Recently I read that most of the pleasure of travel is not in the present. Certainly there are great moments during a trip, but there is also lots of discomfort. For one thing, getting from one place to another always includes boredom, discomfort, and possibly fear. If you’ve got a cruise or a tour planned, you may have people caring for you, but you also have lots of other people whose whims you must accommodate. If you go on your own or with friends and family, there may be a lot of, “Now what? No, they’re closed on Mondays.” Plans go astray, weather is unpredictable, and much of the time you would be more comfortable and contented if you were at home.

The pleasure of travel, this writer said, is in the anticipation and the memories. Since I suffer a bit of agoraphobia, the anticipation of travel is not unmixed with anxiety. I go around feeling slightly sick before any trip, however eagerly anticipated. But I try to make the best of the anticipation, I enjoy myself during the trip in spite of all the aforementioned issues, and I make sure to savor the memories afterwards.

The paper above is a print-out from the E-Myth. It includes instructions for making sure that your vacation is not spent suffering because of work.

It starts with, “Be honest with my team about why I need a vacation.” Since all other team members have vacations every year, and usually more than once, I figure I should get a vacation whether I need one or not.

Sorting out what needs to be done and delegating it is pretty simple. #1 daughter is the only person available for delegation. If she doesn’t do the things still on the list when I leave, they won’t get done. She’ll also have to be my deputy in case of emergency.

Poolside reading? I do have some professional development books in my Kindle, but I plan to read novels.

So really I just need to get as much work done as possible, set my Away message, and unplug.