How to Work Full-Time and Fit in Vacations

How to Work Full-Time and Fit in VacationsJoanna Niles, a lifestyle and travel blogger, wrote about traveling while working full time over at the HuffingtonPost this week. I thought her tips were greatpractical and strategicand my husband and I used many of the saatkorn approaches when we plan travel a fewtimes a year. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Look at the calendarSince I teach workshops and college-level courses, my schedule is bound by the academic calendar. This means I can travel a lot in early and late summer, I have a lot of time in January, and I always have a few 3- and 4-day weekends during the fall and spring.Chances are if you work for a corporate or government employer, you have a variety of paid and national holidays to make the most of, too. Not every trip is a week-long extravaganzaweve done weekend jaunts to San Francisco, Philadelphia, Portland, Maine, and have a trip to New Orleans coming up at the end of the mont h. Its surprising how refreshing and enjoyable a brief visit can be. You can also be more efficient with your vacation days by adding on one before or after a long weekend.TelecommuteNormally, youd be working during the day and perhaps socializing at night. Maybe you can work out an arrangement where you can take that format on vacation with you, too. Another option is to work after the family goes to bed or before theyre up in the morning.This tip has the vermgen to backfire since you can also be pursued by work long after youre ready to unplug, but if youre disciplined about allowing and restricting access (yours, and your coworkers), a vacation where you spend an hour or two emailing and coordinating in the morning and then go about your day can be great for making your getaway productive.This summer I had to take a pile of grading to the beach, and the first two days of our trip were divided between lounging on the sand and marking up papers on the balcony. Sure, I wanted to be spending more of my time on the boardwalk, but the alternative was postponing our much-anticipated vacation just for a deadline, so it turned out to be a worthwhile compromise.Plan AheadWhen my husband and I first got together, he hated the way I liked to plan six months or a year out, but now he appreciates that if you dont get a head start on planning trips, you can miss out on awesome seasonal opportunities or experiences that sell out as soon as they become available to the public.Dont forget to set aside some vacation time around the holidays My first year of working full-time, I didnt anticipate that my company wouldnt just automatically close on important eves. If my boss hadnt been generous about commuting my sick time, I would have had a sad solitary holiday weekend alone in my apartment instead of back in my hometown.Be FlexibleThat said, sometimes you have to just get that price alert in your inbox, click through, reserve your flight and grab a weekend bag. If budget is t he most important factor in your ability to travel, get yourself on the mailing list of sites like The Flight Deal and Airfare Watch Dog and stay tuned as rates rise and fall during the various tourist seasons.Where you go is more important than when you go anyway, and remember how nice a quick weekend can befly out Friday after work, enjoy Saturday and part of Sunday, and maybe go in a little late on Monday.How to Travel with a Full-Time JobRead More at Huffington Post

29-Year-Old Taylor Swift Spoke Out About Ageism Heres Why Thats Important

29-Year-Old Taylor Swift Spoke Out About Ageism Heres Why Thats Important Taylor Swift isnt even 30 yet, but shes already done with ageism.In a recent profile for ELLE magazine, she spoke out against the societal pressures that women feel to look young... basically forever. Young equals beautiful is a diminishing message that cosmetics companies have been using to sell lotions and potions and powders for centuries, making Taylors stand in a fashion magazine even mora moving.Society is constantly sending very loud messages to women that exhibiting the physical signs of aging is the worst thing that can happen to us, she wrote in zu sichbei personal list of things shes learned ahead of her 30th birthday. These messages tell women that we arent allowed to age. Its an impossible standard to meet.The star says she has been doing a lot to accept her body as she changes in the public eye.I work on accepting my body every day, she wrote, mentioning that just like everyone else, she needs po sitive role models to remind her that her body is great just as it is.Ive been loving how outspoken Jameela Jamil has been on this subject, she said. Reading her words feels like hearing a voice of reason amongst all these loud messages out there telling women were supposed to defy gravity, time, and everything natural in order to achieve this bizarre goal of everlasting youth.One of the best points Taylor makes? This need to be forever young isnt even remotely required of men.Ageism is a terrible form of discrimination that disproportionately affects women in the workplace, on the dating scene and in public discourse. While some people online are upset that someone as young as Taylor is complaining of ageism, Im glad a pop star as influential as Taylor is tackling it head on.Plus, dont we all know that societys damaging 30 is old trope is as classic as white bread? Taylor has every right to talk as she crosses this line that Hollywood has historically portrayed as old. In fact, it makes it even more powerful that a younger woman understands the challenges she will face as she ages, and sympathizes with those who are older than her rather than being tone deaf to the struggles of older women (who are often left out of discussions on discrimination).Taylor Swift knows that women shouldnt be defined by age, whether theyre 30 or 80. Thats pretty powerful no matter her age, isnt it?