Over a third of us in the United States last took a vacation more than two years ago, and over half have not taken a vacation in more than a year. A vacation is a leisure trip of at least a week to a destination that is 100 miles or more from home.
When asked if they planned to take a summer vacation this year, only 42 percent responded positively. The prevailing thought is that work prevents many Americans from using all their vacation time, but financial concerns are more the norm.
Almost half said they don’t have the money to spend on a vacation, and 19 percent don’t want to spend it on a vacation.
On the average, working Americans take less than half of their vacation days, two in ten don’t take any, and over one-third take less than a quarter of their allotted time off. More than half of Americans say they take about the same proportion of vacation time as their bosses do, which suggests supervisors may be leading by example. Employees report that their bosses take 51 percent of their entitled vacation time.
About 12 percent of Americans say they do not want to take the time off work. Other reasons include: they are unable or uninterested in taking the time away due to a personal obligation outside of work, or they find planning a vacation too stressful and time-consuming.
What about you? Are you taking vacations (doesn’t have to be in the summer, we prefer fall)? If not, why not? We can help you with planning and finding a good value for your dollar.
Information based on the 11th annual Vacation Confidence Index released by Allianz Global Assistance