A vacation is an escape from the routine and a great opportunity to try new things. You’re visiting a whole other country with an ancient and rich culinary history. Traditional Mexican cuisine was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, so try something new at every meal, and as we say here, “Buen provecho!” (Enjoy your meal!)

1.Sopa de Lima

A very tasty kind of chicken soup with a twist! It is based on a light chicken broth and served with shredded chicken, deep-fried tortilla chips, and what in the Yucatan Peninsula is known as lima. Not to be confused with limes or lemons, the limes a less acidic citrus fruit similar to lime but sweeter like an orange. Intriguing? Wait till you try it!

2.Panuchos

Small, handmade corn tortillas, stuffed with beans and then fried in oil or lard. They are served with shredded lettuce, some meat such as chicken, turkey or pork, tomato, and onion, previously seasoned with sour orange and salt. You should also try them with avocado, carrot, and colorado (a paste of pipian, chile, and achiote, also known as annato seeds). The panucho is said to have originated in Merida by a street vendor out of his typical ingredients but wanting to serve his hungry customers. That, however, is a story for another post.

3.Salbutes

Corn flour tortillas, deep fried in oil until they inflate and get crispy. They can be served with ground beef, chicken, or shredded turkey and are seasoned with tomato and lettuce, avocado slices, and chopped red onion. Ask for some refried black beans as a side dish. In fact, ask for panuchos and salbutes so that you can savor the flavor of both of these staples of Yucatecan cuisine.

4.Papadzules

These delicacies consist of corn tortillas soaked in a sauce made with pumpkin seeds, stuffed with eggs, and then bathed in a sauce of tomato with some habanero chili  and onion. They are often garnished with chopped red onion and habanero chili, as well. Be careful with the habanero, it can be quite hot! Remember, if you’re not out for a spicy adventure, make sure to tell the vendor: sin picante, por favor! (Hold the spicy, please!)

5. Cochinita Pibil

A real feast for your senses, this dish is basically pork meat marinated in achiote, wrapped in a banana leaf, and cooked in an earth oven. According to some recipes from the early 1900’s, the entire pork (after some preparations, mind you) was baked in the earth oven. The cochinita pibil is accompanied with red onion in a sauce made with sour orange juice and habanero. It is usually eaten in tortas (a kind of sandwich) and tacos. This dish is also made with chicken; the famous Pollo Pibil. However you eat it and whatever meat you choose, Cochinita Pibil is definitely pulled pork paradise!

6. Kibis

Of course, we cannot forget the picturesque kibis. You can find people walking around the beaches with a glass box perched on their heads and shouting their singsong proclamation of “kibis… kibis!” Kibis are made with mashed wheat and ground beef or pork and seasoned with some spearmint, garlic, and onion. They are oval or round in shape and deeply fried. You should always eat them with some chopped red onions and, if you dare, habanero chili. These delicious darlings of Yucatan cuisine were actually brought to the region at the beginning of the 19th century by Lebanese immigrants. Today, they are a staple of the culinary heritage of the Yucatan Peninsula.

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Ah, vacation. It’s a beautiful thing, whether your definition of it is traveling to some exotic locale or staying put and exploring spots in your hometown. It doesn’t matter if you prefer to stay at home, going abroad, or taking a road trip complete with a tent and camping gear.

Breaking from work and taking a breather can be done in a variety of ways. It’s no surprise then that what people state as their reasons for going on vacation vary, but with a similar common theme. Time away from work—and everything that goes with it, from emails to to-do lists to drafting proposals and attending meetings—is essential to your well-being.

Although it may seem like I’m stating the obvious—after all, who doesn’t love a little R&R?—the fact that many people don’t take vacations from work, instead of leaving precious unused time on the table tells me one thing: It’s necessary for a healthy reminder about why you should absolutely take time to recharge.

The following stories ought to be enough to convince you to put in a request for time off stat.

1. It Encourages Creativity

I’m at my most creative when I’m exploring, so vacation gives me a chance to think big, outrageous thoughts and play around with my most experimental ideas. When I come back, not only do I feel refreshed, but I’ve often made some sort of breakthrough in the rest of my work or life.
                                                                                             Kathryn Minshew, Founder & CEO

2. It Helps Prevent Burnout

I take a vacation for many reasons. I worry about burning out—not just in terms of declining in productivity, but in terms of enjoying my job and the people around me. If I catch myself sniping at someone because I’m in a bad mood, or feeling exhausted on a regular basis, or not looking forward to going to work (even though I do enjoy my work), I know it’s time to unplug.
                                                                                              Alyse Kalish, Editor

3. It Makes it Easier to Gain Perspective

I enjoy vacation to recalibrate. It’s easy to get plugged into the daily routine and forget about all the life that exists outside of it. By traveling, exploring, and adventuring I refresh my understanding that there’s a lot of ‘right ways’ to live and feel charged knowing that there’s not one way to do it. Oh, I also like to have a good tan, too.
                                                                                                Dan Ratner, Account Executive

4. It Encourages Quality Time With Loved Ones

I take vacation for a few different reasons. 1) To spend more time with family and other loved ones, 2) to de-stress (hard for me to do actually) and stop thinking about work, and 3) for short vacations (e.g., one day here or there) where I’m attending to family or personal responsibilities. For longer vacations—I want the experience (via travel) to go to places I have not been and that I believe will ideally both enrich my life and strengthen my family bonds and friendship bonds (depending on whom I go with). Sometimes, I’m just worn out and want to sleep in for a day or feel like I can go to the gym anytime I want and not have to get there before 6 AM.
                                                                                                  Adi Dehejia, CFO

5. It Gives You Something to Look Forward To

Life’s short, so I think it’s necessary to put aside time to have fun and see the world! Plus, I enjoy having something to look forward to.
                                                                                                 Jimmy Okuszka, Content Associate

6. It Makes it Possible to Connect With Yourself

There’s nothing quite like traveling alone in a new country. You’re responsible for having fun. You’re responsible for meeting new people. You’re responsible for making it memorable. It shocks the system into creating new friends, connecting with other people, and expanding your horizons. Most importantly, I feel like it really helps create inner peace of mind/confidence in yourself.
                                                                                                     Dan Kelske, Enterprise Account Manager

Now, what are you waiting for? Look at your calendar, choose the SQN Getaway Package that best fits your needs and book your flight to our marvelous destinations to enjoy the vacation that you deserve.

There are plenty of things one can gain from exploring different places such as new friends, new experiences and new stories. When you start exploring new places, you get a better understanding of the people living there including their culture, history, and background.

Studies show that traveling can improve your overall health and enhance your creativity. Therefore, you need to take time out from your daily tasks, office responsibilities, hectic schedule and everyday pressures at least once a year. Plan a tour to a new city with an open schedule and let life present you with the numerous opportunities that are waiting for you.

If you need more convincing, here is a list of all the benefits of traveling.

1. Improves Social and Communication Skills
One of the main benefits of traveling, especially to areas where your native language is not widely used, is that you learn how to communicate with all manner of different people. It could be communicating to find the way to your next destination or asking for the nearest restaurant

2. Ensures peace of mind
We all have stress and tension in our lives. Traveling forces us to temporarily disconnect from our normal routine and it helps us appreciate the people and things you have around. As per a famous saying “we never know what we have until we lose it.”

3. Helps you get original and creative thaughts
It is believed that if someone gets out of their comfort zone, the mind gets more creative. To develop new neural connections that trigger original and creative thoughts, you must explore new places and break out of your daily lifestyles.

4. Broadens your horizons
Travelling helps you connect with different people from different cultures, and this is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. Meeting people from different cultures and societies will help you see issues and daily life from many different angles.

5. Enhance your tolerance for uncertainty
While traveling, you will find yourself stuck in situations where things don’t always go as planned. Such situations will help you learn to cope with the uncertainties in life.

6. Boost up your confidence
Being in a place where you do not know anyone will assist you to gain confidence and presence of mind. You will develop the ability to cope with obstacles, which will make you a confident person and help you grow as a person.

7. Gets you real-life education
Meeting different people from vast cultures and societies provides an education that is impossible to get in a traditional school, college or a university. There is no substitute for the real thing.

8. Create memories for a life-time
If you travel with friends and family members, traveling helps you build stronger bonds and make memories. You can also save memories of a lifetime by creating photo albums or sharing photos in social media.

9. Helps you have fun
No matter how young or old you are, no matter your profession, there is always a time when the child in you wants to have some fun. When you travel, you do not care what you do at all and you can just break free from the norm.

10. Aids you get to know yourself
While traveling, you might find yourself stuck in situations you would not ordinarily experience in your daily life. Such a situation can help you understand yourself and how you react to such circumstances and prepare you for future similar situations.

Although traveling offers many benefits, it also has some disadvantages if not planned carefully. If you are a patient and taking medication for a disease, do not forget to carry your medication. Keeping jet lag pills handy saves you from unnecessary discomfort.

Those susceptible to allergies should carry allergy medication. Plan your tour in advance, prepare a checklist to keep yourself healthy while traveling and pack important items before you travel.

Travelling is good for the health so decide a place now and pack your bags. Remember, you only live once, so start traveling to different places and get some life-altering experiences.