After nearly two years of pandemic-related stressors, American workers are burned out—and new data, according to the U.S. Travel Association, proves it. To help battle burnout and spur Americans to take some much-needed vacation, thousands of travel organizations around the United States are highlighting the annual National Plan for Vacation Day (NPVD) on January 25 to encourage Americans to plan all of their time off for the year at the start of the year.
More than two-thirds (68 percent) of American workers feel at least moderately burned out and 13 percent are extremely burned out. Further, more than half (53 percent) of remote workers are working more hours now than they were in the office and 61 percent find it more difficult to unplug from work and take a vacation.
Despite the latest wave of the pandemic, data from Destination Analysts found that the majority of Americans polled are in a “ready to travel” state of mind and are eager to plan a trip. To note, 81 percent of Americans are excited to plan a vacation in the next six months. Additionally, nearly six in 10 (59 percent) agree that travel is more important than ever and 61 percent plan to make travel a top budget priority in 2022.
Historically, NPVD was intended to help address the problem of Americans failing to utilize all of their earned time off each year; however, the challenges of the pandemic have given NPVD new significance: A time to plan ahead for brighter days and to unplug from the stressors of daily life.
Even the simple act of planning a vacation can help to chase away the “winter blues.” Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of planners reported being extremely or very happy anticipating and planning vacations for the coming year versus just four in 10 of non-planners. That said, work-related barriers—such as heavy workloads and staff shortages—are some of the top reasons preventing Americans from using their time off.
For more information, visit www.ustravel.org.
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