Summary: Many people slog through over 90% of each year - filled with full-time work, commutes, chores, self-chosen projects (e.g. renovations) and feeling rundown or unfulfilled - but justify it with what amounts to a few weeks of holidays that cost many thousands of dollars each year. They often view their holidays as an escape from the unavoidable negatives of everyday adult life.
But no matter how enjoyable and indulgent your occasional trips away look on social media, it doesn't cancel out the fact that you willingly spend over 90% of your year in circumstances you really, really look forward to escaping!
A more enlightened, simple living approach is to think carefully about how you can eliminate as much of the negatives as possible from your everyday life and permanently incorporate life-enhancing aspects in the most worthwhile way.
For example, if a primary motivation of holidays is escaping all of the negative aspects of work, you could simply choose to work less or switch to work that has less negative aspects even if it is lower paid. Or if a primary motivation of holidays is escaping chores (cleaning, shopping, cooking, laundry, etc) you could move to a smaller home, reduce the amount of stuff you own, simplify your lifestyle, minimise your status anxiety (e.g. about how fancy and clean your house is, or how many clothes you wear), and invest some money and time in learning how to better meet your own needs (e.g. how to cook or prepare nice meals). One's physical and mental health are often a top reason for taking holidays, and yet these are things that clearly can and should be improved in one's everyday life.
Of course, visiting other places and experiencing activities not available locally are positive reasons to go on holiday. So is better weather and seeing relatives and friends. But, once you isolate these few positive reasons, you can obtain them in the most value-for-money and effective ways.
My Situation: I used to travel overseas each year in part to escape some negatives of my regular life. Since 2015, I travel very selectively - mostly to see relatives or friends, or to occasionally visit places that my partner and I consider to offer appealing experiences we can't obtain locally. A significant part of my personal motivation is a new understanding of the outsized proportion of one's environmental footprint that is due to long-distance travel and conventional holiday activities.
Details:
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Thought Catalog
> 11 Ways To Create A Life You Don’t Need To Escape
Lifestyledezine.com
> 5 Reasons To Create A Life You Don’t Want To Escape From
Making Health A Priority
> A Life You Don't Need To Escape From
Tiny Buddha
> How to Bring the Fun and Excitement of Traveling to Your Everyday Life
Further Info:
The White Coat Investor
> Financial Independence Is Not The Holy Grail
> White Coat Investor - "Financial Independence Is Not The Holy Grail"
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