
Work hard, play hard. Early bird gets the worm, right? We get it...except when was the last time you left the office and actually left the office? Like, without stealing a glance at your emails during dinner, before bed, or on a SATURDAY? And when was the last time you used your PTO? Not for another wedding or to visit your parents.
Maybe it's time to take a real vacation. The kind that gets you excited about drafting an out-of-office email and looking at that bottle of old sunblock with a spark in your eye.
We know it's been a while, but there's a whole world out there once you step away from your inbox, office, and co-workers...
This is not arriving at the office before the rest of your co-workers are even out of bed:
This is not the agonizing wait for your first cup of coffee:

This is not yet another memo about the importance of a top-level perspective:

This is not agreeing to work two shifts in a row because your co-worker is "sick":
This is not being glued to your computers in the confines of your cubicle:

This is definitely not your co-worker's reheated leftovers:

This is not a last-minute frantic search for an empty meeting room:

This is not your 3 p.m. caffeinated pick-me-up, no cream, no sugar:

This is not you jumping on a pointless call...
...and having to regroup in person anyway:

This is not being on your feet for 12 hours straight:

This is not staying late. And skipping the gym. Again:

This is not that happy hour you missed because you had to "catch up on emails":
This is not making awkward carpool conversation for the sake of that sweet HOV lane:

This is not adjusting the brightness on your phone to read one more email before bed:

This isn't your desktop screensaver — it's a real vacation:


All photos by Aubree Lennon / © BuzzFeed