What's Ailing You? A Vacation Can Cure It

Long hours at the office. Restless nights. Stressful deadlines. Struggling relationships. Intense training sessions. Overwhelming obligations. The list of our daily ailments goes on and on, and at times it feels like there is no end to the turmoil, no cure.

But there is!

A vacation!

There have been studies---yes, scientific proof--that travel has a positive effect on health, education, relationships, and overall quality of life. Sadly, this fact escapes most people--especially Americans--and they are left suffering through their troubles with no relief.

A new national awareness campaign is hoping to change that, showing people the benefits travel has on life, business and community. The campaign tries to help people understand the impact traval has by conveying research findings that support the claims. The reseach looks at the effect travel has on relationships and how it creates lasting memories for families, couples and friends. It will even display state and district data providing travel impact measurements--and who could argue with that?

And if the personal effects of travel are not enough to convince people to take a vacation, how about the economical impacts? Travel supports 14.4 million jobs in the U.S. and $1.9 trillion in output. Therefore, the more people who travel equates to more money being pumped into our economy.

You can find all the facts here.

So, now that you know a vacation will help, what kind should you take? Enter Hilton Hotels' new website that lets users diagnose their vacation needs and get a customized prescription to cure what ails them. The website is called "Hilton Urgent Vacation Care Center," and it asks visitors to take a quiz to get their diagnosis. Hilton collaborated with satirical newspaper, The Onion, on the site, which features humorous cartoons that represent ailments that afflict workers. The cartoons illustrate teh 14 symptoms of "vacationitis," and visitors are encouraged to stop it before it spreads by sharing the cartoons via social media.

The remedies are vacations of various lengths and types, based on the severity of "vacationitis." There is also a "global vacation alert level" on the site, which features an interactive map that showing levels of need for vacations in different countries, as well as research from Hilton dating back to 1989. Of course, since it is tied to a hotel, all diagnoses and suggested treatments are accompanied by links to Hilton Hotels and Resorts' online booking form. (FYI, Hilton is running a contest through Feb. 28, offering 15 weekend getaways to those who visit the new website and fill out the questionnaire.) (Also, throughout the year, 550 Hilton locations are participating in a sale, called Any Weekend, Anywhere, with discounts up to 40%.)

The fact that many people--especially Americans--are starved for vacation time is nothing new. In fact, annual studies are performedto gauge how vacation-deprived we are, and trying to get people to take more vacations is something many other businesses have done before. Still, looking at it as an ailment is a little different, and the cartoons are certainly humorous.

So if you are in need of a long vacation or just a quick break, check out the website to receive your diagnosis and suggested prescription.

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.

Happy New Year!

Hopefully everyone had a fantastic holiday season and welcomed 2010 with a bang!!

Pardon my absence from the blog scene, but I was in Denver for two long, wonderful weeks. And since it was the holidays and I was on vacation, I decided to avoid the responsibilities and demands of my crazy, everyday life and just get lost in the comfort and relaxation of home.

Anyway, I'm sure many of you were traveling these past couple weeks. I hope the delays, crowds, weather, etc. did not bring down the holiday spirit. I also hope everyone got what they asked for this year from Santa (or your parents, significant other, friends).

This will be a short post as I am currently on my lunch break from my new apprenticeship, which I just started today. It's exciting, and I will tell you all more about it at a later time. Enjoy the new year and returning to the daily grind.

Just a Quick Thought...

...First, I'm sorry the entries have been lacking. I just finished the fall quarter last week, and now I have all this time on my hands and somehow I do not know how to handle it. I promise more posts to come.

...Second, IT'S DECEMBER!!! Christmas season is in full swing!! The Christmas lights and trees are going up all over the city!! The snow is falling--and for all the Chicagoans, it just started today!!

And with this holiday season comes the office blues. No one wants to be sitting in an office when the fectivities are taking place. Plus, the weather can be dreary, except when the snow is falling and settling nicely on the ground--and causing no traffic problems whatsoever in a perfect world. So to ease those times when you're feeling a little blue about sitting at a desk all day, find ways to celebrate the season while working.

1. Throw a holiday party at work-it doesn't have to be big and extravagent. Take a lunch hour, bring in Christmas cookies and some delicious casseroles--or sandwiches work, too--and have some sparkling cider. People will appreciate the break from the grind.
2. Find a Christmas Market: Plenty of cities have small markets selling crafts, gifts, and food. Chicago has the Christkindlemart in Daley Plaza. It's German, but anyone can go and enjoy the hot wine served in little boots, beer, brats, strudels, pretzels, and numerous vendors with delicate creations from all corners of Germany and beyond. What a way to experience the holiday and another culture all at once.
3. Take a trip!--Sure it's the holidays, and you should spend it with your family at home with a Christmas tree and presents. But why not jet off somewhere to go skiing? How about lazing on the beach? Or enjoying a nice mountain cabin? There are a lot of winter deals out there, so check them out and book a spontaneous vacation. That will certainly lift your spirits.

Personally, I'm looking forward to heading back to Colorado for two weeks to snowboard, lounge around the mountains, and spend time with my family and friends. It doesn't get much better than that.

Seriously Need a Vacation

I don't even care where I go, I just need a break from it all. I'm in my final week of classes, and I have a long paper due next Tuesday, and then I'm finished for the summer. But, in reality, it doesn't end when I submit that 10-12 page, wanna-shoot-myself-in-the-head paper. I still have work and an internship through the summer, and since I'm not getting paid at my internship I have to get credit for it over these next three months and write a 25-page paper about my experience. On top of that, I've been given a new assignment at my internship where I get to write a by-line for a publication that my company works with. It's exciting to get another opportunity to write and get my work published, but it's more stress placed on me because I'm not a marketing major (I work for a marketing research company) and when I have to point out possible trends, create graphs and tables from data I don't understand, I worry that I'm going to screw something up. What if what I think is a trend isn't actually one? Or what if I look at the numbers wrong and create some out-of-whack table? What if the magazine and my company doesn't like what I write because God knows I don't always know what I'm talking about? I'm not a marketing expert. Hell, sometimes I don't even think I'm that great of a writer. Self-doubt can be a bitch.

So I've decided that when I get home from work tonight, I am booking a flight. In all honesty, it isn't going to be to anywhere exciting. I just need to leave Chicago for a few days. I'm thinking home to Denver is the best plan. I can relax with old friends, see my grandparents, shop with my mom, get a haircut (I desperately need one) and just spend time away from the stress of the city. Sometimes you just need to get away.