Take a Vacation, Please!

A not so pleasant statistic is that the U.S. falls well below other countries when it comes to paid time off. Europe is far ahead of America when it comes to providing paid time off for employees. According to a May 2022 article in Travel + Leisure, Austria provides 25 days of paid annual leave, plus another 13 for public holidays, totaling 38 paid days off. France and Spain each offer 36 in total and Germany provides 30 days. The U.S. average is 10 days a year.

An even sadder statistic is that 54% of Americans don’t use all their vacation days. A 2019 study by the U.S. Travel Association showed that U.S. employees left approximately 768 million vacation days unused in 2018. And most Americans say they have too much work to do to take vacation time. That sounds pretty counterintuitive since studies show that vacation can reduce stress and increase productivity upon return to work. 

Before burnout hits and you make a mistake that could find you with plenty of days off, we suggest you get out and glamp! Hit the beach, climb every mountain, go off the grid, and for heaven’s sake, turn off your computer and work phone (we know you need the personal one for the Instagram shots of the great vacation you’ll be documenting)!

And, while experts suggest 8 days is the sweet spot for a full recharge, long weekends and a few days here and there could be just the recipe that helps Americans have their cake and eat it, too, when it comes to work/life balance.

One way to recharge is through grounding, or earthing, by walking barefoot in the sand. Grounding is said to reduce stress and tension levels. Glamping locations that allow plenty of silky, soft sand underfoot could include Oregon’s coastal getaway spots, cozy cabins at Pacific City and Seaside RV Resort. Another idea – combine grounding with the benefits of the relaxing colors of the tiny house rentals at Sunshine Key Tiny House Village in the Florida Keys and you’re well on the way to a destressing vacation. Plenty of sand for grounding or other fun can be found at Marina Dunes, which is adjacent to the Marina Dunes Preserve on California’s Monterey Peninsula. An ultra-cool glamping tent or high end cottage is the way to relax here.

How about a long weekend getaway that’s not too far from home, but far enough to leave the office woes behind? Is Seattle your place of business? Take a quick two-hour drive to Leavenworth, rent a tiny home at the Leavenworth Tiny House Village, and enjoy the outdoors. Fish, swim, hike, bike, or simply sip some wine in the Bavarian-styled village of Leavenworth. If Nashville is where you make the big bucks, take a break and head to the new Natchez Trace Tiny House Village. In a little over an hour, you can be relaxing in a perfectly appointed tiny house with lakefront views and fishing and hiking available onsite, plus the 3-mile lake here offers kayak and canoeing opportunities.

Lyla at Natchez Trace Tiny House Village
Lyla at Natchez Trace Tiny House Village

Speaking of water, blue space (lakes, rivers, oceans, even waterfalls) has been shown to lower stress and anxiety as well as boost mood and psychological well-being, per weforum.org. Rent a cabin at Wisconsin’s Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort or Lake George Escape, tucked away in New York’s Adirondacks, with the Queen of America’s Lakes as the centerpiece. Bend-Sunriver is a great place to soak up blue space healing power thanks to the location on the Little Deschutes River, and it offers cozy cabins and yurts.

Narrows Too Camping Resort
Narrows Too Camping Resort

Other destressing options for quick getaways or all those eight days can include forest-bathing (head to our favorite forested glamping options including Yosemite Lakes or our Bar Harbor resorts, Mt. Desert Narrows and Narrows Too). Forest-bathing requires you to take a walk in the woods and be mindful of your surroundings, engaging your senses and stopping every so often to just take it all in. Plus, we’ve got glamping options in the lands of the healing vortexes Arizona’s Red Rocks in Sedona or Joshua Tree National Park in California (check out tiny home or cabin rentals at Verde Valley or a colorful cottage at Palm Springs, respectively.) 

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Autumn Classics in Wisconsin

Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort | Salem, WI
Neshonoc Lakeside Camping Resort | Salem, WI

The fall leaves crunching beneath your boots as you search for the perfect pumpkin in the patch. Getting an eyeful of magnificent changing colors as you drive the winding roads beneath the forest trees. The crisp air greets you as you step outside onto the porch of your cozy cabin before heading out to taste cider donuts and hike the trails. If there’s anywhere that just exemplifies everything awesome about that precious time between hot summers and frigid winters, it’s Wisconsin, the place for the ultimate fall getaway! Check out some of our favorite excursions below…  

Apple & Pumpkin Picking at Country Bumpkin Farm; Open April until Oct 31

Visit the Country Bumpkin Farm for a classic fall excursion! The Country Bumpkin Farm is a family-owned farm in the Wisconsin Dells with plenty of activities for kids of all ages. The farm is open from April until the end of October for guests to visit the petting zoo or pick the best apples and pumpkins of the season to make favorite recipes. They also host a variety of seasonal events like special moonlight hayrides in October and “u-pick” berries in the summer. The Country Bumpkin Farm also has a wide variety of seasonal produce available daily at their store! In September, you can pick up a variety of different peppers, potatoes, squash, and more. For more information about the Country Bumpkin Farm visit countrybumpkinfarm.com.

Yurt Interior, Tranquil Timbers | Door County, WI
Yurt Interior, Tranquil Timbers | Door County, WI

Leaf-Peeping Along Door County Coastal Byway

There are plenty of ways to see the fall foliage in Wisconsin – it’s some of the most beautiful in the country! Hop in your car and drive along the Door County Coastal Byway, which stretches over 66 miles on the Door Peninsula, from the City of Sturgeon Bay from Highway 57 down south to Highway 42. As you drive along, expect to see beautiful scenic vistas of Lake Michigan, Green Bay, and the Niagara Escarpment bluffs. Forests, wide open farmlands, and quaint villages situated on the shore. Lighthouses, parks, plus plenty of places to stop and shop, experience live music or theater, hiking trails, golf courses, and much more! Whether you just drive out to leaf-peep and take photos of the foliage, or stop to explore, the highway driving in Wisconsin is a fall season experience not to be skipped.

Fruit Wines & Fall Festivals at Lautenbach’s Orchard Country

Get a taste of something different when you visit Lautenbach’s Orchard Country. This family-owned winery and market in Door County offer specialty foods and over 30 styles of wine made from the fruits grown at the farm. In the fall, visitors from all over come to Lautenbach’s to taste the fruit wines and eat the apple cider donuts! Lautenbach’s also hosts special seasonal festivals to celebrate the seasonal fruit and enjoy the outdoors. This year’s Fall Harvest Fest takes place on Saturday, September 22, 2018, and features free guided winery tours, horse-drawn wagon rides, live music, apple picking, apple cider donut eating contest, and more! Be sure to dress warmly for the Winter Wine & Cherry Fest on February 2, 2019, where you can enjoy lots of wine and food tastings, and horse-drawn sleigh rides to really get in the winter spirit. Visit orchardcountry.com for more information.

Cozy Cabins at Yukon Trails | Lyndon Station, WI
Cozy Cabins at Yukon Trails | Lyndon Station, WI

Navigating a Corn Maze at Treinen Farm

It’s not really Fall in the midwest without navigating your way out of a corn maze! Visit Treinen Farm, a working 200-acre farm with an award winning 15-acre corn maze! Every year is a different theme for the maze, and this year’s theme is “The Elephant’s Child,” which is based on a tale written by Rudyard Kipling. This farm also grows hay, soybeans, corn, and pumpkins. Treinen Farm also hosts private events, and special events like the Zompocalypse – a zombie-themed evening where participants are encouraged to dress up as zombies or come as a “human survivor” in the “zombie-infested cornfield.” Be sure to visit their pumpkin patch as well! Visit treinenfarm.com for more information.

While you’re leaf-peeping and apple-picking, stay in a cozy cabin at one of our Petite Retreats locations in Wisconsin:

Arrowhead RV Resort, Wisconsin Dells, WI

Fremont RV Campground – Fremont, WI

Neshonoc Lakeside – Neshonoc, WI

Plymouth Rock – Plymouth, WI

Tranquil Timbers – Sturgeon Bay, WI

Yukon Trails – Lyndon Station, WI

Make your reservations today and visit petiteretreats.com!