tickets, high prices at the pump) can put far-flung travel out of reach. If budget is an issue, save travel costs and check into a hotel or inn in your hometown. Room service and the absence of household chores can make even your own backyard feel like a vacation destination.

8. House Swap: Check with relatives or close friends about swapping homes for the weekend. Saving on hotels can free up funds for dinners out or theater tickets.

9. Go For Bargains: Check web sites for last minute vacation packages; if you're flexible about the destination, terrific packages can be found online.

10. Staycation: While staying at home may not hold the allure of a time away, you can make the most of a staycation by taking a true vacation from all technology and chores. Put naps, books and recreation on the agenda and let work wait.

Enjoy your summer; it's fading fast!

Finding Time for Family Time

Community Manager — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:10:00 GMT

I don't know anyone who isn't pressed for time. The existence of the popular phrase "work-life balance" grew out of the time crunch of our always-on-the-go world and implies that sometimes one or the other is out of whack.

True "balance" may be a moving target but finding time for family time must be a priority, especially during summer, when kids have downtime from the rigors of school and sports. Don't let Labor Day dawn without having carved out some quality time with your loved ones.

Finding Time in a Packed Schedule

Erin Doland of the organization blog The Unclutter takes a step-by-step, list-driven approach to organizing both her home and her time. Read her post on organizing your household routine for strategies on finding more time in your day for family time.

Say No in Order to Say Yes

Finding time in a crowded schedule requires the fine art if saying no. Too often our schedule fills up with play dates, sports, camps and social outings. Protect family time by saying no to some of these distractions. Read this piece by the BBC for making the most of family time. The top piece of advice? Guard family time carefully.

Take a Family Vacation

Ah, the open road. Or is it, oh no, the backseat bickering? Sometimes travel with toddlers and teens can seem so daunting that we stay put. Instead, put the notion that family travel is too taxing behind you and read ParentDish's tips for family travel. Go ahead, make a memory.

How do you make the most of family time? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

School's Out: How Working Parents Deal With Summer Downtime

Community Manager — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:22:00 GMT

School's out: two simple words that elicit such joy in kids and corresponding dread in parents, especially working parents. How to fill those summer days when school's out but work continues?

Now What?

In The Cost of a Working Mom's Summer Non-Vacation, , Huffington Post blogger Stephanie Losee estimates that it costs her approximately $1,400 in babysitting and camp fees per summer week to keep her three kids, aged 2 to 12, occupied so she can work. That's a pretty hefty price tag.

Camps and babysitting may work for some families but not all can afford such arrangements. Other ideas for childcare include staggering vacations with your spouse to maximize parental (i.e. free) childcare blocs of time. This may not cover the entire summer but can buy you a few weeks. Likewise, tap willing family members for "Camp Grandma" or trade weeks with a working sibling; kids get quality family time and the adults get needed coverage.

Or consider creating a babysitting co-op with working families in the same boat. If two or three families team together, it can be possible to reduce childcare costs by splitting them several ways or to have participating parents cover the days. Creative neighbors can also band together to create a mini-camp within a neighborhood. Read Turning a Neighborhood into a Playground to learn how two Palo Alto moms run a neighborhood camp a week at a time.

Parents can also broach flexible work schedules with their jobs. By working longer four day weeks, it's often possible to take Fridays off. Some jobs may even be open to summer sabbaticals.

Finally, we leave you with an article with ideas on summer activities to keep kids engaged and learning while on break from school. While these ideas won't help solve the summer childcare conundrum, they will help make whiling away the long days a tad easier.

How do you balance your children's summer schedules with work? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Summer Lovin’

Community Manager — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 16:11:00 GMT

Summer is in full throttle. Have you taken time to enjoy it? Downtime is critical for reenergizing and rebooting productivity.

If scheduling a vacation (or packing for one) sounds like just another to-do list, we're here to help.

We've created a get-you-to-the-beach-without-your-Blackberry guide that will have you kicking back for some needed R&R in no time.

It's Not Too Late: No vacation booked? Travel web site lastminutevaction.com offers deals and destination ideas.

Packing Tips From Travel Pros: Can you fit 40 garments and two pairs of shoes in one overhead suitcase? Read this article and you may soon be able to say yes. Tips include rolling, not folding your clothes.

Packing for Family Vacations: Need to pack for the entire gang? Travel web site, wejustgotback.com has advice for packing and thriving (not just surviving) for family travel.

Leaving Work at the Office: Worried work will encroach on your vacation time? Read 5 Key Tips to Avoid Working on Vacation.

Still on the Vacation Fence: Not sure if you can spare the time (or cash) for a vacation? Think your boss or business can't survive without you? Read New York Time's reporter Jay Glotz take on taking a vacation: it may help you see the wisdom of vacationing when you can.

Do you have tips for taking a break? What are your favorite travel tips? Share your thoughts here and at the Pendaflex Facebook page.

Managing Productivity During the Summer

Community Manager — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:46:00 GMT

Memorial Day is in the rearview mirror, school vacation is almost upon us. With the "lazy, hazy, crazy" days of summer fast approaching, how best to maintain productivity during a season marked by holidays, vacations and distracting beach weather?

For starters, don't resist the time off. While it may seem counterintuitive, productivity is actually enhanced by taking a break. Roman poet Ovid famously said, "Take a rest; a field that is rested gives a bountiful crop."

Make a Plan and Hit the Road

Don't Forego Your Vacation This Summer!

The Upside of Downtime

Ovid's dictum holds true today. A 2009 study lead by Harvard Business School leadership professor Leslie Perlow confirms that getting away from work for set, preplanned periods of time can yield unexpected on-the-job benefits. The preparation required to successfully execute a shortened workweek produces tangible benefits which can include:

Better communication
Closer work relationships
Improved planning ahead
Streamlined work
Improved client service

Wall Street Journal reporter Sue Shellenbarger was inspired by the HBS study to put aside her own work for a set period each month and found her own productivity improving. Read her article If You Need to Work Better, Try Working Less for her first-hand account of increased productivity through planned respites.

Consider a Compressed Workweek

Looking for opportunities to let your field lie fallow? Explore the possibilities of working Summer Hours also commonly called a Compressed Workweek. Compressed schedules can be set up in a variety of ways, either 40 hours worked over 4 days, or a week of five nine-hour days followed by a week of four nine-hour days, giving employees a day off every other week. Some offices elect to give employees half day Fridays. Summer Hours typically are offered only between Memorial and Labor Days.

According to a study by Hewitt Associates, a leading HR consulting and outsourcing firm, the majority of firms who provide compressed workweeks during the summer find it successful in boosting employee retention, engagement and productivity.

While a flexible work schedule can provide plenty of upside-revitalized employees and improved workplace planning and communication- drawbacks to compressed workweeks exist and should be fully explored before embarking on any schedule changes.

Make Vacation Count

If a compressed work week isn't in the cards, recharge your batteries by making the most of your vacation days.

Alleviate pre-vacation stress by giving plenty of notice so schedules run smoothly and cross-train a colleague to sub in on your workload while you're out. Consider scheduling vacations after major projects and during slow periods so you can be confident your absence isn't burdensome.

And while you may need (or want) to check in, be sure to allow enough mental distance from work, that you can return recharged and ready.

Does your workplace have Summer Hours or policies to help manage productivity during the summer? Share your stories here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Carly Fadako

Are You Vacation Phobic?

Community Manager — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:05:00 GMT

How did you spend your summer vacation?

Millions of schoolchildren answer this question when they return to school in the Fall. But, as this NPR story relates, a lot of adult Americans would greet the same inquiry with a blank stare and deafening silence.

In the last decade or so, the American vacation has become an endangered species. According to BusinessWeek, over 50% of American workers fail to take all their annual vacation time. A sizeable 30% of us use fewer than half of our available days and 20% take only a few days off each year. Vacations are particularly scarce among the nation's small business owners, as noted in this denverpost.com article.

There seem to be multiple causes of the American vacation's demise. On average, we get eight paid vacation days per year. By sharp contrast, in many European countries, the government mandates that all employers offer at least 20 days of paid time off.

Beyond this relative deficit in days off, the recent recession has also dealt a blow to our ability - and willingness - to take vacations. As CNN.com reports, in addition to having less money to spend on vacations, we are afraid to take them because we do not want to risk losing our jobs. If you are like me, even when I do get away, I have a hard time leaving work behind. A daily traveler post brings this point home by quoting a research finding that "an estimated 83 percent of us check [our email] at least twice a day while on vacation."

If you are vacation phobic, there are steps you can take to get rest and relaxation and avoid burn out and stress-induced physical ills. Those grounded by travel expenses can take a staycation in your own communities to enjoy local activities and sites that you usually have no time to appreciate.

If leaving work is not an option, you might benefit from these workplace stress relievers. Sometimes, we can get away from it all just by gaining a bit of positive perspective from articles like this one on the Top 12 inspiring moments we saw at the Vancouver Olympics or this one featuring the fun and ultra-creative gummi bear chandelier.

by Bradley Eggers