We’ve been traveling in Europe for almost a month and have met a lot of interesting people. One thing we noticed right away is that travelers from outside of the United States are often taking 4-6 week trips, something unheard of in the United States. In the U.S., our response to extended travel is typically “I could never leave work that long!” or “who has the vacation days?” Americans don’t, that’s for sure. According to a recent Forbes article, the average paid time off for American workers is just 11 days. 31% of us don’t have any paid time off, while 52% of us have reported working while we’re supposed to be on vacation. In the tech industry, I’m guessing that stat is probably low.
I just quit my job in part so I could travel more. We’re currently in Florence, Italy, but I’ve been to London, Bath, Manchester, Edinburgh, Rome, and Cinque Terre in the last month. My most recent job gave me just four weeks of vacation. That wouldn’t cover a month abroad, plus the random vacation days throughout the year I need to stay balanced (and care for children). Many tech companies are moving to “unlimited vacation” which sounds better, but is still problematic given our workaholic culture in the U.S. Workers tend to take even less vacation if they have unlimited vacation unless their leadership team sets a good example or has put a minimum number of vacation days in place. Over the years, I’ve noticed some very real benefits of taking extended periods of time off to travel (as short as one week at a time). The research agrees with me. Here’s why we could all use a bit more vacation time.
Reduced Stress
In my opinion, vacations exist to do a couple of things: take you out of your comfort zone, expose you to new ideas and ways of life, and help you relax and replenish your energy. Every single time I’ve left work for over a week (AND managed to not check email that much), I feel much happier and more relaxed when I return. Sure, some people think vacations are more stressful (maybe don’t take your toddler on a 12-hour tour), but if we match the vacation to the group and energy we have, they can be a blast. According to the Harvard Business Review, 94% of people who come back from vacation, have as much or more energy than when they left. That, surprisingly, includes trips you take with your young children.
Increased Productivity
A couple of things happen before and after I take a trip. First, I feel about 10 times more productive before I leave for vacation. Before the trip, I am trying to finish as much as I can to “clear the deck” for a smooth transition to vacation. Things that I might have procrastinated on without the looming trip, magically get done. Items that I thought would take half a day fit into an hour. I am HIGHLY motivated to get things done before a trip. Second, when I get back, the productivity continues. I am more relaxed so I let the small stuff roll off my back and am able to focus on the important things that have been waiting for me first. Not only that, but I’m able to reconnect with my colleagues and employees on a more personal level (trip talk!).
It turns out that getting better sleep on vacation can help you unclutter your mind and free up more space for making better decisions too. Vacations are also where a lot of new ideas come from. Untethering yourself for an extended period of time and not thinking about work directly can help you connect the dots and serendipitously identify new opportunities in your work.
Stronger Family Bonds
What happens when you go to work everyday for eight hours and come home exhausted at night? You use your best hours for work and leave your worst hours for family time. On vacation, we get some of those hours back with our families and it helps us bond. Up until this March, I was having a tough time with my 13-year-old stepchild. They seemed to be making a lot of poor decisions and didn’t seem to have any overlapping interests with me or my girls. We decided to take the whole family to Hawaii for spring break and that trip was a game-changer in our relationship. I got to know them a lot better. We found a lot of overlapping interests and I’ve never looked at them the same way again. That trip helped us improve our relationship well beyond the trip itself.
Trips also form shared family memories. Think about the last time you got together with your family at the holidays. What topic of conversation almost always comes up? Shared memories, either of other holidays you’re together or the trips you’ve been on. Trips can pay, what Bill Perkins calls in his book, Die with Zero, “memory dividends”. You not only get to plan a trip and take the trip, but you remember it forever too. And who are those memories shared with? The people you traveled with, of course!
Cultural Understanding
Travel can open our eyes to how people live differently all over the globe. I love how eco-friendly New Zealanders are, how you can get anywhere on a train in Europe, and how happy the Tanzanians are despite how little material possessions they have. Kids can gain a lot from travel, too. I recently took my kids to Paris and they were really surprised by how small the apartments were and easy it was to get around without a car. They met my cousin who has been living in France for the last four years with his French wife. We ate a 3-hour French meal with them and learned all about French culture. They both said that was the best part of our trip. I thought so too. It was amazing to hear them ask questions and see the recognition in their eyes that the way we live in the U.S. is not the only way to live.
Economic Benefits
Finally, let’s talk about money. Employers (at least in the United States) tend to look at employee vacation as a lost opportunity. It’s the time of yours they’ll never get back, right? Wrong! As mentioned above, employees are more productive when they take vacations.
But, let’s ignore the selfish corporations for one second and look at society as a whole. People on vacation spend money. They spend a LOT of money. And sometimes that money gets spent in places where the local people are very poor. When I was 25, I spent nearly two months in Tanzania, volunteering for the African Wildlife Foundation, going on safari, and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. In Tanzania, their top industry is tourism and it was a billion dollar industry at the time. Without it, the local population made less than $2 / day. So, travel can help people in various destinations afford a better life, all while you’re enjoying yourself and learning about a new culture.
Appreciate Home
My husband and I are nearing the end of our month abroad. To be honest, we’re really looking forward to coming home. It’s been a long time away from our friends and family. We also miss the little things that make home great like a comfortable bed, good summer weather, and healthy homemade food. I guess that’s another benefit of extended travel. It makes you appreciate what you have. The longer I’m away, the more I appreciate home.
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