Are you feeling under-vacationed?
(NC) Canadians are feeling more stressed and less able to leave their work behind, unveils Canada's leading online travel provider, Expedia.ca, in a revealing snapshot of its recent Vacation Deprivation survey.
This annual poll to determine the extent of our 'vacation deprivation' is based on the feeling that we don't get enough vacation days, or that we are not able to fully enjoy the vacation time we have available. The primary finding this year is that 48 per cent of Canadians report feeling vacation deprived, up from 40 per cent last year. Take a look at a few more eye-opening survey results:
Fewer vacation days being used: On average, Canadians report they'll take 15 this year, down from 17 days last year.
Work gets in the way: Almost four in 10 respondents (37 per cent) say they have cancelled or postponed vacation plans because of work. Thirty-eight per cent say they “regularly” or “constantly” check work email and/or voicemail while on vacation – up from 27 per cent in 2013.
Vacations = happiness: 80 per cent of respondents associate vacationing with their overall happiness and half as many (42 per cent) say they associate vacationing “a great deal” with their overall happiness (a 10 per cent increase from last year). Vacationing was chosen as the number one experience for generating happiness (by 48 per cent of respondents), far more than finding money (16 per cent), getting a tax refund (13 per cent), being told you look younger than you are (8 per cent) or even celebrating your birthday (7 per cent).
Vacations are viewed as medicine for the body, mind and soul: 93 per cent of respondents say they feel relaxed and rejuvenated when they get home from a vacation. Eighty-seven per cent say they feel closer to their partners or their family, and 78 per cent report being more focused at work after a vacation.