As a business owner it’s easy to feel like your work is never done – because no matter how much you do, there is always more that could theoretically be done. Many business owners we’ve spoken with also feel that they have a responsibility to be available to their team and that if they step away they are putting an undue burden on their team. So, we wanted to hear from a broad range of business owners on whether they take vacations and we’ve shared some of their responses below.

Caroline Karp

What a wonderful question to ask a romantic expressionist painter like me. I have traveled for as long as I can remember, especially during my boys’ formative years during school breaks. When they were old enough to start helping me they became the sherpas of my art supplies. While they climbed mountains, swam in clear springs, surfed on the ocean, and snowboarded on snowy slopes, I painted. Read more>>

Jacqlyne Mba-Jonas

I’m glad to have a business that I can run from anywhere. With being a Travel Agent, its important for me to travel and experience different destinations firsthand so I can better advise and plan trips for my clients. I travel almost monthly for weeks at a time. This year so far I’ve visited South Africa, Kenya, Mexico, Panama, and Colombia. I have several more destinations planed for the rest f the year. Read more>>

Lisa Dorton Cramer

Regularly! There was a time in my past corporate life where I worked, worked, worked. It led to me no longer enjoying my job and I found myself sitting in massive burnout. When I finally decided to take a leap of faith and invest in a career change, I knew I was going to have to find something I was passionate about and that would provide flexibility for a good work-life balance. Read more>>

Samantha Lopez

Yes! I have to, I love to travel! This past year has been my busiest year thus far, so i haven’t done much traveling. I have had to pass up Greece and Italy but I did manage to escape to Cabo for a couple days. But I do plan to take a vacay before the year ends! Read more>>

Kaitlyn Meck

Yes, I don’t get to take as many as I want, but inevitably, when I do take a vacation or get a really busy time, I gain a new client. You never know where your next client will come from in this business, but you always need to take some time for yourself. My latest “vacations” haven’t been for the best circumstances, but I make sure to let my clients know ahead of time, so if I’m delayed on a response they know and can be prepared. I also make sure I try to get what I can done before our vacation, and plan to catch up on anything when I get back as well. Read more>>

Monica Betancourt

Yes!! I didn’t use to take them as regularly as I do now. Unfortunately, it took going through a very difficult time in my personal life to learn the critical lesson that “there is no tomorrow.” I always thought there was just too much work to take a vacation, that I might lose important business or clients if I took a few days — forget a week or two — to get away. Read more>>

Candace Cole

I don’t take as many vacations as I would like to take but there is an annual family trip that I look forward to the most. Every summer, my family spends a weekend at the beach catching up with each other, listening to music, laughing, playing, and eating good seafood. It’s a an awesome moment in time. Read more>>