I was catching up with one of our busy clients recently when the subject of vacations came up. This client turned down some lucrative roles five years ago because they wanted a better balance of life, instead hanging out their own shingle. The business has gone very, very well.

So now, as they approach a big symbolic birthday, I asked about the balance of life part. “Not much to report there” was the answer. I introduced the idea of a three-week vacation — in part to celebrate the landmark birthday. The response was Wow! Really! So I asked what their longest ever vacation had been. “One week – maybe with an extra day or two” was the answer. I know from many conversations that they are certainly not alone.

But why? On a one-week vacation busy executives spend the first three days thinking about all the things they left hanging. Then they spend at least the last two days gearing up to get “back in the saddle”. One or two days of R&R is just not enough, particularly as we move up the age ladder.

So what about two weeks? Is that a good starting point? Better than one week, of course. But not if it is laid out to rush from place to place to see and do as much as possible. The alternative worth trying is three weeks, with every 3rd or 4th day being unscheduled. That leaves time to deal with any crisis that occur, yet still really enjoy some quality time off and with loved ones or friends. It is enough time to truly refresh, and feels so good the first time you actually do it. For example, we frequently combine a river for ocean cruise with a week “on land” in one or two places. Three weeks might be a week one place, the cruise, then a week at another location. That is a vacation!

While we are on the topic, my lovely wife has a “buy a ticket” saying. The idea is simple. If you say you want to do it yet take no action then in the end something will get in the way. If you buy a ticket you will put it on the calendar in ink and make it happen. As we emerge from COVID people are buying a lot of tickets for travel, and choices are getting leaner. So if you like this idea it makes sense to buy a ticket — even for 2023.

I am pivoting our blog to a “Beyond the Office” theme. The goal is to stimulate ideas for how to have fun beyond work — for the present and the future.

We went on a Crystal cruise in late October — kind of spur of the moment. One criteria was it had to be US to US, in our case Miami. We wanted to avoid any international flights or re-entry.

A big criteria was health safety. Everyone (crew and passengers) had to be fully vaccinated. Still all passengers were tested on the dock before being allowed to board. Contact tracking bracelets were issued. Crew and officer had to always be masked. Temperatures were checked upon entrance to every dining venue, and every entry to the ship.

Our first moment of truth was when, after all of this, we arrived in the ship’s foyer and were told that mask wearing was recommended but not required on the ship. It was the first time in a year and half that it was possible to be with strangers and not wearing a mask, and we had to ponder for a bit. We went to the elevator with our mask on, then went to our stateroom, then decided to leave our mask there. How freeing to not have it on your wrist!

The other delighter was that our ship had a capacity of about 1,000 passengers, and there were only 250 on board. We could have any lounge we wanted around the pool, and dine anywhere. It was like a private yacht. Not good for profits for the cruise line, yet everything was top drawer. The speakers, entertainers and crew. We love to dance, and had the dance trio to ourselves. They quickly learned the dances we do, and just played those rhythms.

Net is that we were so happy we took the chance. It was wonderful to be free for a week, in the Caribbean, just relaxing and soaking up the sun. And we felt safer that week regarding health risks than we had for more than a year.