Image: Digital Vision
Research conducted by online travel booking site Expedia finds that Americans don’t get whole lot of vacation time (which we all knew) and they’re not taking what they’re given (which is crazy).
“Americans earn a moderate to low amount of vacation days but still leave 3 days unused on average,” the site writes. Workers in the U.S. earn, on average, 14 days of vacation, but usually don’t take two. On the other hand, the folks in Denmark get an average of 30 days and take… 30 days.
Sadly, 34 percent of people in the U.S. say they aren’t taking the days because they can’t afford to.
Part of the problem seems to be the lack of value that the U.S. puts on down-time. In the U.K. workers get a minimum of 28 days of paid vacation for 10 years of service. The U.S. is one of the few developed countries that doesn’t guarantee workers any vacation time. That perspective isn’t shared by the workers themselves who, according to a Rasmussen College infographic (available on The Grindstone) would be willing to give up music or a lunch break for more vacay.
“Americans gave up 226 million vacation days in 2011,” Grindstone says. “Considering that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average full-time worker earns $39,416 a year — [that] comes out to $34.3 billion worth of time. ”
Thirty-five percent of survey takers say they prefer a summer vacation. Well, the summer is basically over, though Expedia does recommend jumping on “flash sales,” which would give you the chance to snap up a vacation between now and the end of September. But really, a few days away at any time of year is a good thing.
More on Madame Noire Business!
- Microloans Providing an Alternative Resource for Small Businesses
- Karen Duckett Built Her Architecture Firm, Duckett Design Group, One Brick At A Time
- Why Does Hampton University Dread Locs? Business School Bans Cornrows and Dread Locs for Male Students
- Brandy, Pick It Up: Old Content Strategies Don’t Cut It Anymore
- How to Start a Business In… Newark, N.J.
- Here are the Five Highest Paying Jobs You Don’t Need a Bachelor’s Degree to Do
