As Christmas time off comes to an end, it’s worth looking back at last year’s international vacation trends. It turns out that the French led the world, while Japan and South Korea enjoyed the least amount of vacation.
This is according to the 2013 Vacation Deprivation study by the online travel company Expedia.
The survey found that the French vacationed the most in 2013, taking all 30 possible days available to them. At the same time, as many as 90% of French employees either strongly or somewhat agreed with the sentence I feel vacation deprived, well above the global average. The feeling of vacation deprivation was also prevalent in Italy (83%), Spain (78%) and Germany (74%), despite the fact that Europeans have more vacation time than any other region.
Norwegians, by a wide margin, didn’t feel that way: only 17% had that sentiment. Similarly, less than half of employees from Ireland (49%), the U.K. (47%), the Netherlands (41%), Malaysia (47%), Sweden (44%), Denmark (39%) and Mexico (38%) felt vacation-deprived.
Unlike the French, Americans were afforded 14 days of vacation last year (compared with a global average of 20), but they used only 10, according to the study.
Japan and South Korea took the trend of unused vacation days even further, faring as the most vacation-deprived nations in the Expedia study, which covered 24 countries. The Japanese were given 18 vacation days, but took only seven. South Koreans also took seven out of 10 possible days. Thais took only eight out of 11 possible days, while Malaysians took 14 of 17.
“No one retires wishing they’d spent more time at their desk,” says John Morrey, vice-president and general manager at Expedia.com. “There are countless reasons that vacation days go unused—failure to plan, worry, forgetfulness, you name it.”
However, the consensus among experts is that well-rested workers are more productive, which means that taking time off should be actively encouraged.
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