The Travel Effect

In case you didn't know: It's National Travel & Tourism Week!

This is the annual salute to travel and tourism in our country, and it is marked by hundreds of events across America. The theme this year is the Travel Effect. This is an industry-wide campaign to showcase the benefits of travel, both on an economic and personal level.

The economic impact of travel is astounding. It generates around $2.1 trillion for the U.S.; supports nearly 15 million jobs; contributes more than $134 billion to the federal, state and local tax base; and it is America's number one services export. And now you know!

But it doesn't stop there (how could it possibly?) It's proven (yes, research backs it!) that travel has a positive effect on relationships, health, education and more. According to the Framingham Heart Study, female participants aged 45-64 were asked how often they took vacations. In a 20-year follow up study, the women who vacationed every six years or less had significantly higher risks of having a heart attack or a coronary death compared to those who took a vacation at least twice a year. The results were similar in men, even when accounting for factors like pre-exisitng conditions or affluence. These studies have noted that one of the most important benefits of travel is the reduction of stress. The Mayo Clinic found that not taking a break from everyday stressors can elevate cortisol (stress hormone) in the body and speed up the aging process. Now who wants wrinkles in their early 30's? I know I don't!

And many other Americans agree with me. According to the U.S. Travel Association's report on the benefits of travel, a survey found that leisure travelers believe vacations are a necessary practice, and 82% believe they need a vacation as much if not more during tough economic times. So why then is there this "day off deficit" taking place in America?

A study from Oxford Economics found that 40% of Americans leave some of their earned time off unused. That equated to 429 million untouched vacation days in 2013, just over three days per worker! That figure cost the U.S. economy $160 billion in spending, which could have supported 1.2 million jobs. Not only that, but those folks who chose to forgo using those vacation days have, in a way, debilitated their health, hurt their productivity and jeopardized time with their families.

So what's holding us back? Our demanding jobs. I'm just as guilty as the next person for leaving a few unused vacation days on the table because I just couldn't take the time away from work. But the truth is, those days off would have helped me and my company. Maybe taking that long weekend would have given me the stress break I needed to think more clearly about a project or given me a new perspective on an assignment.

I'm usually pretty good about taking the time that I've earned, but every once and a while, I find myself checking email on my phone or thinking about my to-do list, when I should be enjoying my time away. So while this effort to get people to take their paid vacation time is a necessary initiative and definitely one I support, I hope some attention is paid to the fact that many people are still working, even when on vacation, and that's something that can hurt their health, too. Because the stress and the demands are following them on their trips, causing them to feel guilt for not working, pulling them away from family time and creating emotional turmoil.

We must find a way to encourage Americans to let go, unplug and truly leave it all behind. Your job will be there when you get back, you are not the linchpin of your company (at least I'm not) and you (should) have a team that will carry the weight while you're gone.

So go ahead, take those saved up vacation days and go somewhere you've always wanted to visit. The Travel Effect is a powerful one, and we should all be open to its benefits.

*All logos and images are credited to the U.S. Travel Association and National Travel & Tourism Week.

No Vacation Day Left Behind

In yet another display of our country's admirable--yet incessant--work ethic, a recent survey found that the average American worker leaves 6.2 paid vacation days unused at the end of the year....that's just crazy! You have the time, why not take it?

Another survey showed that 57% of workers do not use all their vacation days each year, with the average number of days left was 11....how can this be? That's a two week vacation right there! You could take a nice long trip abroad in that time, or take a few long weekends for quick trips somewhere close by. The possibilities are endless, and yet people are reluctant to take the time. You work hard, you earn those vacation days, so use them! Most of the time, companies will only let a certain number of days roll over to the next year, and those usually have an expiration date on them.

My company, for example, only rolls over five vacation days at the end of the year, and those need to be used by March, otherwise you lose them. And that's paid, scheduled time off. Our sick days don't roll over at all, so I lose those come December 31, no matter what. I like my job, I work hard, I rarely call in sick or take advantage of our work-from-home policy. But you better believe that I will take every day off that I possibly can, because I'm not one to let things go to waste.

The respondents to the surveys cited the recession and high unemployment as reasons for not taking time off, and I can understand that logic. No one wants to be seen as a slacker or lazy by taking an extra day or two for a vacation, especially when so many people are being laid off and companies are making cuts to budgets. However, businesses give these days to their employees because they are required to do it, and as long as people do not abuse that privilege, there is nothing wrong with taking the time one has allotted.

Vacation days are sacred gifts, especially around the holidays. I plan on spending as much time as I can with my family, and that means taking a couple extra days off around Christmas. But I will not hesitate in requesting that time; it's important to take a break every once and a while for yourself. In my opinion, having a vacation--even if it's just one day or a long weekend--can make you a more efficient and happy employee.

So go ahead, pencil in a vacation day or two, especially if you have a few stacked up. Because that average is way to high for my liking.

No-Vacation Nation

Yep, that's what America is called. Why? Because we cannot take a break from our busy work lives to take advantage of the few vacation days we are granted every year.

Compared to other countries, we get a meager amount of paid time off. For those of you who know me, or read my blog enough, you know how I feel about vacation  and taking time away from work. I think it is a travesty that we only get two weeks off a year. Think about it...12 months of work, five days a week, eight to nine hours of work a day. I'm not in the mood to do the math, but that translates to a lot of days spent in the office. Sitting at a desk. Toiling away in front of a computer. Working long hours on presentations, meetings, projects. It can become thoroughly exhausting, having a negative effect on our personal lives, health and overall happiness. And yet we hang on to those vacation days, reluctant to spend even one.

Why?!?

There are many theories behind this workaholic epidemic. The first is that some companies just straight up do not like employees taking off a lot of time, which is why many people refuse to take long vacations and will limit their trips to one week stints. Also, many companies expect workers to call or check their email while away from their desk, making it nearly impossible to have a legitimate vacation from work. A major readon that Americans travel less or take less time off is because companies due not have a legal obligation to offer vacation. Places like Germany, for instance, requires employers to offer four weeks or more paid vacation, and Finland, Brazil and France guarantee six weeks. But U.S. employers are not mandated by law to offer vacation time, so about a quarter of all American worker do not have access to it. This makes America the only advanced nation that does not guarantee workers annual leave, according to reports.

So what's going on here? Obviously, there are many companies who do provide vacation to employees, but many simply do not use it, or at least not all of it. An article from CNN said that only 57% of workers use up all the days they are entitled to, compared to 89% of workers in France. The average employee gets about 18 days of vacation, but most only use 14. If you figure each American leaves those 4 days unused, that means there are 448 million vacation days just sitting there, waiting to be enjoyed. So why do we do this? Well, when it comes down to it, we are still working on getting out of a recession, and many people are reluctant to be away from the office for fear of being laid-off. I mean, if a company is looking to save money, the first ones to go are the ones who are not around as often.

Another theory is that we like to work. A happiness study showed that working more makes Americans happier than Europeans. I mean, it's called the American Dream because you work hard for it, which means more people associate hard work with success. So while Europeans look to leisure to complete their lives, Americans look to work. Perhaps I should move.

I'm not saying I hate working. In fact, work is a good way to stay busy, keep me motivated and make a living. But, I also believe strongly in the benefits of taking a day off. Just this past Monday, I came into the office, prepared to work. Unfortunately, our office network and internet were down, making it pretty much impossible to do anything. So, a lot of people worked from home. My manager and I decided that would not be the most productive route, and took the day off. It was a much needed chunk of time to take care of other tasks, go for a run, cook a nice meal and relax. I felt energized when I came to work Tuesday, less stressed and prepared to take on the day. If one day off could do all that, just imagine taking the full 18 days I am allowed every year.

Other countries cringe when they hear Americans usually only get two weeks off, encouraging their image of us working like robots. While companies in the U.S. argue that too much vacation time would hurt productivity and get rid of a competitive edge, critics say there is no evidence to support that. Maybe there is something to be said for Americans working as hard as we do, but I believe that there is a lack of life balance that needs to be acknowledged. It's not just about working hard and bringing in the money, it is also about taking time out for family and yourself.

As far as my minimum amount of vacation days goes, you can bet I'm taking every single one of them. I will not be one of those Americans who backlogs a few days, because more often than not those will not transfer over to the next year, and will be lost forever in the abyss of unused time off.