My 2024 Vacation Time in Review
Over the course of my nearly 24 years in my current job, I have made a substantial effort to preserve as much vacation time as possible by maximizing how and when I take it. Sometimes I have to use my allotted time in what I consider to be an inefficient manner, but overall I think I’ve elevated the process to somewhere between an art and a science.
It starts with my schedule, which allows me to have one day off per period by working an extra hour on eight out of ten weekdays in a pay period, and a straight eight hour day on the ninth day (eight days of nine hours each equals 72, and add 8, you get 80). The other thing I try to do whenever possible is to build my vacations around federal holidays to save a day. Finally, even if we get home after midnight on a work day, I don’t sleep in or take the following day off. I’m allowed to carry over 240 hours of annual leave, and if I’d taken a single “mental health day” each year, that would effectively eliminate any surplus.
Because my social media feeds are constantly touting the trips we take, many people assume that I’m on vacation all of the time and they’re not shy about telling me that. In the interest of full transparency, and to show that I’m actually at a desk more often than on the road, I’ll detail exactly how I used my allotted vacation time in 2024:
Chicagoland Fishing, Travel and Outdoor Show – We had a booth for Half Past First Cast at the Chicagoland show, flying in late in the afternoon of Wednesday, January 24th, working Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun. Then we teleworked from Hanna’s sister’s house Monday through Wednesday, before flying to Nashville late Wednesday night. I took off a few hours on the 24th, and a full (8 hour) day on the 25th, with Friday the 26th being my day off. Total Vacation Used: 11 hours.
Nashville Safari Club International – We went to Nashville to help Capt. Shane Jarvis run his booth at the massive Safari Club show on Thurs/Fri/Sat. This required me to take off two full days of work. We flew home Sunday morning. Total Vacation Used: 18 hours.
Bassmaster Classic – I’ve used vacation time to attend all but two of the Bassmaster Classics since 2004 (I missed 2007 and 2021). I needed to be there Tuesday, March 19, through late on Sunday, March 24, which meant flying home on Monday the 25th. That’s five weekdays, one of which was an 8 hour day, and one of which was my Friday off. Total Vacation Used: 35 hours.
Sportfish Panama Island Lodge – We chose the dates for our return to Panama for two reasons: The first was that it was during the heart of the tuna popping season. The second was that the week we’d be there included a Federal Holiday (Memorial Day) as well as my Friday off. Three vacation days, one of which was my Friday off. Total Vacation Used: 26 hours.
Anglers Inn Lake El Salto – We were unable to schedule our annual El Salto trip for the week of the new Federal Holiday Juneteenth, and we didn’t want to push it back to the week of July 4th, which would likely have more rain. Accordingly, this Saturday-to-Saturday trip encompassed five weekdays, one of which was my day off, and one of which was my 8 hour day. We left for Dallas a few hours early on Friday to spend the night there before our early Saturday flight, thereby minimizing the chances of any snafus. Total Vacation Used: 37 hours.
Texas and Grosse Savanne – We tried to schedule our Grosse Savanne gator hunt for Labor Day week, but we were too late and they were booked. Accordingly, we scheduled it for Tuesday the 10th, and flew home that evening. We flew in on Saturday, which meant two weekdays off, one of which was my rescheduled Friday off – one day of vacation. Total Vacation Used: 9 hours.
Bass Fishing Hall of Fame Induction Banquet – The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is held on the last Thursday in September. I needed to arrive on Wednesday for a Board of Directors meeting. That meant three weekdays, but I switched my Friday off so I only had to use two days of vacation. Total Vacation Used: 18 hours.
Lake Hartwell – Megabass invited me to a get-together at Lake Hartwell with their pro staff and employees. I arrived on Sunday night October 16th and departed the evening of the 19th. The Monday was a Federal Holiday (Columbus Day) and I switched my Friday off to account for Wednesday. That meant a single 9 hour day of vacation for three weekdays in South Carolina. Total Vacation Used: 9 hours.
Casa Vieja Lodge – After four straight years of February trips to Guatemala, this year we had to flip it to November, a great way to end our 2024 fishing travels. We were done fishing on Tuesday, and could have come home Wednesday to work Thursday and Friday, but elected to relax for a few days at Lake Atitlan and come home Saturday. Because I’d be taking off the Friday after Thanksgiving (it’s not a given day off at my job), I had to take five 9 hour days of vacation for this trip – absolutely worth it. Total Vacation Used: 45 hours.
Notes
As I stated in the intro, I try to utilize holidays on our vacations to maximize my time off. Unfortunately, the dates certain events (like the outdoor shows and the Classic) are out of my control. In the end, I only used two of the holidays (Memorial Day and Columbus Day) to my advantage.
Despite the social media appearance that I’m “fishing all the time,” I actually spent less time on the water than most of my friends who compete in tournaments or fish locally. I fished a total of 41 (21 AWAY PLUS 20 LOCAL) full or partial days.
Overall, the vacation usage comprised three week-long fishing vacations, several shorter fishing trips, and multiple efforts aimed at growing my side-hustle.
We don’t have kids and we didn’t have any weddings or other family obligations on the calendar. That will likely change (the family obligations part, not the kids part) in upcoming years, so we’ll have to spend some vacation time on non-fishing endeavors. We also have a non-fishing 20th anniversary trip planned for the second half of 2025.
I earn 8 hours of leave per pay period over 26 pay periods – a total of 208 hours. With the 208 hours taken, I ended up exactly where I started 2024, with a substantial amount in reserve. Upon retirement, I can cash out whatever is left.
As I come closer to my retirement date, I will likely start using more vacation per year, mostly to promote the Half Past First Cast business so it’s ready to roll when I can hit it full time.
I also receive 4 hours of sick leave per pay period, a total of 104 hours per year. This year I used a total of 25 hours of sick leave for various medical appointments. We have been fortunate throughout our careers to be sick very little and while I can roll over an unlimited amount of sick leave, I cannot be compensated for it upon retirement, although it may contribute to my pension. As we get older, and our parents get into their 80s, we may unfortunately be forced to take more of this time to deal with health issues.
