Reply to: Holidays vs invoicing

[SueEllen]

This one goes on my tshirt
Tickets booked next week for a quick break (5 days total) and probably a longer, proper vacation in October/November, somehow I forgot that near the equator days are 12 hours regardless of the season

Enjoy

[sirja]

Don't fall into this trap of worrying about loss of billing days.

If you want to go on holiday, go on holidays.

If the wife wants to go, do it.

If it suits the kids best with school, do it.

Of course, make sure it won't affect your client with respect to delivery, give them plenty of notice, and inform them, rather than ask if you can take a break.

The only caveat to this for me is if you work in an industry/job function/tech where there is a high likelihood of long bench time after each role. In those cases, yes, I'd be saying to the wife we need to be more choosy about when we go away.

But then, we don't know your person life or skillset, so very difficult for us to advise.

Something else I often do, especially with longer roles, is aim to go away for a week right after the contract ends, and if an extension is forthcoming, happily accept while telling but I won't be in that week.

Well said!

[yasockie]

You can either spend time with your wife and family or spend the money you save on a divorce lawyer.

This one goes on my tshirt
Tickets booked next week for a quick break (5 days total) and probably a longer, proper vacation in October/November, somehow I forgot that near the equator days are 12 hours regardless of the season

[Ticktock]

WHS

Although, right now our hols seem really far away! Thankfully we have a few days at home (Ireland) next month for a bit of battery recharging

Do you really get that lonely that you keep wearing the batteries out?

[Ketchup]

I started contracting a few years ago with a view to save up a hefty warchest and spend a few months travelling, new contracts and extensions have always pushed my plans back so now i am in a situation where i have taken 2 days off in nearly 3 years and I am exhausted. I have booked a week of golf in the Algarve in 2 weeks time to top up my tan and recharge the batteries

[oracleslave]

for a bit of battery recharging

I find staying at home and bleeding the radiators works just as well.

[cailin maith]

any project should be able to manage a week or two without a single person provided enough notice is given.

WHS

Although, right now our hols seem really far away! Thankfully we have a few days at home (Ireland) next month for a bit of battery recharging

[eek]

1 week is never an issue unless things are going really tulip and if they are you need the week off.

I never take a month off while in contract but any project should be able to manage a week or two without a single person provided enough notice is given.

[Old Hack]

When we both started contracting, my wife and I, we said we’d take holidays in between contracts. Well, all that did was mean we never took holidays as we were never out of contract, the wife having one contract last 7 years. Luckily, we than had kids, and decided we’d take them when we wanted to, as we could.

Take the time off and spend it with your kids, you’ll enjoy life so much better, and appreciate what you have so much more.

Money, is just money at the end of the day, and your kids will benefit more from time with you, than time with all of the tulipe you will buy them to overcompensate for not being there.

And Winston might start doing more than cleaning the windows, if you know what I mean...

[SueEllen]

You can either spend time with your wife and family or spend the money you save on a divorce lawyer.

Hence my post about taking a week off.

No client will complain about that.

[northernladuk]

Loving the tags on this thread... More where applicable please.

[proggy]

One of the reasons I started contracting was that I am not restricted to the 25 days a year permies get. If I want I can take a month off or 3. Of course it all depends on your warchest and how low your outgoings are. If you can have low outgoings each month and save hard while working you can easily take months off at a time.

Hearing permies looking forward to their 2 weeks off and then the deep depression when they are back just makes me more glad I went contracting.

[jmo21]

Don't fall into this trap of worrying about loss of billing days.

If you want to go on holiday, go on holidays.

If the wife wants to go, do it.

If it suits the kids best with school, do it.

Of course, make sure it won't affect your client with respect to delivery, give them plenty of notice, and inform them, rather than ask if you can take a break.

The only caveat to this for me is if you work in an industry/job function/tech where there is a high likelihood of long bench time after each role. In those cases, yes, I'd be saying to the wife we need to be more choosy about when we go away.

But then, we don't know your person life or skillset, so very difficult for us to advise.

Something else I often do, especially with longer roles, is aim to go away for a week right after the contract ends, and if an extension is forthcoming, happily accept while telling but I won't be in that week.

[Pondlife]

You can either spend time with your wife and family or spend the money you save on a divorce lawyer.

[Pogle]

Yep, I take hols when I want them too. One of the joys of contracting is that I can have the hols I want.