Summer is officially here, and many Americans are gearing up for vacation — right? Maybe not. After surveying more than 11,000 people from 11 countries, Expedia’s annual “Vacation Deprivation Report” found that 2 out of 3 Americans say they don’t take enough time off.
Americans already take the fewest vacation days every year, averaging out at just 11 days, with an average allotment of 12. Still, only a little more than half of those surveyed plan to use all their time off.
When compared to the rest of the world, Americans are twice as likely to go a year or more without taking a vacation.
In 2023, the top reason 53% of Americans didn’t use all their vacation time was because life was “too busy to plan or go on vacation.”
While Americans are feeling more vacation deprived than ever, Japan took the top spot as the least vacation deprived, according to the report. However, almost two-thirds of those surveyed in Japan only used 12 of their 19 days off on average.
While Japan tops the list for people feeling like they have enough time off, it is last when it comes to people actually taking all their days off. Expedia said that’s because they maximize on federal holidays and school or office closures to schedule more frequent, short getaways.
That’s a tactic of the French too, with France also taking the top spot for most vacation days. Despite having a month off annually, 69% of the French surveyed said they don’t feel like they get enough time off, compared to 65% of Americans who said that about our 11-day average.
Expedia said more than 90% of French workers believe vacation time is a fundamental right and critical to overall health – philosophies that Expedia said Americans could benefit from taking on.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong was the only one to report using more vacation days than respondents were allocated and not leaving vacation days unused.
However, it could be worse; Germany sat at the bottom of the list, with more than 80% saying they don’t take enough time off. However, the survey found they’re more determined than ever to use all their time off this year.