Bowman’s Travel Brief: The Vacation Buffer Day

Image: Sunset over the ocean while on cruise (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)
Image: Sunset over the ocean while on cruise (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)

One of my golden rules for vacations is to budget in the vacation buffer day.  

It’s such a clutch move to have that buffer day when you return home before you get back to the daily grind. 

Last week I was on vacation and when planning it, I went back and forth on how many buffer days to add. We ended up staying at home for the first part of the week, celebrating my birthday with my family followed by leaving for the beach for the second half of the week.

We trekked down to Sarasota, Florida for one of my favorite beaches – Siesta Key. Sadly, they were experiencing an unexpected wave of red tide, but we still had a wonderful time exploring the area and finding some really cool playgrounds for the kids.

When your 5-year-old and 2-year-old want the beach the most, and mother nature ruins it, you adjust on the fly and make it work.

An 8-hour drive with two small kids is no easy feat. Major shout out to my wife for keeping them entertained as I drove along I-75. 

With the curveballs that came our way, I was so relieved to have the vacation buffer day built in. We returned on Saturday, leaving a Sunday free for some relaxing before diving back into the mountain of emails and work.

Did I still do work on Sunday? Yes, but that’s part of life sometimes. We also did a ton of laundry, which made me think…perhaps next time I’ll build in two vacation buffer days.

Do you budget a vacation buffer day for when you return from trips? Travel advisors, do you advise your clients on this method?

Let me know your thoughts and follow me on social media: @EricBowman_

 

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Eric Bowman

Eric Bowman

Editor-in-Chief

Eric Bowman is the Editor-in-Chief of TravelPulse. A graduate of The University of Georgia, Eric has been working in online media, radio and TV for over a decade. He currently lives in Georgia with his wife, daughter, and son. 

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