Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

Slowly but surely we’re updating all our photos and videos for all the boutique Orlando vacation homes we manage and one of the nicest is this 7 bed home on Cumbrian Lakes.  Cumbrian Lakes is a great community located just 10 to 15 minutes away from Walt Disney World. The community has a running / walking track, a soccer pitch, a kids playground and virtually every home is either on water or has a conservation view. Cumbrian Lakes is the area of choice for many of the sporting teams who visit to play soccer, football, softball, lacrosse, baseball, volleyball and many other sports as they visit to play at ESPN Wide World of Sports or one of the many fabulous facilities on Osceola County.

The vacation home itself has seven nice sized bedrooms. Two have King beds, two have Queen sized beds and then there are two twin bedded rooms and a bunk bedroom. The home has all modern day features such as flat screen TV’s, a fully equipped kitchen, games room and best of all, a nice sized swimming pool with a hot tub and gas grill. The home overlooks both water and conservation.

Here’s the video and more photo’s are at FloridaLeisurePhotography.com. If you’re interested in booking this home for a future vacation, click here.

From time to time I have to travel on business and over the last couple of years I’ve been in many parts of the United States. Unfortunately, I’m usually only in one place overnight and that means my options to stay in a vacation rental home are very limited. Unlike my own company, Florida Leisure Vacation Homes, many vacation home rental companies don’t actually take a one night stay so that means I have to subject myself to a hotel.

Of course, when traveling on business, I’m looking for comfort, a great location and a good deal. Sometimes I get it, but more often than not I end up feeling disheartened by the experience I’ve had and the service I’ve received. One of my least favorite parts of a hotel stay is all the add on extra charges that are additional to the daily rate. Car parking fees are one such way the hotels try and eek out extra revenue from their guests and frankly, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

There’s nothing new about outlandish hotel surcharges. The October 6, 1904, edition of The Daily Star in Fredericksburg, VA published a list of unscrupulous lodging fees, mainly in Europe, that included fees for towels, nightshirts, heat, hot water, horse stabling (whether the guest brought a horse or not), and, in one hotel, a one-penny fee for each ascent and descent in the hotel elevator. Today though, hotel operators have got craftier and craftier as they load on the fees that they hope you’ll ignore. Checking in today means paying extra vigilance to all the extra fees such as resort fee, room service fee, housekeeping fee, towel fee, in room safe fee, “energy surcharge” fee, mini-bar restocking fee, package delivery fee, internet connection fee, and of course, valet or self parking fees.

My own distaste for hotel surcharges began years ago on a business trip to Atlanta, when I drank what appeared to be a complimentary bottle of water. At checkout I discovered the water had cost me $5 + tax.  I have never stayed at that hotel again and I’ve visited Atlanta several times since. That $5 bottle of water has cost that hotel thousands of dollars of repeat customer income I’m pleased to report!

Of course, I understand why the hotels do this. It’s a way to generate extra income while advertising what appears to be a low daily rate. Frankly, to me, it’s nothing more than a complete rip off even though the hotels will argue it’s one way they can raise profitability. And, to give you an idea of  how much profitability the hotel industry gains, would it surprise you to learn that they will earn more $1.95 billion this year in surcharges alone? Of course, all this means that extra fees are likely to be with us for years to come but there are some tips I’ll share with you to help avoid the inflated cost of these surcharges.

1. ASK

The first thing to do is to ask before you make a reservation. Ask when you book if there are any mandatory fees (and taxes) that will be added to your bill and what you can expect your maximum daily bill to be with all extras added.

2. NEGOTIATE

If you’re not planning on using the resort facilities/business center/newspaper delivery etc. you should request that they eliminate those expenses before you arrive. If the hotel staff cannot tell you exactly what is covered you may have legal grounds for dispute and if they dismiss your request as “Automatic” then ask for clarification on what is included.

3. LOOK FOR SIGNS

Fortunately, some hotels now understand how much this “nickle and diming” annoys their guests so look for tent cards in your room telling you what costs extra.

4. CHECK YOUR BILL

It’s easier to dispute a charge at checkout than afterward so make sure you check your bill carefully before you sign it and checkout.

5. WALK

Sounds easier said than done doesn’t it? But the simple fact is if you do have other options. Some hotels have woken up to the fact that guests simply will not stay with them when they engage in these practices. Look for those… or better still, if you’re in Orlando, come and stay in one of our vacation homes.

Florida Leisure Vacation Homes never charges resort fees, for logging onto the internet or for parking your car. In fact, a vacation home has a distinct advantage over a hotel when it comes to car parking. Most homes have a garage to park your car in, or you may choose to roll up and park on the drive right outside the home.  No more parking miles from your room and having to roll cases and bags down hotel corridors!

In fact our policy is “FREE Parking, Every Home,  Every Day, Every Night, Every Time.” We believe that when you pay your daily rate to rent a vacation home that free parking should be an automatic amenity.

Hopefully you found some of this advice useful… and we hope we’ll see you sometime in the future.

I had to smile yesterday when I was reading some Facebook posts about the experiences some guests were having at Walt Disney World Resort. I’m not one to knock one of the most successful company’s on the planet but when I see guests complaining of over an hours wait to get to a park from a Disney hotel then I know Walt wouldn’t be very happy with that! Walt Disney was a true visionary and a man who put the guest experience above everything else and I’m sure he’d have plenty to say about seeing lines of people standing around doing nothing at one of his hotels.

So why did I allow myself a small smile at hearing this? Well, the answer is fairly simple. Some guests have worked out that if they stay in a vacation home their experience will be better than anything a hotel can deliver. OK, sure most guests need a rental car when staying at one of our vacation rentals but if you consider waiting over an hour to move from a hotel to a theme park using Disney transport against driving for 15 minutes (or less!) from a vacation home to the same theme park, then we all know which experience is more preferable.

If you then consider most hotel rooms are small and cramped with just one bathroom and noisy corridors from other guests then all of a sudden a vacation home is looking like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Add in expensive hotel meals or theme park restaurants and all of a sudden, your vacation experience is now turning expensive.

A vacation home can solve all these problems and more! For a start you can save a whole heap of money by shopping as you would at home for groceries, You can buy exactly what your family enjoys at home and cook and eat poolside at the vacation home. And there’s another key factor… want something to eat or drink poolside at a hotel and chances are you have a long walk in front of you to pay the highest retail prices possible. Not so at a vacation home… simply walk a few paces to your own fully equipped kitchen, put your hand in the fridge and pull out that thirst quenching drink you so desired.

Vacation homes also save $$$’s on the cost per guest accommodation. Normally a hotel bedroom will sleep up to four people. If there are four adults in your party, generally that means you need two hotel rooms. A vacation rental can sleep anywhere from one person up to sixteen people all with seperate bedrooms! That means the cost savings are enormous compared to a hotel.

And just to give you more of an idea, here’s one of our six bedroom vacation homes that we just recently updated the photos and video on… it truly shows the vacation home experience at its finest. From the games room to the swimming pool, there’s simply no better way to stay… why not give it a go this Christmas or New Year?

Darth Vader was on loan from California, but hopefully he will emigrate here permanently

The “worst kept secret in Central Florida” was confirmed today when LEGOLAND Florida’s General Manager Adrian Jones announced the Miniland area of the park is to undergo a huge expansion to include scenes from all 6 of the Star Wars movies and The Clone Wars cartoon that is about to start it’s 5th season on The Cartoon Network.

Media trucks from all over Central Florida are a testament to how quickly LEGOLAND has been embraced by the area.

Opening in November 2012, the LEGO® Star Wars™ Miniland Cluster will be built in 1:20 scale and created from more than 1.5 million LEGO bricks. There will be 2,000 LEGO models, including some 6ft tall lifesize characters.  Interactive buttons will allow children (and many adults) to activate animations as they follow a chronological path through the Star Wars timeline and retrace the major events of the Saga.

Media interviews in front of the fenced off construction site

The LEGO Star Wars Miniland Cluster experience will be included with park admission and will be similar to the one already in LEGOLAND California.

California already has a Star Wars Miniland

The Star Wars store at LEGOLAND

“Today, less than a year after our grand opening and only four months after opening the all-new water park, we are thrilled to announce yet another expansion this November. This new LEGO Star Wars Miniland Cluster will add to our 150-acre family theme park with more than 50 rides, shows and interactive attractions,” said Jones.

The Expansion Map: Located in the area behind Miniland on the way to Land of Adventure

It is not known exactly when the expansion will be open, or what events are planned to accompany it. Last year when California unveiled theirs, Carrie Fisher who played Princess Leia was the guest of honor and in June they hosted their first LEGO® Star Wars Days.

Carrie Fisher opened LEGOLAND California's Star Wars attraction

Here a short video from the event as Adrian Jones makes the announcement and introduces Darth Vader as well as comments about the expansion from LEGOLAND Spokesperson Kim Isemann.

There is a close up look of the Millennium Falcon and Darth Maul that will be part of Star Wars Miniland Cluster.

You won't find this version of the Millennium Falcon in your local LEGO store

Han and Chewie make the jump to lightspeed ... eventually

The detail is so amazing it is easy to forget this is made of bricks

The Force just got a lot stronger in Central Florida as we are rapidly becoming the center of the Star Wars Universe.

Return of the Sith: Darth Maul is enjoying a new lease of life in The Clone Wars television series

Outside the Convention Center

With the political convention circuit in full swing, the very sight of the word convention is usually enough to send me running to the hills … except that I live here in Orlando. Rapidly on it’s way to becoming the convention capital of the world, Orlando is currently, #4 behind Chicago,  Las Vegas and Washington, DC (metro area), it is the perfect choice if you want to encourage people who put families first to attend your event. It is a little know fact that Orlando has the second largest convention center in the US behind Chicago.

This huge banner was available for everyone to take their picture against

The huge AT-AT in the lobby

It is not surprising that the variety of conventions here in Orlando run from the sublime to ridiculous and all points in between.

Chalk drawing promoting The Clone Wars that took 4 days to complete

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the 4-day Celebration VI … a convention devoted to all things Star Wars and attended by over 35,000 people. That’s pretty close to the size of the RNC in Tampa if you are looking for a comparison.

Some of the lines for panels were huge

Star Wars fans from all over the world flocked, or would that be jetted into Orlando, to enjoy this bi-annual event. It was also attended by most of the major stars from each of the 6 movies including Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, as well as a special unannounced visit from creator George Lucas himself.

Fan made costume of Chewbacca, the guy really was that tall

This convention had so many events and panels and activities that it needed its own App as well as a 90 page souvenir program and a handy dandy 46 page “Insider’s Guide.”

Without these guides or the App you would be left bewildered by scale of the event.

The amazing thing about Star Wars is the appeal. No movie franchise in history has shown the longevity, fanaticism, cross global and ageless appeal as well as the financial muscle from it’s merchandising.

Decked out in convention merchandise

I saw the movies when they were first released and I consider myself a fan, but not a FAN.  I attended this convention with my 8-year-old son who of course, wasn’t old enough when any of these movies were released to get caught up in the hype, but somehow, without any prompting from me gravitated to them at an early age and now is what I call a FAN. Ask him about everything from the original trilogy to the current Clone Wars cartoon and he will wax lyrical for hours. Proof of the  power of this event for children is that he attended for 3 of the 4 days and never once complained about all the walking, waiting, and of course the endless requests from me and complete strangers for him to pose for photos.

Posing in his Savage Oppress costume

He even attracted his own fan club. Star Wars fans are all ages.

We attended a sneak premiere of the Season 5 opener of The Clone Wars that will air on Sepetmber 29^th, complete with complimentary popcorn and drinks; watched a parade of home-made R2-D2s; marveled at fan made replica set pieces from all over the world; stopped several times in the specially appointed family rooms and Lego build areas; posed for pictures with various costumed Star Wars characters (Star Wars fans are by far the best cosplayers in the universe. Their attention to detail and love of the characters are astounding. Look up 501st Legion if you want an example); and in the evening I attended a spectacular themed party event from Moshi-Moshi Productions called THE DARKSIDE GROTTO STRIKES BACK where guests and performers fully embraced the Star Wars universe.

R2-D2 in fancy dress

The red carpet event for The Clone Wars premiere

Boys will be Jedis

There was so much to do and so many freebies given away (I was so glad I brought a backpack), that we never even scratched the surface, of course that could be because we spent so much time shopping the booths which included heavy hitters like Disney, Hasbro and Lego … in fact, for every $50 we spent with Lego we got a free pass to Legoland (we now have 4). One of the top shopping attractions was to have yourself frozen in carbonite by Disney’s D-Tech division. You are photographed in 3-D and then created in a statue replicating the famous Han Solo scene from Episodes V and VI

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Lego building provided a break for me

The family room provided crafts for the children

Daddy gets to party at The Darkside

We didn’t spend any time at all waiting for autographs or to meet the celebrities, just because there was so much else to do and we didn’t feel we missed out by not doing it.

This is the second time in a row that Celebration has come to Orlando, but given the passion and attendance numbers, it would surprise me if it didn’t return again in 2014 after next year’s visit to Germany.

Special replica scenes were set up all over

Han Solo in carbonite

Jabba's Palace

This snowspeeder was built by a Belgian fan group and shipped over for photo ops

Orlando is definitely one place to vacation if you are a Star Wars fan … with Star Tours and The Jedi Academy permanently based at Disney’s Hollywood Studios along with May’s Star Wars Weekends and the possibility of CelebrationVII returning there is something for even the most hardcore of fans … and after all your exertions fighting the Darkside or attending any convention, you will find no better way to relax and unwind than in one of our Boutique Vacation Homes … get home, stretch out, jump in the pool and get ready for the next day when you can do it all again.

There were many toys ... vintage and new available

So that's how R2 worked

Meeting artists and authors was a big thrill. This personalized book is a great read for Fathers and Sons

Wait a minute. I feel a disruption. Something big is heading this way. Watch this space.

The Custom Car show featured the levels of devotion that Star Wars garners

Devotion to your character ... these stilts were very uncomfortable

May the Force be with Us.

Seven Ways to Save on an Orlando Vacation

By Nigel G. Worrall

With so many world-class theme parks, attractions, outdoor activities and water sports, not to mention malls and outlet stores, it’s no wonder Orlando vacations can be tough on the pocketbook. But for those who plan ahead and are willing to do their homework, there are plenty of ways to save money on an Orlando getaway.

1)      Make Yourself at Home: Planning to stay in Orlando a week or more? The best bet for lodging isn’t to downsize to a smaller hotel or choose one with fewer amenities… On the contrary, visitors can save big without sacrificing comfort or convenience by booking an Orlando vacation rental home instead.  Florida Leisure Vacation Homes offers a multitude of full-size family homes for rent on a weekly or monthly basis, just minutes from the theme parks. These quiet neighborhood homes offer all the peace, privacy and tranquility a vacation should, and allow visitors to choose from a host of features including private screened swimming pools and Jacuzzis, barbeque grills, washers and dryers, oversized flat screen TVs, wireless Internet, and game rooms equipped with game systems, pool tables, foosball and air hockey. Homes with three to seven bedrooms as well as spacious common areas allow plenty of room for extended family and friends.  Selected vacation rental homes are pet friendly, saving you money on boarding and letting those four-legged members of the family join in the vacation fun, too.

2)      Rethink Restaurant Dining: Dining expenses can add up quickly, particularly for a large family, so consider stocking up at a local grocery store, then cooking breakfasts and dinners in your vacation home. Purchasing meals, snacks and bottled beverages at theme parks can be especially costly, so pack heavy snacks such as trail mix, nuts, and protein bars to munch on during the day, and be sure to carry a refillable water bottle for each member of the family. If the idea of cooking doesn’t quite jive with vacation, opt for no-cook, no-fuss meals like soups and sandwiches.

3)      Get Social:  Social media isn’t just a tool for keeping in touch with friends, it can be a great way to cash in on fantastic vacation deals. Before traveling to Orlando, begin following the attractions, restaurants and shops on your itinerary with Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare, which may offer same-day deals and travel tips for fans and followers. And, be sure to sign up to receive alerts concerning Orlando deals from sites like Groupon and Living Social. Travelers may not find bargains on major parks, but specials for spa treatments, water sports, dining and smaller attractions like miniature golf are abundant. Prefer to search for deals the old fashioned way? Purchase a book full of destination coupons for $35 at entertainment.com and save on rental cars, dinner shows, airboat rides, museums, shopping, dining and more. Similar offers can be found using  Visit Orlando’s free Orlando Magic Card, which can be printed, mailed or picked up at the Orlando’s Official Visitor Center.

4)      Give Yourself a Gift (Card): If dining out is a top vacation priority, purchase Orlando restaurant gift cards in advance at sites such as restaurant.com. Past deals have included a $25 gift certificate to B.B. King’s Restaurant & Blues Club at Pointe Orlando or Chez Vincent in Winter Park for just $10. If shopping is high on your list of vacation priorities, purchase gift cards in advance for stores including Bloomingdales, Banana Republic, Bass Pro Shops, Gap and Old Navy at plasticjungle.com and save as much as 26 percent.

5)      Pack Light: With most airlines charging a hefty fee for each checked bag, and some now charging for carry-on luggage, it pays to pack light. Consider bringing only enough clothing to last two or three days, then washing clothes midweek—another benefit of renting an Orlando vacation home. Leave heavy toiletries such as shampoo and conditioner at home and purchase inexpensive bottles at a grocery store or drug store that you won’t mind leaving behind. Plan to wear the heavier, bulkier shoes to travel, and pack the lighter flip flops and sandals.

6)      Take advantage of free or low-cost attractions: Those on a tight budget can still enjoy Orlando—and may just discover some area gems that the die-hard theme park goers never will. Stroll through the lakefront shops at Downtown Disney Marketplace, marvel at larger-than-life characters made from LEGO® bricks at the LEGO Store and enjoy free entertainment in the outdoor amphitheatre. Not far from Disney, the quaint Celebration Town Center is worth a stroll, and offers numerous special events and festivals each year. Orange County boasts a wealth of parks such as downtown Orlando’s Lake Eola Park and historic Fort Christmas, east of Orlando. Many offer camping, fishing, swimming, playgrounds and recreational activities. A number of Orlando museums offer free admission to small children, students and seniors or may not charge admission on certain days of the week. For example, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in picturesque Winter Park, home to the world’s most comprehensive collection of Tiffany stained glass, charges just $5 for adults, $1 for students and is free for children 12 and younger. It offers free admission 4-8 p.m. on Fridays November through April.

7)      Skip the Souvenirs: Before visiting the theme parks, make a pact with the kids to forgo the overpriced T-shirts, toys, picture frames and other items that inevitably turn into household clutter. Instead, let kids bring their own digital or disposable cameras or let them take turns using the family camera to capture images they can use to create a scrapbook or keepsake back at home.

Don’t let a small budget keep your family from enjoying an Orlando vacation. Begin your savings adventure by booking your Orlando vacation home today.

One of the questions we get asked fairly often is “How old is the home?”

I understand why guests ask this question as they want to be sure they aren’t going to be vacationing in some stinky, dirty dump!

I always love answering the question as well because it’s my opportunity to tell people why Florida Leisure Vacation Homes is different. Over the last few years the recession and the economic climate has bitten deep into virtually everyone’s lifestyle and this means that if you were lucky enough to own a second home or a vacation home, you have had to endure some difficult times as the number of renters looking to take a vacation has fallen.

To cope with that and to try and gain more business most owners then discount their price and that then means they have even less money to spend updating or maintaining their home. Further, some owners have had their homes taken back through foreclosure or negotiated a short sale leaving some guests without the property they thought they had rented. It’s certainly been a turbulent time.

But that’s where we are different. Over the last three years we have paid even closer attention to each and every property. Sadly,we have had to let some owners go who have refused to maintain or upgrade their property. Sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye to business but ultimately, you have to stay focused on your goal and our goal is to provide the very best vacation home rentals in the Orlando area.

Being a boutique vacation rental home company means only dealing with the very best homes and the very best owners. We are proud of the homes we manage and the owners we service, as we know we are all working towards the same goal. It’s nice to see people prepared to invest in their homes and to want to give great vacations to other people when they aren’t using their home themselves. That’s why we are very pleased to bring you some photos and video of the latest home to have been updated as below.

The home is located on Cumbrian Lakes, a sub-division that is very much the choice of the discerning guest who wants to experience the best vacation home resort just moments from all the Orlando attractions. The home itself is a 4 bedroom 3.5 bathroom home with a fabulous pool and a great lake side view.

The whole house has been updated with new bedding and new furniture and it looks great! Take a look at the photos and video below and let us know what you think. If you’d like to inquire about renting the home for your next Orlando vacation, just call 1-800-760-1114 or email sales@floridaleisure.com and ask about home 1204.

To see more photos of this fabulous vacation home visit www.FloridaLeisureVacationHomes.com

This week we’ve been talking a lot about Legoland Florida and naturally, when you’re visiting Central Florida to visit our newest theme park you’re going to want somewhere great to stay. That’s where we fit in. Florida Leisure Vacation Homes has approximately 50 boutique style vacation rental homes available and they can house up to 16 people, depending on the size of the home.

Vacation rental homes are a great way to stay and they really are a “home away from home” when you travel.  Hotels have many disadvantages and that’s where a vacation rental can really score. For example, you can save a lot of money if you have a large party size or many family members traveling with you, as it is virtually always cheaper to rent a vacation home. A home can sleep upto 16 people under one roof whereas if you stay in a hotel you’d need to rent several rooms and that can get real expensive real soon!

The next big advantage of a vacation home is the kitchen area. You can save $$$’s by cooking and eating at home whereas restaurant bills in hotels can mount up to hundreds of dollars for even a few days stay. It just makes sense to do what you normally do at home and that means buying the food you like at a local grocery store and taking it back to the kitchen at your vacation home. And there’s another big advantage…. when you choose to eat out, you have to eat when the restaurant is open and according to their menu. A vacation home saves you all that trouble… eat what you want, when you want.

So what about when you’ve finished at the theme park? What entertainment options do you have then? Well, in a hotel you have a single room and a single television set. That’s where the arguments can start as you battle family members for the remote control! In a Florida Leisure vacation rental you have several television sets throughout the house. No more arguments. Everyone can watch what they want, when they want. No more having to keep the volume turned down while others sleep… all of a sudden life becomes easier and you can all enjoy the vacation you dreamed of.

What other options are there? Well, most hotels in Orlando have a swimming pool but, unfortunately, you usually have to share it with other people. In a vacation home it’s just you and your loved ones… no more wondering what other people are doing and you can relax and have fun in a nice safe environment.

Also, most vacation homes have a games room with some combination of fussball, pool, table tennis or other great games to play. Most homes also come equipped with board games and a small library so you can choose to play or simply relax.

Overall, vacation homes are the best way to stay and the guests who have stayed in our homes always tell us that they’ll never stay in a hotel again… that’s why we say “Friends Don’t Let Friends…. Stay in Hotels!”

So, are you now dreaming of visiting Orlando again? Do you want to see our newest theme park…Legoland Florida?

Well, we bet you do and that’s why, in this economy, we’re making you an offer you can’t refuse. It’s this simple; make a reservation to stay with us between now and 17th December 2011 and we’ll pay for 2 Adult tickets and 2 Children’s tickets to visit Legoland Florida! Now that’s a great deal… and we’re making it because we believe everyone just has to see the latest addition to the theme park capital of the world.

Some photos of Legoland Florida can be seen here… Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure … and here’s the good news, enter the sweepstakes on our Facebook page and you have double the chance to win. Not only will booking a vacation home get you 4 tickets to Legoland but if you win in our sweepstakes, you’ll get another two tickets for Legoland… so now you can treat your friends or other family members as well! (Tip: make sure you get your friends and family to also enter the Sweepstakes at Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure)

And just to give you a sneak peak…here’s a video featuring one of our 6 bedroom vacation homes…just 30 minutes drive from Legoland Florida…

Don’t forget, you can see Legoland Florida video previews all week as the countdown to the official opening day on Saturday gets closer at our YouTube.com/FloridaLeisure web site. Here’s just one of our videos…

How’s this year been for you? If it’s anything like mine, your year will have flown by. I looked at my calendar this morning and shook my head in disbelief that we are about to enter the seventh month of the year…July! We’re officially over the half way mark of the year in a weeks time and I never even noticed that Summer was upon us…help!

Worse still, with two daughters graduating and the vacation rental business booming, I haven’t even thought of taking a vacation myself. It seems I’ve come down with a new disease I’m going to call V.P. … Vacation Procrastination.

So what to do to overcome this?… It’s going to require some resourcefulness and creativity me thinks. It’s also going to call for some relaxation time and that’s something I’ve forgotten how to do! So if you’re like me, let’s recap on why we all need a vacation or a few days break from the normal routine…

First, and in order to cure V.P., you simply have to get out of the house and change your scenery. We all become bogged down with our routines and simply focusing on surviving in this type of economy. It’s easy to become jaded, tired and simply worn out.

Second, being a workaholic does nothing for your productivity and it simply makes you stale and unable to see other things going on around you. Important stuff, like family and friends.

Third, both one and two, bring an inordinate amount of stress on  our bones and physiology. The body and mind needs to relax and do nothing from time to time just to feel alive again.

So, here’s a couple of suggestions. If you’re able to book a week or more away then go and do it…right now. Ask yourself why not and if you don’t get a decent answer…go do it! You’ll feel better immediately and have something to look forward to…which is refreshing in itself.

If you’re unable to take a week away for whatever reason then I’m worried about you… but here’s the solution… go and book a weekend away… and make it a long weekend, not just Saturday and Sunday.  Mini vacations are great and they also help you recharge your batteries.

Remember, vacations are important for the following reasons:

1. Recharge your energy.

2. Lower your stress levels.

3. Allows the mind to think.

4. New scenery and new places = new ideas and thoughts.

5. A chance to spend time with loved ones.

Taking a vacation means that all of a sudden the world doesn’t look so bad. Some fun in the sun with tropical breezes and a fresh suntan does so much for your mind, body and soul. So beat the vacation procrastination blues and book that break now! It’s not too late to score that great Orlando vacation rental and to enjoy a few days at the theme parks or on the beach.

Do you have any friends or family members suffering from vacation procrastination? Do them a favor and send them this article now! Website not authorized to use FB Famous plugin, please check plugin options