 We've all heard an overworked, stressed American quip about the ball and chain that attaches him to his desk. Cell phones, PDAs, laptops with WiFi - they all keep us wirelessly connected to the office and boss. By the time that your vacation time is up for grabs, it's likely that you're buried under so many stacks of paperwork that you forget you had time available, or else guilty stares from your co-workers keep you stationed at the desk.
Orbitz, an online travel webstie,
recently looked at the connection between travel and the emotional and physical well-being of the American traveler. Just maybe, are we more well-balanced than our fast paced lifestyle might suggest?
So, they asked Americans:
-- Are Americans getting away?
-- Who in the nation is taking the most vacation?
-- Are employers pressuring their workers to stay connected? Or worse, skip this year's vacation entirely?
-- What are the "must have" items to pack?
Randy Wagner, Orbitz Chief Marketing Officer, has a background in behavioral psychology and customer motivation.
"Travel is an important way to promote emotional and physical well-being," said Wagner. "We're keeping our fingers on the pulse of America 's travel needs, ensuring the best way to make the journey a less stressful and more enjoyable experience."
Despite recent reports and polls that report working Americans are letting their vacation time go unused and suffer email addiction, travelers who participated in the study reinforce a different point of view:
-- A strong majority (72%) of Americans report that they have traveled at least once in the past year.
-- More than half (60%) of working Americans report taking at least two weeks of vacation a year.
-- Over two-thirds (68%) of employed Americans have taken at least one week of vacation in the past six months.
-- More than half (60%) of working Americans don't check in with work at all during their vacations.
But are employers across America happy about it?
A strong majority of employed travelers (65%) report that they are encouraged by their bosses to take their vacation time. However, some regions of the country differ on the pressure they feel from their employers to either stay connected during their travels -- or worse, skip their vacation completely. (CONTINUE...)
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