Going away on a vacation brings numerous benefits. It refreshes our enthusiasm, helps us to know ourselves a little better, and makes us, upon our return home, happier, healthier, and much more effective in coping with stress.

The key to reaping the benefits of traveling is in the going away. Hardly anyone reaps a benefit from spending a vacation time at home to work around the house.

Want a reason or two to go away on vacation? Here are fifteen:

* 1. Relaxation: Vacations break our day-to-day routine.

* 2. Stimulation of new sights: New sights give us new insights.

* 3. Meeting new people: Seeing how other people live broadens our perspective on our own live.

* 4. Fellowship and camaraderie: Shared hardships and good times form long-lasting bonds of love and friendship.

* 5. Education: We learn new skills and activities. Remember when you picked your first farm-fresh fruit or vegetable, climbed a mountain, learned a new language?

* 6. Adventure: Travel returns a sense of adventure to our life and improves our self-esteem when we accept and conquer challenges that don't exist in our routine life.

* 7. Surprise: It is the unexpected surprises in life that give us some of our fondest memories.

* 8. Beauty: When we open our eyes and take in new sights, we begin to tune into the majesty of nature.

* 9. Anticipation: The planning and preparation give us some of the most pleasurable experiences we can recall.

* 10. Memories: We'll always have the joy of reflecting on our pleasant memories.

* 11. Freedom: A vacation gives us the freedom to do what we want to do. Even if we are generally satisfied, we may yearn for something more.

* 12. Self-discovery: In letting our soul talk to us, we develop our inner peace, creativity, and harmony.

* 13. Appreciation of things taken for granted: When we get home, we will get more out of life. We will notice the miracles where we live.

* 14. Time stands still: The best part is when we get completely lost in the moment.

* 15. Happiness: Constructive use of leisure time makes us happier people. The major goal of a vacation is happiness.

Now you have no excuse for not taking a vacation away from home. Or, do you? The choice is yours!

Remember: When you maximize your potential, everyone wins. When you don't, we all lose.

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in ezines, newsletters, and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required. Mail to: eagibbs@ureach.com.