The Few Days Before Vacation are the Worst

[bozley0621]

The few days before vacation are the worst, but not due to the excitement and anticipation of good times to come. I wish I could enjoy the excitement, but I ways end up stressed and overwhelmed at work the last few days before vacation. Sometimes it’s to the point that in some ways, I wish I wasn’t going. I usually end up working 24 hours straight prior to leaving (one year was 48 hours straight). I do not have a life or death job. Just a fast-paced environment with a high volume workload where everything needs to be done yesterday and things change at the last minute.

I’m grateful to have a job that lets me afford vacations, but just needed to vent. Time to get back at it!

 

[bethannie203]

I am in the same boat as you, although my work schedule does not sound nearly as demanding as yours! I'm so sorry you are so stressed before your vacay! The hubs and I own our own (mostly) online business, and in the past we have tried doing the dual working-while-on-vacation thing, and we found our very quickly that is NOT for us! We ended up just being stressed and cranky while on vacay, and that's NO fun! On our past couple of DLR and WDW trips, we have closed our business from the time we leave until we get back, and only take care of the orders we already have going on, but this too, also leads to working while on vacation, even if it is less than before. So THIS year, (we leave next Tuesday for WDW! yay!) we stopped taking new orders a week ago to give us plenty of time to (hopefully!) take care of all our customers and other work things BEFORE we leave, and then our vacation (fingers crossed!) should actually be a REAL vacation! No work allowed! My husband is not even going to check his email while we are away, but for my own peace of mind I think I am still going to.. otherwise, I would be worried I am missing something! It's one of those things... I'm SO thankful that since we own our own business, we can take our vacation pretty much whenever we want, but it's kind of impossible to ever FULLY unplug. At the end of the day, though, I'd rather work a little from my WDW hotel room than here at the office any day!

Since we are trying to get everything done before we leave next week, as you said, this has made for these past couple of weeks to be work overload at times, so I certainly feel you! Hang in there!! You'll be at the Happiest Place on Earth so soon!!! Just keep swimming!! Maybe whistle while you work? okay, I'll stop now!

 

[OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay]

I am one of those people who tries to fix their entire life before they go on vacation. For some reason I just can't get out of the habit and it causes a lot of undue stress.

Spring cleaning? Do it before vacation. Those work projects I've had on the back burner forever? Do it before vacation. That stuff that I said I'd go to IKEA and get a shelving unit for? Do it before vacation.

I'm a week away from my vacation right now. I know I'll make it through just like you, but it can be rough. Especially since it can feel silly to complain about it.

 

[rangerxenos]

The few days before vacation are the worst, but not due to the excitement and anticipation of good times to come. I wish I could enjoy the excitement, but I ways end up stressed and overwhelmed at work the last few days before vacation. Sometimes it’s to the point that in some ways, I wish I wasn’t going. I usually end up working 24 hours straight prior to leaving (one year was 48 hours straight). I do not have a life or death job. Just a fast-paced environment with a high volume workload where everything needs to be done yesterday and things change at the last minute.

I’m grateful to have a job that lets me afford vacations, but just needed to vent. Time to get back at it!

In the same boat here, and I'll be traveling with my laptop just in case something explodes while I'm away. I have an immediate boss now, unlike previous trips, and come to find out he's going to be out the same week I am for a work related trip. $#@!

 

[morrison2951]

I'm back from Disney two weeks now and for me I have to be available by phone as a manager at my company so very hard to "get away" on my vacations unfortunately.

I CAN'T WAIT TO RETIRE AND DO DISNEY WITHOUT THE DAMN WORK PHONE!

If anyone is hiring a property casualty insurance exec in the Orlando area and will afford your employees to really vacation, please contact me!

 

[bozley0621]

I’m on the last 24 hour stretch before we leave. Almost. There. I know I won’t get everything done, but I’m hoping to leave feeling like I’m in an okay place.

Disney or bust!!

 

[ShirleyBelle]

The weeks before our next Disney vacation are super stressful. In the process of moving from Canada back home to the USA. Had to register my kids at US citizens born abroad, taking my NCLEX (nursing exam), and the whole packing and moving our lives.

Finally getting toward the end of it, we move next week and then Disney July 6th!

 

[Farro]

I ALWAYS get weirdly blue right before we go on vacation, anywhere. I think it's just all the anticipation, the fact we have to leave our kitties for a bit and just plain old nerves about flying.

We have a ritual of going out to eat the night before and having some glasses of wine so I just de-stress.

Luckily when we wake up and get to the airport, I'm usually all smiles again. (a little pill in the morning for my fear of flying helps too )

 

[kimmar067]

I CAN'T WAIT TO RETIRE AND DO DISNEY WITHOUT THE DAMN WORK PHONE!

....when I finally retire, I'll have plenty of time, but no money to do it.....

 

[SaintsManiac]

2 of my co-workers decided to take off on 7/1-7/2. This means more work for me on top of my own work before I leave for 10 days. So much for an easy couple of days before we leave.

My husband decided he has to go in to the office for a "few hours" before we hit the road. Why do I have the feeling we will be leaving late???

I always feel overwhelmed the 2-3 weeks leading up to a BIG trip. I find I prefer the 3-4 day quickies more.

 

[Amy11401]

I am a teacher and we decided to go to WDW last fall. I took off 4 days. It was such a pain writing sub plans for those 4 days and preparing all the materials. Since I was so busy getting those together I did not pack at all until the day before we left....well technically I packed the day we left because we spent the night at a hotel near the airport since we had such an early flight. Next time we just plan to go to WDW in the summer when we are off.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

We leave on the 21st at 2:00am for our 7 hour drive from GA to WDW. I am always stressed the few weeks before we leave. Me and my wife both own our own business so we can vacation when we want but I stay booked 4 weeks out year round. It's so hard to tell my customers I have no appointments available the 21st through the 28th without making them mad so I will be working 14+ hour days the next 2 weeks to get as many appointments done before we go. On top of our businesses I also have an on line business that I will still work while on vacation. It's easy though since I can fill orders nightly when our girls are taking their showers so it doesn't eat into our vacation.

 

[Shir Kahn]

I'm one of the really lucky people who do not usually get stressed by anything, which is good because I'm a manager in a dispatch room for an alarm company! I actually enjoy looming deadlines and do my best work when I have half the time to get something done, so the closer that we get to our vacation, the happier I am! Some of you have some crazy things to deal with before your vacations though, wow!

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

I can relate to all of you who describe the stress before vacation.
I like to have everything in order at home inside & out...clean, organized, lawn mowed, weeds pulled...like Better Homes & Gardens is gonna stop by & do a photo shoot, haha!
After being in a resort for the week where everything is in place & clean, I don’t want to come home to cleaning. So there’s me, the day before vacation, cleaning out the fridge & scrubbing down the bathrooms.
Work, ugh! It never fails that something blows up the day before you leave. Or someone calls out so your trying to get your stuff done & cover for them too.
Every password you use needs to be changed. Can’t get into a program you use.
It.Never.Ends.

 

[White Rose]

My company is really small, only 2 non family employees and I am the senior of the two of us. My coworker is not reliable, and our workload is very high. We do government contracts as part of our jobs, and they are detailed and long. We are only allowed to take off 5 days every 6 months.

Perfection is required and less-so gets you fired. Boss’ words, not mine!

Going on vacation requires like 4 weeks of prep to makes sure my inept coworker does not blow up the place. Our company owner does not let us take work home with us,( and no one will call us off the clock) which I am grateful for, but it also means the day before I go back to work has me stressed out..wondering what I will walk into...

 

[DISNEY1975]

For me, its the last week before. Starting to get into stress mode now, as I have 10 days to go. Working until they day before we leave, but nothing out of the norm. My job has to be done daily, so I know my coverage cant slack and leave stuff for me when I get back. But still 8 hours per day working instead of the household stuff that needs to be done gets stressful.

Im also leaving 2 "children" (in their 20's) behind, so I have to do a grocery shopping of things they know how to cook. I also make a sheet of lasagna for them to start with!

For some unknown reason I always feel the need to clean the house top to bottom and wash everything I own.

Then...onto packing for 3 people for 2 weeks, coordinating outfits, trying everything on, then make a list of what we are missing and shopping for that.

Then stop the mail and paper deliveries.

Then...checking 100000000 times that we have our MBs, reservation documents etc.....