I have a first world problem.

I have heard Belize is amazing. Costa Rica is unbelievable. If you choose Costa Rica, I would suggest staying by a volcano/rain forest. You can hike, white water raft, ride horses and soak in the hot springs. That sucks you can't carry over time. 

I really liked the Mayan Riviera in Mexico - good food and drink (mmmm limey margaritas), and you can pick nearly any kind of resort that floats your boat especially all-inclusive.   We stayed at a nice place with a lazy river.  The water was awesome, we could even do some decent snorkelling right at our resort.  I particularly liked doing the Chichen Itza tour - a bit of a trek but worth it. There are other similar tours to smaller or lesser-known  Mayan ruin sites along the water but I really wanted to do the one we did. 

I've been to the Dominican three times and enjoyed it every time but I definitely liked Mexico better. 

Have you talked to your boss?   I've generally found that bosses are pretty amenable to working around corporate policy on certain occasions.  I had a previous boss that let me bank some days "off the books" ... with the caveat that there were no guarantees if he was no longer my boss by the time I needed to use them.

I've also taken that approach with my direct reports.

That said, enjoy your vacation!  Try Hawaii if you haven't already.  We loved the west side of Oahu (Ko Olina.)

Actually yes after I posted this, my boss said she has the authority to roll over 40 hours into 2015, but they have to be used by the end of March. That policy is typically only supposed to be used for a major life events (wedding, having a baby, etc. - and requires VP approval) but since we weren't explained the policy she said she can make an exception. So that's a possibility.

I actually LIKE this policy where you have to use your vacation days, and I totally get it (if only I'd have known!). The company wants/needs employees to unwind and use this super generous benefit, as they clearly care about work/life balance. And it's not a badge of honor to accumulate so many vacation days you have to forfeit them - that is really frowned upon here. Very different culture than my last position!

I'm trying to travel sometime between Dec 9 - 23... Let me know if you want a buddy!

I've got a few ideas... ok, well, really, too many ideas.

I agree. I spent a few months in Kauai and would recommend it highly. Its supposedly the most natural and undeveloped of the Hawaiian islands. So many amazing beaches, not crowded at all, plenty of sea turtles to play with.

Totally agree on the all-inclusive. For my last trip (Jamaica) I spent around $150/night for a mid-range all-inclusive and it blew my socks off. Yeah it's not 5-star restaurant food, but it had local flavor, tasted good, drinks were flowing freely - not sure what more you can ask for

Tim,

Not sure if you and your wife would be into this but a great way to travel is to get involved with something like wwoofing, which is how I got to stay in hawaii for so long. I basically lived on an organic farm and worked something like 2-3 hours a day in the mornings, growing and harvesting fruits and veggies, and the rest of the time I got to do whatever I wanted. They give you room and board in exchange for this little "work" stint. I prefer to travel that way actually because I get bored at resorts/hotels and I always bond with the people I live with on these trips.

It totally is interesting and fun. I work in an office environment so any excuse to get out in the sun and get my hands dirty in a beautiful tropical place is all good in my book. I'm actually looking into a donkey farm on an island in Italy for my next one, lol

My dad ends up with that issue every year, but since he doesn't like to actually GO anywhere he typically just starts his Christmas vacation time as early as he needs to in order to use up all his use or lose.  He is always carrying over the max his company will allow (something like 5 or 6 "days").

I second the votes for Hawaii.  Kona is lovely. :D  Perhaps a cruise?

The military works slightly differently.  We can carry over up to 75 days at the end of the fiscal year, and we get 30 days a year (this sounds like a lot, but weekends count...i.e. if I do a Friday to Monday that is FOUR days, not two...so in reality, 30 days is comparable to "4 weeks" in any civilian job).  It usually takes a few years of scrimping on your vacation days to build up to that point, but then the benefit after that is you *have* to take all 30 days every year or you lose some.  I like having the bank because while most years I don't go on a lot of trips every now and then I do...one fiscal year I used up 45 days of leave!!!!  That included Kona and two unexpected trips home for grandmother funerals, but still...that is a LOT of time off!

Option B: People sometimes nickel and dime their leave away...I knew someone that took every Monday off so he could always have three day weekends.  He didn't go anywhere...just worked around his house or whatnot. :D  I considered it during peak IM training!  So, don't underestimate this method...can be nice to have a few half days or long weekends at home...or even short weekend getaways.

This is something I do with half of my six weeks of vacation... Starting in late May through August I take Fridays off... It's really nice to have three day weekends all summer long... Whether it's for training purposes, house projects or just an extra day to sleep in..... One warning though, it's hard to go back to five day weeks when it runs out...

Edited to say I work in an office environment and "dial in" to check on things on these Fridays at least a couple times per day... 

It just dawned on me that in March, I think I jump up a week in annual vacation. Sweet!

Edited by bootygirl 2014-10-17 7:17 PM

CABO!?!?!?! I went with a group of girls... and we didn't have an all inclusive, but there were plenty of those available. Lazed about by the pool(s) or beach by day... went whale watching... sea lion watching... etc etc... went into town (you can call a cab... very easily) for dinner. Cute little shops.

ALLLLTHOUGHHHHH... they just did have a hurricane blast through ... so I don't know what the state of affairs is down there. You may be able to book something super cheap!