Family Travel

Less Than Half Of Workers Are Using All Of Their Paid Vacation Days

May 10, 2017COMtnMom

Alamo Vacation Survey family travel — Photo credit Alamo

In the words Chicago, of one of my childhood favorite bands, “Everybody needs a little time away…” I’ve worked full time for over 20 years, and have always been a huge advocate for using your vacation time. So when I hear crazy talk like fewer than 50% of workers are using all their paid vacation days, I find this shocking.

Downright ridiculous.

Yet that’s just what Alamo’s recent 2017 Family Vacation Survey discovered. And then there’s vacation guilt. Apparently, that’s a thing. This one I can relate to a bit, because I work with several “I never/rarely take time off” employees. Including my bosses. At best, this makes things awkward at times. And at worst, it places extra pressure on me when using my vacation time.

Vacation Guilt Syndrome

When I ask for time off at work for a family trip, it does leave me feeling a bit like a slacker. “Again? You’re going to Disney World AGAIN?!” (But that’s another story.)

Aahhh, Vacation Guilt Syndrome. This also rings true with Alamo’s survey results, in the following finding:

Around half of workers (48 percent) say they feel the need to justify to their employer why they’re using their vacation days.

Which really isn’t fair. Paid vacation time is an employee benefit we work hard to earn. And it’s granted for a reason.

Everyone needs to take a break once in awhile, to help maintain a healthy work/life balance. One could argue it makes you a less-stressed out, more productive employee during the rest of your working hours.

Who Uses Less Vacation Days?

Alamo Vacation Survey Key West Florida — Key West, Florida

Take a look at who leaving those unused vacation days on the table most often.

Sixty percent of millennials left unused vacation days on the table compared to 49 percent of non-millennials.

Sixty-three percent of dads left unused vacation days on the table compared with 51 percent of moms.

Employees with 10 years or less of tenure are more likely to have left vacation days on the table (58 percent vs. 43 percent of employees with 11 or more years of tenure).

Go Do Something Fun… Take the Scenic Route!

Alamo Vacation Survey Colorado road trip — Road trips can be affordable, fun ways to explore nearby areas.

And here is one more surprising, sad tidbit from the Alamo Vacation survey:

Only one in five workers (18 percent) who get paid vacation use all of their vacation days to actually go on a vacation (rather than stay at home, do errands, etc.).

I realize not everyone can afford to take a big getaway vacation. But there really are so many options when it comes to travel. Explore your own area, with a day trip! We call ours Family Adventure Days, and with a little preparation they end up being loads of fun and very cheap.

Some of our very best family vacations involved road trips. Done right, a driving adventure with your family can contribute to the fun memories, almost as much as the destination itself. Make it a party!

Mom Rule #1: Bring lots of drinks and snacks.

Mom Rule #2: Don’t stress about the schedule. Stop along the way to explore interesting things, and to take breaks.

If you need inspiration on what to do or where to go, check out Alamo’s fabulous travel blog “The Scenic Route”. Amidst this collection of travel stories and guides may be just the summer vacation you’ve been searching for. You’ll even find tips like easy ways to save money for your next trip.

Now that our kids are both school aged, one of my travel goals for my family is to visit more national parks. There are so many in the western United States that we have not seen. All that majestic beauty, just waiting for us! We need to get out a map and start making some plans.