Seung Ah Lee/Options for Vacation Planning/ Thur 34

A Variety Options for Vacation Planning

     "Koreans are workaholic!" says most of the non-Koreans who visit Korea. Yes, it is true that Koreans work hardly stop working. They are highly stressed out and feel tired. They desperately long for a break once in a while. Considering the hours of work, vacation is not a luxury but a necessity. There is a saying that goes "All work and no play makes jack a dull boy." Given a vacation, it is important to make a good choice among many options. There are abundant types of enjoyable and meaningful things you can do for holidays. Vacation planning can be categorized into three options: traveling, self-developing, and doing an internship. 

      First and foremost, one of the best ways to spend the vacation is to travel. Break is meant to fun, relaxing and challenging. Depending on your preference, you could choose to go outside the country or move around within the country. For example, you can visit your cousins or friends living abroad. Last summer, I went to New York for a month to visit my cousin and she took me to many good places like Broadway, Empire States Building, 5th Avenue and Lincoln Center. Although I heard a lot about American culture, it was just amazing to actually experience a new culture, meet new people and learn new perspectives. Also, visiting famous places in your own country is wonderful way to spend your vacation because it can give you a chance to relax or refresh yourself as well as knowing more about your own culture. For instance, going to Jeju Island for family trip was a good opportunity for me to realize how great the nature of our country was. In the beautiful nature, my family had a good time there, away from the routine and I chilled out, looking back to myself. Likewise, traveling is one good option for a vacation.

      Moreover, doing an internship could be another option for vacation. Many companies recruit interns during summer or winter season. Doing an internship could be beneficial for the companies but more importantly for those who are planning to get a job. By working as an intern, you can explore much more closely about the job area. A friend of mine applied for an internship in a city bank. Before she did not have much information about the job itself and was not that much interested in being a bank accountant for her entire life. Yet, she spent two full months at the bank as an intern and eventually decided to go for the job. Likewise, using vacation as a chance to virtually have a glimpse at the field you are interested in. This helps you make a good decision on your future career to a great extent. Therefore, doing an internship is one way to spend your holidays to have some field experience. 

      Last but not least, self-developing is the other way to spend the vacation meaningfully. Nowadays, people in their 20s or 30s are known to have the highest level of stress due to social pressure. They continuously need to develop themselves in this competitive society. What I mean by self-development is not simply to prepare for TOEIC or acquire certificates and licenses, because then, it is no longer a break anymore. They are essential part of preparing for the better future. However, self-developing includes reading books, doing voluntary works or meeting people from other countries for language exchange as well as studying for particular tests. There are so many activities out there that help you improve yourself in diverse fields. Being professional and knowledgeable in your field is crucial but life experience through books and real experience can often times be much more useful and worthwhile. Vacation is a perfect chance to get away from daily life and try something new for self-development.

      To sum up, there are a variety of options to spend your vacation: going on a trip, getting a work experience and self-developing. Each has its advantages and disadvantages depending on your preference, time limit and money availability. Whatever the reason is, vacation planning's main priority should be to enjoy and rest, not work!