With the end of February only a week away, the joyful (or joyless) holidays are now a distant memory in our over-worked brains. It’s time to start planning your escape from work. The good news:

Travel in 2009 costs what some would spend on a handbag.

Here are a few deals for a week off:

Italy B&B Vacation- From $1099
Included: Roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles to Rome
6 nights in a 3 star bed & breakfast
Your choice of destination: Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Campania, & Sicily
Car rental for a week

Available at: Sceptre Tours

India Super Sale- $1199
Included: Economy class international airfare from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, New York, or Chicago.
Hotel accommodations with breakfast
Round trip transfers
One sightseeing tour

Available at: Classic Tours

Morocco Sojourn- $649 (10 days)
Included: Hotel (7 nights), multi share gite (1 night), nomad camp (1 night)
Transport: bus, camel
Meals: 9 breakfasts, 2 dinners
Visit: Essaouira, Marrakech, Aremd, Ouarzazate, Zagora, Taliouine, Taroudannt

Available at: Gap Adventures

Or, if you prefer to stay in or visit the United States, consider a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable National Park getaway. All you need is a car, national park pass, and camping gear.

This past Saturday, I went to the Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show! Those who know me well (or even just a little bit) know that I live and work to travel.

What’s the best thing about traveling in 2009? The best travel bargains ever! We’re talking package deals to destinations such as Australia, India, and Italy (included: international airfare, rental car, hotel) for anywhere from $699-$1200. Beat that!

Here is yours truly at the LA Times Travel & Adventure Show scoping out all the best deals for your hard-earned vacation time:

Katie (Entrepreneur Goddess) in Geneva, Switzerland

My recent trip to the other side of the world reminded me of a very important element to the entrepreneurial lifestyle: Every entrepreneur needs a break.

Before I left for my trip I was working from early in the A.M. until late in the P.M. My days were filled with designing web pages, logos, and magazine ads for my design business customers and keeping up with my other ventures in addition to two blogs. To top it off, I had a steady stream of out-of-town visitors for two weeks before leaving.

Time to myself? Forget it. I was working nights and weekends to do everything needed. The night before we left for our trip, a project was finished at nearly 4am, I slept three hours, and woke up to throw things in my suitcase and run out of the house. Not exactly the way I wanted to begin my vacation.

I brought my laptop to Europe because I had fully intended on doing some work while overseas. Thanks to a series of technological mishaps, I only had access to Internet a whole two hours the entire 18 days I was on my trip. Luckily I had pulled off the important tasks before leaving town, in preparation for a situation like this. I admit, it was a relief to finally be on vacation and disconnected from the world.

Being technologically disconnected from the world did wonders for my mind, body, and spirit. It gave me clarity about my life, business, and what is really important in life.

Life in Europe: The Europeans are wise. Their culture teaches them at a young age what is important in life. For the French, it’s taking time out of the day to sit down as a family and eat. Most people have a two-hour lunch break and head home to eat with their families. They might work from 9-12, eat lunch from 12-2pm, and get off of work at 6pm just in time to sit down with their families again. Stores, bakeries, and even grocery stores shut down for lunch, giving their employees the opportunity to be with their families and eat, two very important elements in the French culture.

And yes, their economy is doing quite well. Things run very efficiently throughout France. From the TGV (fast speed train) arriving at the station at 07:41 and departing at precisely 07:42 to the grocery store cart return system.

Experiencing the European lifestyle has really given me the opportunity to reevaluate my life and work. On the plane trip home I came to a few conclusions:

1. NEVER sacrifice you mealtime for work. Always take the time to eat and eat well. Shop at the weekly Farmer’s Market for quality fruits and vegetables as well as to support local agriculture and business.

2. Most client “emergencies” can wait. If you charge an “emergency” fee, it’s amazing what suddenly ceases to become an emergency and can wait an extra day or two.

3. Walk, walk, and walk. Because I work from home, I don’t have to walk very far to get to the office. Many Europeans must walk a few miles per day because they walk to and from work several times per day, take public transport, and enjoy long hikes through the countryside on the weekend. It’s very important that I don’t sacrifice this element of my life for work because in the end, exercise makes me highly productive and happier.

4. Stop working on weekends. This means I will no longer promise clients that I’ll have something to them “by Monday” and I will no longer tell them that I’ll do something for them over the weekend. No more answering client emails on a Saturday or Sunday. My weekend fee will now be an inflated emergency fee because I really should not have to work on the weekend, I have a life outside of my business.

5. Stop working at night. While late nights will sometimes be necessary to get my work done (I am, after all, a business owner who values my bottom line and customer service), I will kick the habit and only work the evenings when I deem absolutely necessary. This also means I must be better at promising clients the moon (literally) and will have to set fairly rigid guidelines and expectations for both myself and my clients.

6. Don’t be afraid to get away from it all. I was on vacation for 18 days and my business did not fall apart. In fact, I have more referrals than ever and will be very busy with both new and old clients in the upcoming weeks.

The above might seem rigid to many, but I feel these new guidelines will keep me from experiencing burn-out and in the end, help me provide better service to my clients. I realize the schedule I had set for myself pre-trip was unsustainable and I was already starting to experience burn-out. With these lessons in place, my business will prosper.

Katie Skow
Entrepreneur Goddess
www.EntrepreneurGoddess.com

Hello Entrepreneur Goddesses!
By now, you have probably noticed my silence this past week. Well, I am unapologetically on a much need Entrepreneur Goddess vacation on the other side of the world! I am recharging my batteries in Europe for a couple of weeks. While I fully expected to have internet access during most of my trip, it turns out that I am mostly disconnected from the world…and probably for the best. I will be back into my routine at full speed at the beginning of August. After all, we all need a break from life. I am excited to share video and photos.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

Katie