This is my favorite time of year at work. I love it not only because of the parties, time off and the awesome gift baskets of treats that come, but mostly because this is the time of year that most of our public relations initiatives revolve around giving to others. I love that heart warming feeling that comes when you realize you have done some good in the world.

I came across this article on CNN about volunteer vacations and I think they are a great idea. The article mentions that while third world country living conditions aren’t everyone’s thing, you can still go on a luxury vacation and implement volunteering and doing humanitarian work into a small portion of your trip. A lot of tour companies are now offering that as part of their packages. Check out the article for specific examples.

This probably isn’t something that would be of interest to everyone, as most vacations are about relaxing and forgetting your problems. But if you are going on a two week vacation why not sacrifice two days and do something good. Most likely it will make your vacation even more memorable and meaningful anyways. Not to mention the bonding that will happen between you and your fellow travelers. Keep an open mind you might be surprised by the outcome!

Since I have been feeling a little land locked lately (mostly because I have been working like crazy), I decided to cheer myself up by listing some of the trips I am planning to take in the next six months, as well as recap the trips I have already taken due to the fact that the year is already half over.

Trips I have already taken this year:

1. Anaheim/Disneyland
2. Washington DC
3. Anchorage, Alaska
4. Saint George, Utah
5. Las Vegas, Nevada

Ok, so the first part of the year was a little slow as far as travel goes, which makes me a little sad. However, when I think about it- we bought a house in February and we spent the winter doing a fair amount of snowboarding, so I guess you could add Park City, Utah to the list.  Anyways, I am gearing up for Fall travel season which includes an awesome trip to Europe (my first time!). I used to say that we are going to backpack through Europe but apparently that’s not true- I was told we are packing our clothes in a backpack and going to Europe. So that accounts for the first five places on the list- and the rest are stateside cities or states I want to visit.

Trips I want/will take this year:

1. London, England
2. Athens, Greece
3. Ireland
4. Slovenia (here is a map- in case you want to know where this is)
5. Paris, France
6. New York City
7. San Diego
8. Seattle
9. Oregon Coast
10.North Carolina