Short or Long Vacations?

[GrnBay007]

I was reading an article that said only 14% of employees take a vacation of two weeks. Most are now taking vacation days to extend a weekend for shorter breaks from work. Two reasons it cited were employees felt they would be overwhelmed when they returned trying to catch up on 2 weeks worth of work and also the high gas costs and less traveling, in which you would need more time off.

Anyone have an views on which is healthier...stress-wise? Taking multiple short breaks or an extended break from work?

[LL2]

I would tend to agree with that statement. My wife and I always try to take at least one 1 week vacation. Most of the rest are long weekends. A 2 week vacation would be a dream and I'd be scared to know what my desk would look like when I got back. The internet and email did not make life easier in the work place, only worse. Take a week off and come back to over 200 emails to read through which waste your first day back. It's a corporate rat race. Hopefully I can retire at 50 and have a 30-40 year retirement! :)

[Partial]

I think in the next 10-15 years you'll see a lot more unlimited vacation jobs(unlimited vacation days provided people get their work done and done well) and more flexible hours. With the internet getting faster and faster, I think working remotely(from home, away, wherever) is going to become much more prominent because it still allows an influence at home with the children, etc.

[Freak Out]

All of the above.

[MadtownPacker]

Does anyone ever cash out any of their VAC hours? IF so is there any tax breaks or something like that when you do?

[packinpatland]

We should become more like the Europeans is this regard. They have more vacation time allotted, and in some countries, still take siestas!
Wonder if it shows up in less 'stress' related illnesses?

[LaFours]

Does anyone ever cash out any of their VAC hours? IF so is there any tax breaks or something like that when you do?

Nope. In fact, depending on how you cash it out, you'll probably get hit harder from a tax perspective. The government considers in earnings and since they are on top of your normal earnings, they have the risk of pushing you into a higher tax bracket for that pay period.

If you do consider cashing out PTO, do it in small increments if your employer will let you. That way you spread out the earnings and hopefully, keep the tax hit at a moderate level.

[GBRulz]

The company that I worked for, for many years gave us 4 weeks of PTO. You use it or lose it. Well, on average I only used 2 weeks a year because being gone for longer amounts of time meant coming back to overwhelming amounts of work...like 007 stated above.

[BallHawk]

We should become more like the Europeans is this regard.

You tend to see in Europe they took one big 3 week vacation and then work for the entire rest of the year.

I find that that you really can't enjoy a long vacation to the fullest, which I consider a week or more, because in the back of your mind is "Shit, I'm going to have so much work to come back to."

I tend to take vacations where I'll leave on a Thursday morning and then come back on a Sunday Night. It's just the right amount of time.

[retailguy]

We should become more like the Europeans is this regard.

You tend to see in Europe they took one big 3 week vacation and then work for the entire rest of the year.

I find that that you really can't enjoy a long vacation to the fullest, which I consider a week or more, because in the back of your mind is "Shit, I'm going to have so much work to come back to."

I tend to take vacations where I'll leave on a Thursday morning and then come back on a Sunday Night. It's just the right amount of time.


And 14 year olds take vacations from where? Middle school or high school?

[Bretsky]

I'm greedy so it's hard for me to take a long vacation.

Normally at this point I'm a one day or two day at most at a time with the weekend.

Last year I took five days at one time; I'd like to do that annually but it's just not practical for my situation and how I'm paid.

[BallHawk]

And 14 year olds take vacations from where? Middle school or high school?

Last year Middle School, this year high school. It was hard enough taking off 3 days in middle school, in high school it's going to be even harder. Because, once you miss x amount of days, you're doing that work, while the other work is going on. Experimenting with that, you're grades slip a bit because you're rushing. And I really want to avoid screwing up my GPA, considering I want to attend any Ivy League school.

[Charles Woodson]

And 14 year olds take vacations from where? Middle school or high school?

Last year Middle School, this year high school. It was hard enough taking off 3 days in middle school, in high school it's going to be even harder. Because, once you miss x amount of days, you're doing that work, while the other work is going on. Experimenting with that, you're grades slip a bit because you're rushing. And I really want to avoid screwing up my GPA, considering I want to attend any Ivy League school.

what was your GPA in middles school, i think i pulled off a 3.8 with barely trying.

[BallHawk]

4.0 in the challenge program. Not really hard, but you can't sleep it off all day either.

My teachers tended to not really care what I did after a while. If you prove to them you do the work, they don't care what they do when they teach. In class, I just read for most of the time.

[Charles Woodson]

4.0 in the challenge program. Not really hard, but you can't sleep it off all day either.

My teachers tended to not really care what I did after a while. If you prove to them you do the work, they don't care what they do when they teach. In class, I just read for most of the time.

yea basically this year i was in Pre AP english and our teacher found out 2 semester that she was moving/ retiring. Lets just say she didnt give us a grade lower than a 100, even on our finals she gave every single person a 100

[GrnBay007]

I get about 5 weeks a year and I've yet to ever take 2 weeks....I would be scared to return. I usually take a Thur/Fri for a long weekend.

And LL2, you are so correct about the work email getting out of hand. People constantly send things on to a group of people because they are too lazy to only send it to who the information pertains to

[Partial]

Damn, I will definitely take all my vacation that is given to me. It may not more than two one-week long trips during the year, but I will definitely use it all.

Someday, I hope to be in the position where I can pretty much assign work to others and not have to worry about if I take a few days off here and there. I also want to be able to make up my daily schedule surrounding my kids activities and stuff (never missing one of my kids tennis matches, being a little league coach, etc). I will have to work hard to get to the top to make that dream happen, though.

[GrnBay007]

I also want to be able to make up my daily schedule surrounding my kids activities and stuff (never missing one of my kids tennis matches, being a little league coach, etc). I will have to work hard to get to the top to make that dream happen, though.

I'm lucky in that respect and can for the most part make my schedule and it's been great being able to be at all the games. In 5 years of baseball, volleyball, football and basketball I've only missed 2 games. But, I've also worked a ton of weekends to make up the work and hours so I wasn't using all my vacation time.

[LL2]

Damn, I will definitely take all my vacation that is given to me. It may not more than two one-week long trips during the year, but I will definitely use it all.

Someday, I hope to be in the position where I can pretty much assign work to others and not have to worry about if I take a few days off here and there. I also want to be able to make up my daily schedule surrounding my kids activities and stuff (never missing one of my kids tennis matches, being a little league coach, etc). I will have to work hard to get to the top to make that dream happen, though.

Not to pop your bubble, but I've worked my way to upper management and I still haven't achieved what you have described.

[MJZiggy]

The higher up the hubby got, the more they needed him. Pages on holidays, in the middle of the night, etc. He got more vacation, but rarely got to take it because he couldn't get away. That's the way it was with most of the people he worked with too.