Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Buzzsprout, online, or search ‘The Stewardology Podcast’ in your favorite podcast app.

 

The Bible does not mention anything specifically about vacations. However, Scripture does speak to the concepts of personal rest and stewardship, which are both key areas of discussion when on the topic of vacations.

 

SO, WHAT IS A VACATION?

In the truest sense of the word, a vacation is a time of rest.

In Genesis 2:2-3, we read that even God rested…from creating creation!

In Exodus 20:8–11, God specifically and directly tells His people that they are to rest from their daily labor on the seventh day!  

If you took the time to research it, you would find over 100 instances of the word “Sabbath” throughout Scripture.

In the New Testament, Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, meaning that God gave it as a gift to us (Mark 2:27).

Clearly, there is a need, built into us by God, to have a time of rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.  

 

4 KEY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT REST AND VACATION

  1. Young Family or Minimal Expense Vacations
  2. Vacations with a Purpose
  3. How to Pay for Vacations
  4. Vacation tips and traps to avoid

 

1. Young Family and/0r Minimal Expense Vacations

  • For the young family, a vacation, a yearly vacation is a must!  YOU need a break. You need a change of pace. So this is something that is needed to be baked into the yearly family calendar for the sake of rest and reconnection of your family. Focus on relationships and on connecting with the kids!
  • Consider a “Staycation”
    • Pack a lunch and go somewhere local. Do you really know the area you are living in? Consider visiting a park, a local attraction or historical area, or even taking a tour. This is a great way to “get away” without spending the high cost of a long distance vacation.
  • Think outside the box!

 

2. Vacation with a Purpose

  • Mission trip vacations.
    • World Servants
    • Church missions trips
    • etc…
  • Serve at a ministry
    • Samaritan’s Purse
    • Wycliff Bible Translators
    • etc…
  • Disaster Relief
    • Many organizations need assistance. They need hands, and your vacation timing may just be right to participate!
      • Great way to get the kids to think about the needs of others instead of themselves.
      • These are life lessons to our kids. No school would be able to teach what they could learn in a family trip like this!
  • Intentional International Travel to connect with Missionaries

 

3. Vacation Payments / How To Pay for Vacations

  • Set a budget! (Biblical Sequential Priorities Framework)
  • SAVE, SAVE, SAVE. Set a weekly or monthly amount away in an account to cover the vacation costs.
  • Set aside a portion of a tax refund/bonuses if you receive one to cover some or all of your vacation.
  • Do a yard sale and stash away that money for the vacation.
  • Cancel certain subscriptions that are not fully being used (gym, online subscription, etc.).
  • Eat out less and bank the savings!
    • This can include taking your own coffee with you on the drive to work, and taking your own lunch to work!
  • Trim your grocery budget a little each week/month.
    • Use coupons and bank the savings for the vacation
  • Consider a part-time seasonal job to pay for vacation.
  • Drive for a ride sharing company, or do deliveries (doordash…etc.).
  • Take your skill set and freelance for some additional income for a short time.
  • Rent out a room in your place or do an airbnb to get some extra cash.
  • Shut down any/all discretionary spending and watch your bank account rise!

 

4. Vacation Tips and Traps to Avoid

  • Traps:
    • Not having a budget to work from.
    • Not saving up ahead of time.
    • Using a credit card to fund an unaffordable vacation.
    • Overspending on credit cards!
    • Booking your trip too late…or too early!
      • Best time to book airfare is three to six weeks before your flight.
    • Paying extra fees with airlines.
      • Too many pieces of luggage, over packing and not weighing your luggage ahead of time.
    • Paying extra fees at hotels/resorts (read the fine print!)
    • All inclusive vacations, if you will not be using the full extent of the amenities.
    • Upsales…and there are tons of them!  Learn to say NO!
  • Tips:
    • Eating too many meals out!  
      • Give yourself a daily budget for meals and work hard to stick with it.
    • Consider getting food at a grocery store and cook (simple meals) where you are staying.
    • Bring your own snacks or buy them at a grocery store. It is much cheaper than convenience stores and vendors!
    • If staying in a hotel, consider one with a “complimentary breakfast” and eat there, and take some “dry goods” with you to snack on for lunch.
    • Consider eating a bigger lunch than dinner (lunches usually are cheaper).
    • When back from vacation, verify that whatever you put on your credit card balances with the receipt that you have (especially on out of the country trips).
    • Hotel budget options:
      • Call the hotel directly to book. Better prices directly from them!
      • Booking websites to find the best deals, such as Hotels.com, Kayak, etc…
      • See what perks your credit card company offers.
      • Negotiate your rate directly with the hotel.
      • When you arrive, ask for a free room upgrade! It does work!
    • Book airfare in the morning when the new prices show up (specifically on Tuesday mornings).
      • Flying in the middle of the week tends to be cheaper.
      • Check out two one-way tickets…it may be cheaper.
    • Be flexible with your dates before you book things.
    • Us memberships like AAA or AARP, AMA etc…
    • Use Credit Card rewards!
    • Vacation on “off season” times for better pricing.
    • Pick non-touristic places.
    • Book odd hours of flights, they usually are much cheaper!
    • Consider visiting National Parks. Some are free, and some are low cost!
    • Stay with others (family/friends).
      • Don’t be a leach. Provide grocery food for everyone, especially your hosts!
    • Consider last-minute hot deals.
      • Airlines…
      • Cruises…
      • Hotels…
    • If you are doing an “attraction”, book your tickets online.
    • If doing a driving vacation, use the GasBuddy App to find the cheapest gas. Gas stations at interchanges usually have a higher price (from personal experience working in the oil/gas industry years ago)

 

THE MOTIVE FOR VACATION

An article by Julia Stager Mayo from 2014 on Randy Alcorn’s Eternal Perspective Ministry website, called Would a Good Steward Spend Money on a Vacation, had some good questions to consider. Here’s what she wrote:

“But as far as vacations go, here are some questions that may help you discern your intentions and whether such a vacation would tend toward God-honoring things (good) or self-exalting things (bad).

Is the purpose of the vacation to:

  • Get away from day to day life to rest in and refocus on God?
  • Learn things that will draw you closer to God?
  • Grow relationships with family or friends?
  • Experience God’s world in a way that will lead you to worship Him?

Or is it to:

  • Show-off your wealth and ability to travel to friends/family/co-workers?
  • Escape from your problems at home instead of addressing them?
  • Satisfy a fleeting or impulsive desire?

Some more questions to ask might be:

  • Will this vacation put you in tempting situations?
  • Is this experience focused on gratifying only your flesh or also your spirit?
  • Are there ways these same things could be achieved at a lesser cost?
  • Will spending money on this vacation decrease the money I would have given to my church, missions or others in need?
  • After praying, reading the Bible and discussing the matter with trusted and mature believers does it still seem like a good idea?”

 

CONCLUSION // PERSONAL STEWARDSHIP APPLICATION

So, let’s answer the big question…IS TAKING A VACATION ‘WISE’ STEWARDSHIP?

Well, yes and no.

  • POSSIBLY YES
    • Good mental health benefits
    • Reconnecting with family
    • Creating tighter bonds with your spouse/family
    • See more of God’s beautiful creation
    • Relax and get away from your usual daily grind
  • POSSIBLY NO
    • If you are spending money you don’t have…
    • Using a credit card to fund vacations
    • You are using the vacation to “show off’ to others instead of resting and reconnecting with family.

 

We encourage vacations. We tell our employees in our hand book that vacations are important for their health and wellbeing. Just vacation wisely. Rest wisely.

 

 

Material presented is property of The Stewardology Podcast, a ministry of Life Financial Group and Life Institute. You may not copy, reproduce, modify, create derivative works, or exploit any content without the expressed written permission of The Stewardology Podcast. For more information, contact us at Contact@StewardologyPodcast.com or (800) 688-5800.

The topics discussed in this podcast are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations.  Investing and investment strategies involve risk including the potential loss of principal. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Securities and advisory services offered through GWM, Inc Member FINRA/SIPC