This weekend I spoke at the Savvy Traveler in Edmonds, WA. I gave a talk about Bhutan in the morning and India in the afternoon. As always, some great conversations ensued because everyone loves to talk travel.
I asked one gentleman, who was obviously quite traveled (a lot of shaking of the head throughout my talk was a dead giveaway) how frequently he and his wife travel. He rattled off a long list of destinations and said that they leave the country at least once a year for at least a month. Spoken like a true foreigner.
Sure, his slight accent gave him away, but his travel habit made it obvious to me that he was not American (he was South African, by the way). Even though he has his own practice as a periodontist, he makes time to get away from his business for extended periods of time and readily admitted that this was quite unusual for Americans.
A 2009 survey from Expedia found that 1/3 of employees don’t take all of their vacation time. While this speaks (to a certain degree) to how individuals make personal choices, there might be something else underlying our reluctance to hit the road.
The Center for Economic and Policy Research calls the U.S. the No Vacation Nation. In a 2007 study, they determined that the U.S. is the only advanced economy in the world that doesn’t guarantee paid vacation for employees. That means you can take a job, work your 40 (or more) hours a week, and it’s considered a bonus to be given paid vacation time.
But when we are blessed with vacation time, what keeps us from taking the time off we earn and deserve? According to the Expedia survey, people who don’t take their vacation time do so for several reasons. They hope to receive compensation for unused time, they have a hard time planning ahead or their partner can’t travel during the same time period. What’s worse? One in five respondents admitted to canceling a vacation because of work. Ugh.
Are we really doing ourselves a favor by not giving ourselves a break from the 9-5?
I think not.
My own personal study says taking a break from our regular routine is extremely important in keeping our sanity. A person simply cannot “go” for 52 weeks at their demanding job without a bit of down time. And I mean more than a weekend. If you don’t take some time off, both your work and your personal life deteriorates.
Have you ever (gasp) canceled a vacation because of work or because your partner couldn’t join you? Would you prefer some cash from your employer rather than time off? What’s keeping you at home these days?
Travel Well,
Beth
Photo: Flag – kangotraveler
Photo: Sleeping Woman – ingorrr
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Cheap Traveler says
Hardly anyone has a good idea while they’re sitting at a desk, so that alone is reason enough to take a real vacation. It’s good for your health too.
I do think it’s a myth though that Americans don’t travel much. We are the #1 market by far for Lonely Planet books, for example, and there are some guidebook companies that survive just catering to the domestic market alone. (Have you ever seen a non-American with a Rick Steves guide?) Plus if you travel in Latin America a lot like I do, you see far more Americans than people from other countries.
We just can’t hop in our car and zip across two international borders like the Europeans can, or hop a $19 flight to Prague. But the domestic convention and tourism bureau people I met last week were very upbeat. Even during this recession, people are still traveling almost as much as before. They’re just not going as far.
Lost Wanderer says
I used to live in USA. While in college, like everyone else, I expected to work long hours, climb the corporate ladder, and travel when I could. Paid vacations were a thing unheard of for a beginner starting out.
Then, I moved to UK and found out that people get 4 weeks of paid vacation regardless of the status of their jobs. In the beginning, it was a treat. Now, I not only take those 4 weeks as my god given right, but wish we had 6 weeks like a lot of other EU countries.
Geogypsy says
Americans are workaholics. How sad. They know not what they miss. As for the high sales in travel books, it goes with being an armchair traveler. Plus I think there’s a lot of fear of the unknown places of the world. How pathetic to work 50 weeks a year for a two week paid (maybe) vacation. Especially then if not even taken.
Emma - iloho says
Being a Brit I’ve grown up with the notion that everyone gets at least 20 days of paid holiday a year – a treat huh! In Hong Kong the norm is about 10 days of paid holiday a year, quite a difference. I guess the difference between HK and the States though (from an expat’s perspective) is that we’re so conveniently located to other Asian destinations – e.g. Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines – that as soon as there’s an opportunity to combine paid holiday days with public hols, e.g. Chinese New Year and Easter, everyone flocks out of HK and hits the Asia trail. I’m not sure how Americans survive on so little time off – I agree with Beth, everyone needs downtime.
Nancy D. Brown says
Are we really doing ourselves a favor by not giving ourselves a
break from the 9-5? I think not.
I agree. Unfortunately, my husband works for a Japanese-owned
company and they appear to vacation less than Americans. What a shame.
Beth says
@Cheap Traveler – we might be the #1 market for LP because we have so many people here. I don’t think it’s because we have a high percentage of travelers. I would venture to say that a higher percentage of Australians travel more than we do.
Lost Wanderer makes a great point that other countries provide far more vacation than US-based companies, providing more opportunity and encouragement to venture out.
daffodil1209 says
I might add, too, that a lot of Americans get their news from a limited number of news outlets- many of whom offer sensationalized and slanted stories about other countries. People already have just a handful of days off, are concerned for the security of their jobs, and are carefully counting their vacation budgets. Is it a wonder that a lot of people get scared off from taking a chance on different cultures? They want guaranteed relaxation where they don’t have to worry whether the kids will eat or deal with language issues and converting money. I definitely think that the new passport rules may entice more people to travel outside N. America. I’ve already heard a few armchair travelers say: “well, I’ve already got the passport….” 🙂