Hello friends! Today is my last “takeover” guest post for the week. Corey is back from her vacation and she will be back in blogging action on Sunday with her next fabulous Everyday Nostalgia post. I’ve had a great time this week sharing my favorite nostalgic television theme songs on Music Monday and my nostalgic trip to Disneyland on yesterday’s Throwback Thursday post. Thanks for all your great comments and feedback on the website, Facebook, and Instagram! I’m happy that I was able to connect with all you great Nostalgia Seekers!
Speaking of vacations, today’s Remember Reminder is a simple, yet difficult thing to remember, and sometimes a ridiculously difficult thing to execute, particularly in America:
#rememberreminder: Take A Vacation!
The research is startling:
- According to a 2016 study by Project: Time Off, more than half of American workers (55%) left vacation time unused in 2015;
- That adds up to 658 million unused vacation days, with 222 million of those unused days completely forfeited. That adds up to billions of dollars in lost benefits.
- The reasons for workers not taking their vacation days? Too much work, no one else can do the job, and vacations cost too much.
- A whopping 80 percent of employees said they would likely take more time off if they felt supported and encouraged by their bosses to do so.
- “Employees who took 10 or fewer days of vacation time are less likely to have received a raise or bonus in the last three years than those who took 11 days or more.”
- Finally (and really I’m not trying to make American workers feel too depressed), European countries seem to better understand the value of leisure time:
Ultimately, we all make choices about how we spend our time. If your employer gives you a certain amount of paid vacation, you are entitled to it. You can either choose to take your vacation days, or you can choose to work instead and lose your benefits.
It’s up to you.
The key to making sure you take your vacation days? Plan to take them!
“The single-most important step workers can take is to plan their time off in advance, as more than half (51%) of planners used all their earned vacation time compared to 39% of non-planners. Yet less than half (49%) of households set aside time to plan their vacation time each year. Further, planners reported greater happiness in every category measured, especially relationships with partners and children.” – Project: Time Off
And why shouldn’t you take vacation? The benefits of taking a vacation are tremendous:
- Stress reduction
- Heart disease prevention
- Improved Productivity
- Better sleep
Who doesn’t want to sleep better? Or prevent heart disease? Or reduce stress? Or improve productivity? All that sounds pretty good if you ask me.
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“No one on his deathbed ever said, I wish I had spent more time on my business.” – Paul Tsongas
If you haven’t taken a vacation this year, search the internet for great travel deals. Call your friends and family. Make a plan. Whether you crave a once-in-a-lifetime adventure trip, a nostalgic road trip in the ol’ family truckster, or a relaxing staycation, use your vacation time and don’t let it go to waste.
With that, I’m off on a quick vacation to see the Total Solar Eclipse in my hometown of Casper, Wyoming!
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Thank you, Corey, for the opportunity to share my writing and stories here on The Nostalgia Diaries! I look forward to continuing to enjoy all the great nostalgic content in the coming months and years! And hey, maybe you will invite me back to contribute to this great blog!
Cheers and Happy Vacations to all!
Talk to me, people! What are YOU planning for your next vacation? If you have not taken a vacation this year, why not?
At the The Nostalgia Diaries, our goal is to help you simplify, enhance, and engage your lives by focusing on the most important things: remembering, appreciating, believing, and becoming. It’s all about celebrating the past to create better days today.
Yeah vacations! I firmly believe that taking time away from work helps to refresh you and ultimately make you a better worker.
We are actually going to sit down with the kids this weekend to talk about where we want to go, do some goal setting and plan a trip. I’m excited!
Travel, travel, travel! A passion indeed! I am blessed to travel often with my beloved. xoxo~D
Vacations are so important. Something a lot of Americans neglect!
Deena Danielle
http://www.nomadmoda.com
I think that most Americans don’t take their vacations because the days aren’t always “vacation” days. My husband is one of those. He has to use his vacation days as sick days as well. He ends up holding on to them because he never knows when he may get sick and need the time off.
YES. Agree so much. I can tell when I haven’t had a day off in awhile, I definitely start to feel the stress more. Such a good reminder. Wish more employers were better about that kind of thing.
Taking time off is SO important! I sometimes feel bad about it, but I never have unused vacation days at the end of the year — I use them and love them! My husband and I are headed to Thailand for our next trip (in December). We’ve never been away from our daughter for that long, but we’re still so excited!!
I don’t work in a typical office environment any longer, but I remember how important those vacation days were (and still are!) because you need that time away to reset. Start over. Recharge the batteries. And really, unplug. Our minds can’t be overstimulated all the time and it feels really nice to get your toes in the water, a** in the sand (not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand, life is good today!)…
Anyway, yes! I can’t believe so many of us don’t take our allotted time off! Crazy. XOXO and hope you have a great weekend!
Oh man, that’s a lot of unused vacation time! My husband hoards his leave days, so hopefully we’ll get to go somewhere soon. I want to go to Greece, but I don’t think that’s happening soon, lol!
Oh believe me…my family NEVER forgets to take a vacation:)
YES! I love this so much. I cannot wait for our next vaca!
I’ve unfortunately used up all my time off for not-so-fun reasons, but I’ve found even a single day off for a little local adventure can do just the trick to rejuvenate after an insane zombie job week! Even a half-day will work. Pretty much anything that takes your mind off your regularly schedule chaos is a welcome retreat.
I truly believe that vacations are critical to our general health and well being. It seems that North America is the only continent which doesn’t provide as much vacation time for employees. I know I am a much better employee, more productive and effective after a holiday.
My husband is the guy at work who gets the “never missed a day” award. Even when he is sick, no matter how hard I try, I can’t get the man to stay home. Sadly its because no one will have his back and he knows that, BUT, yes vacations are a must. Those I do get him to schedule because otherwise, he would work the whole year. Next year we have a island reunion, my little brothers wedding and hopefully a trip to Disney World. Im really hoping we can fit in all 3!
I just got back from our cross country vacation with our four kids. Now I need a vacation from vacation 🙂 Love this post!
I think my husband would wish I would forget to plan a vacation I’m always planning my next vacay!
So sad that people don’t take their vacation time!! The US gets a very small number of days anyway.
I NEED a vacation! Even if it’s just a long weekend!
I definitely need to schedule a vacation! Even if it is only a few days away, sometimes that is exactly what I need to reset!
This is a reminder that my husband and I are really great about (scheduling vacations). I love this series and love that you have such great reminders.
I’m all for taking a vacation!
Thanks for the reminder! My husband still has a week of vacation that we need to use this year!
This is so true, I always try and take my vacation time!
Best reminder ever! Haha!! Vacations are always necessary for personal growth! If only they weren’t so expensive!
xo, Taylor (thesprinkle.tayloramead.com)