How many days of holiday do you take in a year?

How many holiday days do you take in 12 months?

  • 1-5 days

    Votes: 1 4.8%
  • 6-10 days

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 11-20 days

    Votes: 1 4.8%
  • 21-30 days

    Votes: 8 38.1%
  • More than 30 days

    Votes: 11 52.4%

  • Total voters
    21
  • Poll closed .
Messages
1,456
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Yes
With sports happening pretty much 365 days a year, and with increasing competition. Sometimes it can be hard to take a longer period off from work as a self-employed sports photographer.
And by time off I do mean that there is no checking of work emails or replying to clients or sending images from archives to clients.. so totally away from it all :)

So it got me wondering - how many days off per year do you take in a normal 12 month period?
Of course the 'standard' holiday on a full time job varies from country to another.. so four weeks might be norm in other countries, and somewhere it might be six weeks..

And how easy do you find it to take the time off - are you able to totally switch off, how do your clients react to you being unreachable .. and how long can you take in one stint without it affecting your work?

I know this really might only concern those of us who work fully for ourselves.. and not employed by an agency (if your agency pays you holidays pay!).

So - just a little fun poll to see what sort of average time off we sports photographers manage to take...
 
Good question.... its not just how long ..it's when?

Last year I had three short Holidays.. Taking most of sunday I had 6 days around wales... then on our anniversary i went to the highland games for a 5 day break midweek as games where tuesday) then later in summer just a suprise few days wen up to holy island...

Althought I work at this all week the busest time is obviously weekends all yer round.. quiet time is end of june start of july as the pre season start.. so this year i am having my first weekend off.... so i get a 12 day holiday

I also have to take into consideration my billing cycle for regular customers.. I dont want 2 weeks off in one month bills so i have worked it so theres just one week in each cycle for this upcoming 2 week hols :)
 
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When I freelanced back home I rarely took holiday as it cost double - cost of the holiday, plus loss in work. I did once however manage to have 5 days in Scotland in December. Was nice.

Now i'm staff I'm given a set amount to take a year. It's actually been hard to get used to!
 
Good point there @KIPAX - it is also the 'when' that is a big question...
In basketball I never really have that 'off season' - the domestic league coverage goes from start of September to end of May, then June is filled with play-off games coverage in various leagues around Europe that go a bit longer.
End of June/start of July is well into the training camps of various age groups of National teams.. so it's weeks on end with them.. and then the seniors starts theirs, plus various age groups have their Continental tournaments.. and come August.. it's one last bog tournament and then straight to pre-season with domestic teams....

Having learned (the hard way) that aged over 40.. you can't work every damn hour and day of the week.. I am trying to slow down during the season, so that I won't work 7 days a week. But holidays still are bit of a rarity.
Last year I managed 5 days.. took at the cabin of my wife's parents in Norway... total withdrawal from any electronics/communications... should really do more of those!
 
Having learned (the hard way) that aged over 40.. you can't work every damn hour and day of the week.


eh? Nobody told me ? :(
 
eh? Nobody told me ? :(
My body told me that... couple of burnouts, few times in hospital with doctors running about...
Result of seven day work weeks, sometimes driving 7 hours (each way)to cover a game in a day... spending nights sleeping at airport benches (as couldn’t bother to book a hotel), skipping meals....
Bit off topic this reply...
 
Booked mine.. 2nd to 12th july 2018 ..3 room flat in Ventnor on the isle of Wight.. The longest continuously away from home holiday in the last 10 yrs (usually have two 5 or 6 dayl holids) and its half and half between my invoice cycle for my regular customers..

theres maybe an early pre season friendlies to miss .. otherwise the best time to go :)
 
With sports happening pretty much 365 days a year, and with increasing competition. Sometimes it can be hard to take a longer period off from work as a self-employed sports photographer.
And by time off I do mean that there is no checking of work emails or replying to clients or sending images from archives to clients.. so totally away from it all :)
.

I sell IT services and it's very rare for me to take more than a few days completely away from it all. I'm generally handling some emails while I'm away. I can go on holiday but my target doesn't....
 
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