“Vacationing” When You Can’t Leave The House
When you’re asked to use your PTO time while also being told to shelter-in-place, it can feel like you’re “losing” vacation days. We asked one reader, Ellie, to tell us how she’s making the most of her PTO and bringing the vacation vibes home.
Where Do You Work?
I work at a major law firm in New York City.
How Would You Normally Use Your PTO?
Normally, I save up my days to leave the city. Being here on workdays and weekends is great, but when it comes to my “vacation” time I usually equate it with getting on a flight, preferably to LA or somewhere in Europe. At the very least I would escape up to Catskills and rent a cabin with friends.
How Did You Mentally Prepare for this Staycation?
Ellie's backyard in Brooklyn, New York.
How Much Time Did You Take Off?
- I carried over days from last year that I needed to use so I took a full week (5 business days) off. My “staycation” was from Sunday to Saturday so I could use the bookend days to prep.
What Do You Mean By “Prep”?
I hate coming back to a messy apartment so I usually clean my one-bedroom loft from top to bottom before I travel. Even though I was staying home this time, I stuck to my pre-vacation routine and spent Saturday cleaning (while listening to your cleaning playlist). I put away anything that would tempt me to try and tackle house projects during my time off and also pulled out the outfits I wanted to wear during the week and set them apart in my closet, similar to curating a vacation wardrobe. I used the Sunday before I went back to work as a day to reset my mind and apartment for the work week ahead.