When the Roman’s advanced road construction, it enabled wealthy citizens to travel to their villas outside of Rome more easily and therefore, enjoy time away from the busy city and their day-to-day work and concerns. As such, Roman’s are credited with creating the idea of having a holiday and travelling for fun.
However, it was religious holy days that were observed as leisure time was not available (or affordable) for the majority. It wasn’t until 1871 that four new Bank Holiday Mondays were officially recognised in the United Kingdom in addition to statutory religious days off and as recent as 1938 that receiving a week’s annual paid holiday became law, rising to twenty-eight days entitlement for full-time employees in the 1980s.
Other European countries receive similar mandatory leave, whilst the amount varies to reflect years of service in Asia, differs across Africa, but workers in USA are not legally entitled to any paid vacation so organisations there have independent policies. Nepal is the country with the most public holidays in the world and for the most paid leave, work in Iran.
Despite the advances in travelling for pleasure, the world’s wellness tourism market is expected to reach US $1 trillion this year. Definitions of wellness vary, generally comprising achieving optimal physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health with longevity, sexual, social, sleep, success and menopausal health all vying for our attention.
Whilst this can be perceived as a good timeout to enjoy, due to my work life coaching and executive coaching, I suspect that the rise in this type of holiday is due to sustained unhealthy daily and weekly habits and schedules where optimal physical and mental health (and sexual, social, sleep etc…) are not prioritised. Indeed, the rise of wellness tourism is thought to reflect the stress, urban and digital environments that have become the norm.
Therefore, enjoying a long break is the ideal time to evaluate whether your regular day-to-day life back home is heading in the right direction or if it is time to reassess and recalibrate.
Have you slipped into some bad habits?
What positive practices might you miss whilst away?
What would you love to make time for?
Wherever you are towards your goals, the sooner you stop what is not working or making you happy and fulfilled, the easier it is to choose another trajectory. After all, the best day to start is today.