Take a break! 12 travel ideas to explore during your 15-minute break at work

Is anyone else tired of looking at their Instagram or Facebook newsfeed during their break at work? Do you ever feel like this is a pure waste of time even though it feels great to unplug your mind from work? Why not use those 15-minute breaks or your downtime at the office to fuel your wanderlust?  Here are 12 travel and vacation ideas to put your office break to good use! 

Because your next adventure starts by taking your days off! Check out more tips like these in my plan from the office section!

1. Improve your language skills

Are you travelling to a country where you don’t speak the language? Take this time to learn some keywords like “Hi!” “Thank you!” or “Where are the washrooms?” You can either download an app, find an online class or a coworker that speaks that language. Go practice with them. Improving your language skill will not only make your time there easier but it will make it easier to talk to locals and unlock those secret gems that only they know.

2. find those deals!

Whether you are looking for that amazing deal for your next vacation for a specific place or you are just wondering which destination is the most affordable. I suggest you spend your 15 minutes checking Google Flights or any other flight searcher to check the places and see what destination is the most affordable. Sometimes, you can find good deals on a new potential destination that will make you want to add it to your bucket list for your next vacation!

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3. Ask around about your future destination

Ask your colleagues if they have already visited your next destination. There is a big chance that they will give you great recommendations!

4. There is an app for that too

Download an app about your future destination. A lot of European cities have an app, for example. These apps will allow you to discover what your next favourite city has to offer by giving you special offers on activities and on explaining the history of the city. Go browse your app store now!

5. Plan your trip

Plan your trip 15 min at a time! Travel planning can be incredibly time-consuming, especially if you are an itinerary freak like myself, but it does not have to be. Use your 15 min breaks to choose your accommodations or to pick a restaurant for one night. Another suggestion is to select a food tour, these are great to experience all the flavours that your destination has to offer.

6. Get ready to leave

You've already booked everything and you are leaving in the next few weeks? Why not start writing your to-do email so your colleagues can cover up for you while you are enjoying your time off. Check out the complete checklist here.

7. Go through your unread bookmarked pages

Did you have a ton of blogs or articles about your next trip that you have bookmarked and you haven’t read yet? I know I’m guilty about it. Then what are you waiting for? Use this time to read them!

8. Travel inspiration

Spend some time on Pinterest. This platform is great for travel as it is full of travel bloggers. Create a board and pin images from articles of your future journey. Beyond finding inspiration, Pinterest is a great tool to help you choose a destination. It offers tips on how to avoid travel mishaps, finding activities, places to stay and restaurant recommendations, all in one place.

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9. Create your goals

Are you the type of person that needs written goals in front of your eyes? Why don’t make it your desktop background? Find a country or attraction that you would love to visit and write a date. I used German Christmas Markets to get into the festive mood. If this doesn't give you some motivation, I don’t know what will!

10. Get lost in travel photos

Browse travel magazines as well as blogs and get lost in the other side of the world for a few minutes.

11. Plan your finances and create a travel budget

Put money aside for your trip! Use your 15-minute break at work to dive into your online banking session. Reorganize your accounts by creating a separate savings account and start saving money. This will help you accumulate some serious money that will be used during your adventure. You can even set up an automatic savings deposit directly into your dedicated savings account.

When you finished creating saving accounts, get ready to create a travel budget! This is very important if you do not want to overspend during your trip. Look for the activities you want to do during your trip and put a price on each of them. It will also help you reach your savings goal.

Here are my 5 simple tips to create a savings action plan for your next vacation

12. Go out of the office

Go outside and take a walk, enjoy what your city has to offer.

Or Go for a coffee or a bite and bring some for your team as well! You will get some serious extra points here!

Ok, the last 2 are not 100% travel-related but, it’s good to get out of the office at least once a day.

Do you have other tips? If so, add it in the comments!

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