Editorial: Don’t get it twisted; planning a vacation is work

The vacation. It’s a time when people can relax and spend it with the people they love. Or for some, it’s the time when they can get away from the responsibilities of adulthood. But let’s be honest, vacation is work.

While a vacation may be worth it in the long run, it is a lot of work and responsibility. From the day you make the decision that you want to have a getaway, the preplanning begins. The decision on how long you want to stay, where you want to go, how much you want to spend all factors into your vacation.

And it just doesn’t affect those who are actually experiencing the break. Let’s take this year for example. With several school days having to be made up by both Charles City and New Kent, Spring Break (which is this week by the way) was the last resort that either school district wanted to use. And that’s just common sense as well. If a vacation is preplanned for that time already, are the administrators and school leaders going to tell the parents not to take their kid on a vacation that has been circled on the calendar since the beginning of the year? I highly doubt it.

Yes, a vacation is work. Growing up, I’ve seen my mother packing suitcase after suitcase for a 12-hour road trip. I’ve witnessed my father strapping on a carry-on cargo bay at the top of the van. Let’s not forget the numerous stops and snacks that me and my sister had to have as a kid, especially for a restroom break. And back in the day, my father used a physical road map to navigate from point A to point B (sorry kids, there wasn’t any Google Maps or GPS navigation back in those days.)

And what about entertainment? Whether it’s by car, air, train, or boat, there had to be something to do on the way there as well. Thankfully, my father had rigged a television in the van before it became a popular method that can be found in nearly every vehicle today. But for those who didn’t have that option, it would be tedious to loop the same 12 songs in your Walkman or CD player for several hours. Now, smartphones and technology has evolved to a point where that time flies by. And while time does do that, the battery life’s depletion will only leave others scrambling.

Once we arrive at our destination, we have to unpack our clothes, take a shower, and try to relax. I say try because very quickly, dinner will approach as well as the younger kids wanting to dive into the pool. And then the plans for the next few days will finally come to fruition.

Vacation is definitely work. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. You are spending time and financials in order to relax. At this rate, you might as well fill out an application to be an employee of vacation.

But for now, I’m going to just settle for some nice, quiet time at home while I still have this break.