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Today Is National Plan A Vacation Day & Here’s What You Need To Do
It may not be a holiday that is marked in bold on your calendar, but National Plan Your Vacation Day (NPVD) is certainly one worth noting and maybe even celebrating.
According to a recent survey, America has a growing “vacation deprivation” problem: American workers left 768 million unused vacation days on the table in 2018, up 9% from the previous year. And 236 million of those days were forfeited completely, totaling more than $65 billion in lost benefits.
We all know that planning ahead can certainly pay off when it comes to travel, so today is the perfect day to make your travel plans for the year. In celebration of National Plan Your Vacation Day, U.S. Travel has developed an interactive Vacation Planning Tool to help Americans get a jump on planning. By entering their earned number of days off, users can plot out their trips or vacations for the year, export that to their work or personal calendar, and share with their family and co-workers. Employers can embed this tool into their website for easy access for their workers across the country.
“As a CEO, not only does it not bother me to see an ‘out of office’ email—I encourage my colleagues to include a note on how they’re spending their vacation,” said U.S. Travel President and CEO Roger Dow. “Time off is essential to a healthy work environment because it gives us a chance to recharge and reconnect with family and friends, as well as see more of our beautiful, diverse country. Workers who take the time to plan ahead bring more and better energy to the workplace.”
For individuals looking to plan ahead today, thousands of travel organizations around the country are celebrating National Plan for Vacation Day with tips, planning resources, destination ideas, and other incentives for Americans to get the most out of their earned time off.
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One example is Amtrak. From January 28 through January 30, Amtrak is offering 30 percent off for its “Plan Your Vacation Day” sale. A trip from Richmond to Washington D.C would be just $19.
You can also search the #PlanForVacation hashtag for more resources and to see how industry organizations are celebrating NPVD. Don’t let your hard-earned time off go to waste this year and start planning today.