Last year at this time I was in Florida, and what really inspired me to go was to spend the winter in Florida with my grandparents as well as see if Florida was a place I actually wanted to live.
Upon taking 3 months to visit Florida I learned about myself and thought that sharing these 5 points with you may be help / inspiration for you, if you are thinking of taking travel time.
1. In preparing you learn the art of discipline.
One of the most valuable lessons I learned from my extended vacation was actually in the preparation of saving up the money for it. To save up the money I needed for my travel I learned the art of not spending too much money on "useless" items.
Six out of seven days per week I would eat on around $10 per day. I still allowed myself one day per week to spend as much money on food as I pleased, but other than that I ate as healthy as I could as cheap as I could.
This taught me to be disciplined in what I spent my money on. I love luxuries in life, and sure I could've bought some nice clothes, gadgets, or a cool car, but I knew trying out an extended vacation would be far more worth it for me.
2. I learned that the warm weather and sun had an impact on my happiness.
This is one topic that everyone differs on, but living in a climate we love can greatly improve our lives and happiness.
Personally I love to get fresh air and take daily walks, as well as get sunlight. In the cold, dark Michigan winter, I easily neglect this part of my life.
I personally find myself more productive and happy during the summer or warm months. Being in Florida for the winter, almost every day was basically summer, which meant I was taking walks or swimming every single day, as well and getting fresh air as much as I could.
If you want to visit somewhere that you think would help improve your happiness, going their for an extended stay is a must!
3. Expansion of your mind.
Travel can be a great experience to open your mind up to a new way of seeing things. When I did my extended travel, I saw new places I never saw before. My favorite being a quick 2 day trip to Miami.
After our stay in Miami my dad and I drove all the way to the end of Key Largo and back up to Winter Haven in one day. During this day, I got to see not only 1 Pagani Huayra (my dream car) but 3 of them at Prestige Imports. From there we went through Brickell and decided to drive down US1 to the Keys.
This was an experience we both never got to have before.
I would say Miami was the biggest eye opener personally. Over the past 10 years or so I have always been looking into Miami. I would consider it my dream city to live in, in the future. Seeing the skyline, the yachts, walking South Beach, and the mansions in general is magnificent!
I believe experiences such as this one, can have a massive impact on how you see the world as you move forward in your life.
4. You will learn which type of lifestyle you enjoy most.
Another big reason for me taking this vacation was to learn if I really wanted to live the type of life I thought I wanted to live.
Everyone has different views of how they would like their life to look, however I would say that everyone can figure out FOR SURE the type of life they would like to live by doing an extended vacation.
It gives you enough time to live a life more on "your own terms", and when you go come back from your vacation you will know for sure if your old life was the one you want to continue the path on, or if you would like to "start" life a new way.
5. When and if you do come back, you will be able to set goals more true to yourself.
Since the vacation I have learned a lot more about myself and where I want to go in life. Although I don't have it all figured out, I would say that I have more clarity than I did before on the goals I have set for myself.
For you, extended vacation time will help give your mind clarity and open you up to find out where you really want to go in life.
Closing thoughts.
I hope that these tips have been useful to you and inspire you to travel somewhere that you feel that you need to go to. Maybe you want to get one of these experiences or all 5. Whatever you feel you need in terms of travel, give it a shot and see where it takes you!
