National Plan for Vacation Day began in 2015 to encourage Americans to plan their time off.
Planners have a distinct advantage over non-planners: they use more of their time off and take longer vacations. But nearly half (46%) of American households don’t do this simple step—and lose out on their time off.
What’s the key to using more vacation time? Planning. But nearly half of American households don’t do this simple step—and they lose out on their time off and the benefits it brings.
Reason #1 - Did you know that more than half of American workers (55%) failed to use all their time off last year? That’s a stockpile of 768 million unused vacation days just in 2018, of which 236 million were forfeited completely.
“The beginning of the year is the time to pull out the calendar and start planning for the entire year. Before you know it, life happens, and you may find yourself in November with weeks left to use and simply not enough time left in the year to schedule them,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association, the organization rallying the industry around this nationwide event. “National Plan for Vacation Day is the perfect reminder for Americans to plan to use those well-earned days off to explore this great nation. From the beaches of Puerto Rico to the Montana mountain tops, America truly has something for every travel style and budget.” And remember, vacation time is typically part of your compensation package at work. If you don't use your vacation days, you are leaving precious time and money on the table!
Reason #2 - When travel thrives, so does America! Using vacation days to travel could improve the U.S. economy, create American jobs and have a positive impact on our health and overall well-being. In fact, if Americans used all their time off to travel, our economy could see a boost of $151.5 billion in travel spending and an additional 2 million U.S. jobs.
Reason #3 - But the heart of the matter is, taking time off benefits us. Travel is essential to a person’s overall well-being: it strengthens personal relationships, improves professional performance and promotes overall health and wellness. When you travel you are making memories and having fun, and the planning itself brings excitement and adventure in the anticipation of your upcoming vacation. It is also less stressful and a more satisfying experience when you plan ahead, rather than scrambling at the end of the year to use up your vacation time.
So, the bottom line is - travel benefits us in so many ways! It's so important to use those vacation days, and if you haven't started planning (or even thinking about your vacation for 2020) then now is the perfect time to start! So re-visit that bucket list, throw some ideas out there and start the planning process! We are here for you, and would absolutely love to assist!