Okay – it’s not shocking at all, but I needed something to get your attention here. At this point all the world knows Americans take the least amount of vacation time. It’s sad – so sad, man. It makes me want to sing the “My Fellow Americans Don’t Take Enough Time Off” blues. Would things be any different if we were REQUIRED to have time off? (Notice the all-caps on the word REQUIRED.) I wonder… AOL has a neat little slideshow with vivid eye-popping pictures to help capture the imagination of travel-deprived individuals while noting the country pictured and the minimum amount of paid vacation time required in each. China requires people take 15, Italy (20), Australia (20), Germany (24), Sweden (25) and America (0). Depressed yet? If you’re still in the mood after checking out their slideshow read this piece from ABC News on the Death of the American Vacation.
My suggestion: Just quit your job and move to the Maldives where you can vacation all year if you like. Take the basics and live in a cozy 1-2 man beach hut or something. Don’t like that one? Then create your own man. You’re the one not getting enough vacation – not me.
(Picture taken from my trip to Trinidad & Tobago earlier this year.)