Nothing like a weekend road trip to take your mind off work. (Image: Jim Glab)
One of the big drawbacks of a busy career is working too hard. A new survey finds that most workers keep plugging away on weekends — when it might be better for their mental and physical health to just drive away from the job for a couple of days.
The study conducted for Enterprise Rent-A-Car found that nearly 70 percent of those polled said they work
an average of nine hours at least one weekend a month. And getting away from the job is hard: 63 percent said their employers expect them to work weekends, and 61 percent said they can’t help thinking about work on those precious days off. Two-thirds of those polled said they regularly read and reply to work-related emails on Saturdays and Sundays.
The obsession is more severe among Millennials: Three out of four said they can become consumed with work thoughts over weekends.
What to do? Break away from the routine. Survey respondents said they could significantly improve their weekends by “exploring new places” (54 percent), “getting out of town” (51 percent) or “more weekend trips” (48 percent).
Driving the paved road up Colorado’s 14,000-foot Mt. Evans will literally take you into the clouds. (Image: Jim Glab)
That could be a problem if you don’t have access to wheels. Whether you’re a Millennial who has shunned car ownership thus far, or a road warrior who has relied on Uber rides at your destination, a weekend car rental will let you get out of town and escape the constant tug of the laptop screen.
And you don’t even have to go to the airport for your ride. Enterprise, for instance, has hundreds of neighborhood rental offices around the country where you can quickly pick up a car and be on your way.
Tacking a personal getaway onto a business trip has become increasingly common, so think about extending your next one over a weekend and exploring the nearby region. It will take your mind off work and give you more perspective about the places you travel to.
Sun, sand and surf beckon from California’s beach towns. (Image: Jim Glab)
Rocky Mountains that you can probably see through the window of your meeting rooms. Tip: If you want a real driving adventure, head for Mount Evans (about an hour west of Denver) and drive the sinuous road that takes you to the 14,000-foot summit. It’s the highest paved road in the country, and something you won’t soon forget. Or head to nearby Rocky Mountain National Park for a drive along Trail Ridge Road, which goes up to 12,000 feet across an alpine tundra.
Just wrapping up a week of tedious trade shows in Los Angeles or San Francisco? That’s a no-brainer: A ride up or down the Pacific Coast Highway will really clear the work-related cobwebs out of your head, and provide great backdrops for stunning selfies as you go. (The Enterprise survey also found that two-thirds of the respondents said they tend to share their non-working weekend moments on social media.)
So don’t waste those weekends when new experiences beckon. You know what they say about all work and no play.
This post is sponsored by Enterprise Rent-A-Car
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