Can a Working Vacation Be Better Than a Relaxing Vacation?

Every time you go away on vacation you spend weeks and months beforehand looking forward to the big trip.  The anticipation reaches a peak the night before you leave and the next day you’re off in a flurry of fun. 

Unfortunately, all vacations come to an end. Inevitably, you come back to the grind and get a little down and out to be back to work.  Suddenly you’re typing away in your cube when just the day before you were at the beach or in the mountains. Right away you start mapping out your next big trip in your head.

Does this mental cycle of anticipation, crescendo, and crash sound familiar to you?  It’s something I go through every trip but I’m hoping the next one will be different. I’m heading out pretty soon for a “working vacation”, a trip to a conference that is a step in my plan for quitting my job.

Although I’ll definitively be thinking about “work” on my trip, I’m actually looking forward to it more than I would a week on the beach.  I’m going to be learning new things and forming new relationships that will benefit me long after the trip is over.

When I return, I’ll be happy to be back, excited to put my new knowledge to the test. I’ll look forward to the first night I’m home when I can start to apply what I’ve learned, rather than having to daydream for about the next chance I’ll have for vacation many months away. I must say, I’m rather looking forward to my “working vacation”!

In my preparation for my trip, I didn’t get a chance to share my links of the week with you last weekend so here they are:

–This is the Time that Fortunes are Made @ Lazy Man & Money

–Identity Theft again Tops Consumer Complaints @ The Suns Financial Diary

–Slashing Our Budget By 25%: Our Latest Frugal Moves @ The Digerati Life

–Redefining Risk: Your Investments Aren’t as Risky as You Think @ Generation X Finance

–Paying For Three Kids To Go To College Is Going To Be Expensive @ No Credit Needed

–Making money with an eBay Store, Part 6: Streamlining your listing process @ Mighty Bargain Hunter

–If You’re Not Warren Buffett, Index Funds are for You  @ Free Money Finance

Cost of Living Increasing Faster Than Inflation Estimates? @ Five Cent Nickel

Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

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