Vacations

Vacations were traditionally offered as two-week or month-long journeys where a family or individual could pack their bags and explore the world or local region, at a minimum. Those days are mostly gone. As benefits were scaled back in the work force, the concept of extended trips faded. Today, many families and travelers find themselves taking the "mini-vacation" where you might escape early on Friday and be back to work on Monday.

Vacations are a necessity to the mental health and well being of society.  Without opportunities to rest and relax, the workforce experiences additional health problems as a result of the lack of exercise and lack of sleep.

Time-bankruptcy forces the individual and family to become creative in planning vacations. Many a person working "out in the field" is really on the road heading for Napa wine country, Las Vegas casinos or a baseball game. On the horizon as a growing travel industry that may begin to re-define and reinstate the old-fashioned vacation concept is cruise ships and cruises.

Popular week-long vacations where you and friends or family are bonded by a boat in which you cannot escape, are growing rapidly. Cruise ships fill up rapidly as the seasoned cruise travelers seek new experiences on the water.  And what's amazing is that youth travelers have become the cruise ship pros. Many have experienced between 5 and 10 cruise vacations by the age of 10 years old.

Vacation trends are changing and what was once considered a luxury, is now necessity for many youth placed on planes and sent back and forth between two parents living in different locations. Perhaps the familiarity with air travel and the scaled back programs to save money for major corporations trying to survive in the industry makes the cruise ship concept even more appealing.