Tag Archives: vacations

Where Americans are Headed on Vacation This Fall

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9809397Travel Leaders Group provides frequent updates on current trends through comprehensive surveys of its travel agents.

A few findings from the most recent outreach:

  • New York City is the most popular domestic destination for the remainder of 2015
  • Caribbean cruises lead the way internationally
  • For clients age 30 and under, the top reasons/destinations for travel are honeymoons, Caribbean and Mexico

Additional details from the survey:

“Based on actual bookings, New York made a remarkable leap over perennial top destinations like Las Vegas and Orlando. It is an incredibly vibrant, world-class city for leisure and business travelers alike. From the fall right through the holidays, it’s nothing short of spectacular,” states Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben. “In addition, the data we have collected indicates travel will continue to be strong for the remainder of the year, which is leading to incredible optimism among our travel agent specialists.”

Following New York, the top domestic destinations being booked were Orlando, Maui, Las Vegas, Alaska cruises (maybe some of these are for 2016 travel), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

Internationally, following cruises are Cancun, London, European cruise, Rome, Paris, Mediterranean cruise, Dominican Republic, Florence and/or Tuscany (Italy) and Montego Bay (Jamaica).

Tired But Still Plugging Away

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19185195MarketWatch shares some facts from recent surveys and reports that seem to provide some contradiction (at least in the first two). Judge for yourself:

  • More than half of Americans (53%) are burned out and overworked (Staples Advantage survey of 2,000-plus workers) …
  • … But 86% report that they’re happy and willing to work to earn a promotion within their organization
  • Regarding email: About half say they receive too much, with a third of those claiming the overload harms their productivity. In a separate survey, the majority (52%) expect replies to work-related emails within 12 to 24 hours
  • In a highly-publicized 2014 finding by career web site Glassdoor, workers do not utilize all of their paid vacation or other time off. And, 61% work while on vacation; 25% say they are contacted about the job by co-workers while taking time off and 20% are in contact with their boss
  • Finally, the Staples survey finds employees citing inefficiencies: 20% spend more than two hours a day in meetings and nearly 50% say productivity is harmed by distractions (including loud co-workers)

Bummed Out on Your Beach Getaway?

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It was hot – and I mean hot – the last time I visited Virginia. It was summer 2005 and we were spending the week with family friends. Just before dinner one evening, I decided to check my office voice-mail messages. And then … my cell phone died. I decided then and there to leave work behind during excursions.

Vacations have never been the same since – and that’s a good thing!

Devoting my attention 100% to just having fun enriches my experiences and helps me re-charge, which ultimately enhances my work when I return. 

A recent blog in The Washington Post about “vacation blues,” however, poses the question of how beneficial vacations truly are. Here’s an excerpt:

Turns out a Netherlands study found that many people have trouble relaxing during the early periods of their vacation. And for some, the vacation doesn’t make them any happier than people who don’t go away, reports Marta Zaraska, a Canadian freelance journalist and novelist who lives in France.

Our mood tends to be lowest through the first 10 percent of a holiday, one researcher found.

Another researcher says vacationers might be having trouble enjoying themselves because of “leisure sickness,” which is the inability to relax and adapt to the pace of life outside work.

Zaraska writes that other research shows that “even if we do enjoy our holiday, the moment we return to our home sweet home, the good mood starts to evaporate. Two weeks later, almost all the benefits of a vacation are gone.”

I actually disagree with much of the blog. When I traveled to Florida for a few days (not even a full week) earlier this summer, I was downright giddy at the airport, on the flight and throughout my entire trip. What’s not to love about splashing in the ocean, marveling at palm trees and delicious cuisine?

The part of the blog I do agree with is that it’s sort of a letdown when you get home because that vacation you’ve been anticipating – sometimes for several months – is now over. My cure when those vacation blues strike? Start planning the next one.

What do you think?

Vacating the Workplace

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The economic woes may not be over yet, but times have changed enough for more employees to enjoy summer vacations in the coming months. So say the workplace experts at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

I do, however, have a problem with the advice on staying connected even while away. Read on.

According to John Challenger, "Where we will see the change this year is among the employed who, despite their job status, were hesitant to take paid leave during the recession for fear that it would further erode their already fragile job security. This year, while employers have been slow to ramp up hiring, they have clearly shifted from a strategy focused on downsizing to one emphasizing retention. In this environment, it is much easier to put in for vacation days."

Through the first quarter of this year, announced job cuts declined 69% from the same period a year ago. In fact, the first-quarter total was the lowest for those three months since 2000. And the 38,326 job cuts in April were the lowest for any month since July 2006.

"The threat of downsizing never really disappears," Challenger adds, "but job security is in a much better place this year. Some employers may, in fact, encourage workers to use vacation time to decompress. The temporary and very mild impact on workplace productivity caused by vacationing staff is more than offset by a rested workforced that is likely to be more productive over the long term and probably more loyal as well."

The workplace authority says that while job security is improving, it is still recommended that employees keep the lines of communication open with employers.

"You don’t have to spend a part of every vacation day working, but you want to take your cell phone and laptop and make an effort to occasionally check in with the office. If you want to be missed a lot, do not disconnect," Challenger says. "As employers shift toward retention mode, many will be eager to let you enjoy your vacation without interruptions from work, but make no mistake, your efforts to remain connected, even if unecessary, will be appreciated and remembered."

Not sure I buy that last piece of advice. Being available for true emergencies, if needed, is one thing. But checking in for the sake of showing you are still engaged while you are supposed to be resting and rejuvenating is another. There’s a reason it’s called vacation.