Travel should be fun.
Visiting interesting and beautiful sites for vacation such as Table Rock Lake and Table Rock Dam are some of the many benefits of going on a vacation to Branson, MO.

Does the company or employer that you work for let you earn paid vacation time?
Hopefully they allow you to earn paid vacation time, however, if they do then do you use it, or have to struggle to take off the vacation days that you want? Better yet if you are self –employed to you take vacation time?
According to http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-that-require-vacation-2013-5 there are several countries which require you to take vacation days. That’s right, they make vacation mandatory. That would be alright with me. The top countries on this list are Austria with an incredible 42 paid vacation days. Brazil and France came in right behind with 30 mandatory paid vacation days off.
According to the referenced article the USA doesn’t have any companies that make employees use their paid vacation days.
I am glad that I earn vacation days and that it is not difficult to get the days off. There are several good reasons or rather benefits of using vacation days.
According to http://national.deseretnews.com/article/2169/7-benefits-of-taking-vacation-time.html there are seven benefits of taking vacation days. I am going to list them here and comment on them as to how they related to my last vacation. The vacation was to Branson, MO and I drove there with a close friend.
The first of the benefits which the article discusses is better physical health.
There are pros and cons in my case as I ate more than I should have at some great restaurants. However, at the same time I went to an amusement park, toured a cave and a museum and the visitor center at Table Rock Dam and also went fishing and swimming so I got a great deal of exercise.
The second benefit that applies here is more productivity.
While I didn’t intentionally try to stay productive while on vacation I definitely felt more ready to be productive when I returned. The break gave me some necessary energy despite getting in at 3 AM upon return from vacation.
Though I don’t have family in Lincoln that could go with me I did take along a friend who is like a family member to me.
The third benefit of taking a vacation that this article talks about is closer family relationships.
My friend and I had some great times together and this vacation helped us to grow closer as far as knowing each other and having fun together.
Another, the fourth benefit of vacations described in the article was having newer perspectives.
I guess my greatest new perspective is that some things can be put on hold while being on vacation. One doesn’t have to be blogging or writing every minute. Also another perspective that I saw is that in the area of Branson, MO people are generally a lot friendlier than what I am used to in other areas of the country where I have been.
The fifth benefit of taking a vacation mentioned in this article is increased mental power.
Simply taking time off gives us the chance to tune up our sometimes overworked brains. I do think that the vacation which I took gave me a chance to come back with a more brain function. The reason why is that it simply the rest and enjoyment that I needed.
The sixth benefit of vacations given is a lower chance of burnout.
Those who are constantly working don’t often take the time to relax at their job and enjoy life and as a consequence burn out on what they are doing. This is of course true. You can’t work all of the time.
The last benefit mentioned is improved mental health.
I had been to Branson in August of 2011 a month before my roommate passed away. This vacation allowed me to enjoy some time reliving some of the fun that we had back then as well as experience some new activities which improved my mood and my overall outlook on life.
If you have not taken a vacation lately you should indeed do so. For links to pictures of one of the activities in Branson I gladly direct you to https://keithstieneke.com/ride-the-ducks/