According to the Lonely Planet, close to 40% of Americans are taking off 5 days of work or more annually to catch up on sleep.
The report found that many people are using their holiday time to get some shut-eye – or to do other necessary chores. About 68% of Americans says they’ve used a vacation day for something other than a holiday, compared to 2015, when only 54% said the same. Many cited reasons like a family emergencies (37%), doctor’s or dentist’s appointments (36%), sick days for their children or loved ones (31%), home projects (23%) and running household errands (23%).
Using that time for something other than holidays may be related to the fact that 43% of Americans say they feel guilty for relaxing, while 91% say they actually look forward to sleeping while they are on vacation. However, it can be hard for many people to actually get the relaxation they need, as more than a third of people with jobs – and 50% of working millennials – feel more stressed while on vacation because they are worried about work.
That finding echoes that of the 2016 Alamo Family Vacation Survey from Alamo Rent A Car, which reported earlier this year that 59% of working millennials feel guilty when taking time off work, compared to only 41% of people 35 and older.
