I met a couple from the United Kingdom while I was in Mexico a few weeks ago. We got to chatting, and they told me they were there on vacation for three weeks.
"Three weeks!?!!"
"Yes," they said. "Only three weeks."
"Only?!!?!"
They're young, just starting out in their jobs (as a postman and office worker for a trust company), they said, so they only get four weeks vacation each year.
Once again: "Only!?!!!"
I have worked full-time -- without break -- for eight years since graduating college at age 21. But becuase I changed employers after the four-year mark, I have never gotten more than two weeks of paid vacation.
This is a problem.
Don't get me wrong -- I love my job and can't think of any other work I'd rather do -- but I also love many other things that I can't much enjoy on just two weeks a year and weekends: Traveling, hiking, bicycling, kayaking, camping, reading, cooking, photography, spending time with friends and family... I can't imagine how people who are married and have children manage.
Maybe this is part of the reason why Americans are so overweight and stressed-out?
According to Vault.com, a Web site that tracks career trends and information, four weeks is the standard minimum for vacation in much of Europe: "To add insult to injury (at least for leisure-deprived Americans), employers in certain European countries are required to provide a cash "vacation bonus," equal to one-half to one month's pay."
Why is this?
Because the U.S. is one of few industrialized countries that doesn't regulate benefits in the private workplace.
According to the global human resource consulting firm Hewitt Assoc., here's the breakdown of where you get the most days off:
Denmark 31
Austria and Finland 30
France and Norway 25
Germany 24
Belgium, Ireland, the U.K., the Netherlands and Switzerland 20
Brazil 22
Australia 20
Colombia and New Zealand 15
The U.S., Canada and Japan round out the bottom with 10 days each. Only Mexico offers employees fewer vacation days.
I'm thinking, how hard would it be to learn Danish?
I had a similar experience when I was in San Francisco for a week's vacation with my husband last September. I met a couple from Perth, Australia, who were on a six-week trip around the world. Six weeks! Now, granted, they explained to me that they're only allowed to take a six-week leave every four or five years. The other years, it's four weeks. So yes, I'm up for moving to Europe or Australia as well.
Yes, Europeans get more vacation time than many Americans. Clearly we are work-a-holics.
But before you sell your belongings to move to Europe, you should know a few other things about Europe. Looking into the levels of depression and anxiety, you will see that many countries over there have higher rates than the US.
And the suicide rate in France is something like 12 times the rate of the US.
Maybe they have TOO much downtime, or they don't use the downtime in a way that is meaningful?
I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that perhaps more vacation time wouldn't help us achieve the end point that many are looking for.
The quest for happiness continues...