Expedia have recently published their Vacation Deprivation Survey and it’s bad news for Aussies – the global study reveals Australians are more holiday deprived than ever. In fact, we rank 3rd in the world for NOT taking our leave entitlements.

Amee Evans, Expedia Australia New Zealand spokesperson, comments; “Aussies are definitely not making the most of their leave. We need to take a page from the French, who used every single day they were entitled to this year. It’s no wonder they were ranked as the world’s most holiday rich for the sixth year running.”

So, if you’re approaching the end of year, feeling tired, stressed and run down, it’s probably because you need a holiday!

And if you’re in need of inspiration, there’s something for everybody here.

Bon Voyage

You’re tired. Recovering from the excesses of Christmas and New Year. Or feeling the lethargy of months of work and no break. Dreaming of a holiday where you can take time out to recharge your batteries?

But is a holiday what you really need? Have you thought about your options?

What about some of these:

• A career break
• A mini-retirement
• A gap year
• A vocation vacation
• A babymoon
• A stay-cation

Feeling confused? Maybe you do just need a good, old-fashioned holiday!

Thought I’d take some time to “clue you in on the lingo” and let you know what your options are for that four weeks of annual leave you have up your sleeve.

So, firstly a career break. A period of time out of employment is the literal translation. The career break has become popular in the modern vernacular of late and refers to the time people take off — whether it’s three months or one year — to reflect and refocus on what they really want in life. I can look back now and see that the 3.5 years of backpacking I did in the 90′s was actually a career break. I returned from O/S and changed my career – having taken the time to decide that perhaps social work was not the long term career option for me (OK 3.5yrs was a long time to make the decision but heck I was having fun).

But maybe you’re thinking about a mini-retirement? I first came across this concept when reading “The 4 hour work week” by Timothy Ferriss (a great read by the way). Ferriss recommends mini-retirements over binge travelling – where we cram something like 3 or 4 countries into 3 weeks of leave and return home feeling exhausted. A mini-retirement, on the other hand, entails relocating to one place for one to six months before going home or moving on to another location. This is on my list for sure and my goal is to spend 3 – 6 months in either France or Italy, immersing myself (and the family) in the language, culture and lifestyle of the village we base ourselves in.

Have you thought about a gap year? Most of us have heard this term in reference to time taken by Year 12 graduates after they finish their last year of high school and before they start at University. Sometimes the gap year is about taking a job, earning money and just living life but more frequently it is about taking some time o/s to travel, explore and have adventures.

A more recent phenomenon is the gap year for grown ups where increasing numbers of people are taking time out from busy lives to do something completely different. In fact statistics showed that each year over 200,000 people of all ages take a gap year and it’s a figure that’s rising (this statement taken from a review by Alexndra Neuman of Gap years for Grown Ups by Susan Griffith). This may involve teaching english as a foreign language, building houses in remote villages in Africe or just hitting the road (more comfortable than you could afford to do so in your 20′s) for some adventure.

But maybe you’d prefer a vocation vacation? This is where you embark on a holiday that enriches and teaches you a new skill (Marie Claire, Jan 2011). It could be learning French in Paris, participating in cooking classes in Tuscany, attending writing classes in Bali or taking art classes in Florence.  But don’t feel you have to go overseas for a vocation vacation. You can travel within Australia to participate in anything from scrapbooking to breadmaking and everything in between and still have money left over for another break later in the year.

Or perhaps you’re in need of a babymoon? A babymoon used to refer to the time new parents spent bonding with their newborn baby. But more recently the term has been coined to describe a vacation taken by a couple expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together before their newborn arrives. There are resorts offering babymoon packages but you can easily organise your own by booking into a hotel (luxury or otherwise) for some time together where you would be strongly advised to catch up on your sleep!

But maybe this is all to much and what you really need is a stay-cation. This is a period of time in which an individual or family stays and relaxes at home, possibly taking day trips to attractions in their own back yard. We all probably took one of these during the GFC. Now a stay-cation needn’t be boring. If you need some inspiration, check out these top 10 staycation ideas.

Whatever new phrasing or term hits the streets in 2011, the important thing to remember is to take the time to refresh and relax. Plan for holidays, take time out and enjoy – whether its a long weekend or a 6 month sabbatical (see we didn’t even talk about that one!) you’ll be better for it.

Happy holidays.