Americans love to work.
They leave 52 percent of their vacation days unused.
As a whole, that’s over 705 million days annually, and costs the US economy $255 billion in impact to the tourist industries.
Americans don’t take vacations because:
They can’t afford it
They have family obligations that prevent travel
They can’t take the time off work
But there is a lot of evidence suggesting how good vacations are for mind, body, and soul.
Vacations Promote Creativity
When you take time away from your normal life, you see things in a new way. It helps you reconnect with yourself and with your loved ones. It gives you a chance for self-discovery, and to help you return to feeling your best. You discover a whole new side of you, one who is ready to take action once you return home.
Vacations Keep You Healthy
We all need time to recharge our batteries. That’s not something you can accomplish on a weekend, when you’re most likely trying to recover and perform home chores to get ready for the next busy week at work. All of that sameness puts you in a rut and wears on your mind and your body. Vacations give you a chance to break the norm, and breathe new life into your daily plans.
Vacations Kill Burnout
When you do the same things over and over again, burnout eventually sets in. Your life feels monotonous at best. But when you step away from it all, it gives you a chance to put your focus on other things. It brings things like creativity and productivity back to life.
Vacations Build Relationships
What’s the most important thing in your life? For most of us, we’d say it’s our families. Yet most of our lifestyles do little to build strength into our relationships. Taking time off gives you a chance to build good times and memories with the ones you love most.
Vacations Help With Job Performance
When you step away from your job, you give your mind a rest. It takes away the daily grind, the stress that’s built up in your life.
But keep in mind, vacations are about completely stepping away. If your goal is simply a workcation, you’re missing the point.
Destress this year. Use your vacation time and explore this great big world. You’ll love what it does for you, mind, body, and soul.