77% Of U.S. Respondents Have Worked While On Vacation In The Past Year, According To TripAdvisor Survey

Three Quarters Don't Think U.S. Vacation Time is Fair Compared to the Rest of the World

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Aug 19, 2014, 06:00 ET

NEWTON, Mass., Aug. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today revealed the results of its working-on-vacation survey of more than 16,100 employed¹ respondents across 10 countries, including more than 2,100 in the U.S. Seventy-seven percent of U.S. respondents report having worked on vacation during the past year, compared to an average of 40 percent in the nine other countries included in the poll—Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain and the U.K.

Why People Work on Vacation

Fifty-one percent of U.S. respondents say they do not mind doing a little work on vacation, while 44 percent would prefer to be totally disconnected, and five percent enjoy being connected to work while on vacation.
Across all countries surveyed, the top reason respondents cited for working on vacation is that there may be urgent situations that need attention – 65 percent of U.S. respondents report feeling this way.
U.S. respondents are the most likely to report feeling guilty if they don't work on vacation (18%), and also the most likely to say that their managers expect it (18%).

Top Work Activities Respondents Typically Do While on Vacation

	U.S. Respondents	Global Average
Check emails	91%	65%
Respond to emails	85%	56%
Check voicemail	45%	21%
Create / edit documents	42%	26%
Respond to voicemail	40%	20%

Email Trends and Online Connectivity

Ninety-one percent of U.S. respondents typically check work email while on vacation.
Of those who check work email on vacation, 37 percent say it is an everyday habit and do not consider it to be "work" while on vacation.
Forty percent check work email several times per day, while five percent admit to taking a peek every hour or more.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents say the rise in Internet connectivity and mobile devices has created an expectation from employers that they should always be available to work. A further 32 percent say it has meant that they feel a need to check in while out of the office.

Vacation Time Allotted Versus What's Considered Fair

Country	Paid Vacation Days Allotted	Paid Vacation Days Considered Fair	Difference
Americans	18	22	4
Japanese	19	28	9
Australians	22	24	2
Brazilians	24	33	9
British	24	28	4
Spanish	24	32	8
Germans	26	30	4
Italians	27	31	4
Russians	29	33	4
French	31	31	0
Average	24	29	5

How U.S. Vacation Time Stacks Up Against the Rest of the World

U.S. respondents receive less paid vacation time than any of the countries surveyed – 18 days in the U.S., compared to the average of 24.
The majority of U.S. respondents (76%) do not feel the amount of paid vacation time given in the U.S. is fair compared to what the rest of the world receives.
U.S. respondents on average would like an additional four days of vacation, considering 22 days of paid vacation to be fair and reasonable. However, this is the lowest expectation of the countries surveyed – Brazilians and Russians want the most at 33 days per year.

Satisfied with Amount of
Vacation Time Allotted

Feel Their Vacation Time is Fair
Compared to Rest of World

1. Germans – 83%

2. French – 79%

3. Italians – 76%

4. British – 72%

5. Australians – 72%

6. Spanish – 71%

7. Japanese – 69%

8. Americans – 60%

9. Russians – 58%

10. Brazilians – 57%

1. Germans – 89%

2. Australians – 87%

3. French – 84%

4. Russians – 81%

5. Japanese – 80%

6. Brazilians – 76%

7. Italians – 74%

8. Spanish – 69%

9. British – 67%

10. Americans – 24%

Putting a Dollar Value on Vacation Days
Twenty-one percent of U.S. respondents would take a pay reduction in order to gain more time off. For each extra day, the average amount they'd be willing to have their pay decreased is $350.

Give Me a Break

Sixty-six percent of U.S. respondents say their vacations leave them feeling refreshed and recharged, and 39 percent say they are better able to handle work stresses after taking a vacation. These benefits typically last 1-2 weeks (27%).
To ease the transition back to work, 53 percent return from trips a day or two early to rest and unpack.

"The TripAdvisor survey shows that Americans receive less vacation time than other countries, and when they do take time off it is often more like a 'workation' than a vacation," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor. "In today's highly connected world, most Americans feel the need to stay plugged in even while out of the office."

¹The survey includes respondents who report their current employment status as full-time, part-time or self-employed.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching nearly 280 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 170 million reviews and opinions covering more than 4 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 44 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 24 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.lafourchette.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.viator.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn.