One Third of U.S. Workers Haven't Taken a Vacation in More Than 2 Years (Video)

Thirty-six percent of Americans took their last vacation over two years ago, and 51 percent have not vacationed in more than a year, according to the 11th annual Vacation Confidence Index by Allianz Global Assistance.

Many previous studies, from a variety of sources, have shown that Americans, especially younger generations, have a hard time getting out of the office and spending some quality time off. Even though we know vacation is good for our mental and physical health, and some of us even get paid vacation time from our employers, the latest numbers on how many U.S. workers are not taking time off is still, well, depressing.

However, Allianz Global Assistance defines a “vacation” as any trip that is at least a week in a destination that is 100 miles or more from home, so there’s no accounting for trips like “micro-cations,” which are increasingly growing in popularity amongst Millennials and Gen X workers. That said, a previous study identified the ideal vacation length as eight days, and for many people that's not happening.

It doesn’t look like 2019 will be a good year for vacation either. According to Allianz Global Assistance, only 42 percent of respondents said they felt confident they would be able to take a vacation this year — the lowest since 2013.

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You can probably blame all the usual suspects for this vacation deficit as well. Forty-four percent said money was the main reason why they couldn’t take time off, and 19 percent said they wouldn’t want to spend on vacation anyway. Another 12 percent of workers said they didn’t want to take the time off of work. Other reasons include other personal obligations that get in the way of taking time off and the stress of planning a vacation.

But it’s not just employees who are overworking themselves, it’s also the employers. The survey also revealed that 52 percent of U.S. workers say they take about the same amount of vacation time as their bosses do. So, bosses, if you want your employees to use their PTO, you’re going to have to leave the office, too, sometimes. The survey showed Americans are only using 41 percent of their paid time off, while their bosses are using 51 percent.

The survey concludes that American vacations are changing – so much so that week-long vacations could go out of style. Allianz Global Assistance noted that short trips may become even more popular in the future, especially when it comes to making getting away — even for a day or two — more accessible for younger workers.

Getting Away for a 3-day Weekend Could Make You Happier Than a Long Vacation

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Next time you’re planning a vacation you may want to think small. As in three-day weekend small.

According to Jonathan Alpert, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist and well-being expert, taking just one Friday or Monday off of work can do just as much for your mental health as taking off an entire week.

“Clients often tell me they want to go as far away as possible for as long as possible,” he recently told NBC. “But then it takes a day to get to their destination, they run into issues accessing their email in a remote place, and inevitably, they get so stressed planning it, that they aren’t able to truly disconnect.”

Though past research suggested that eight days is the optimal time length for a vacation, that amount of time off a year can be unreasonable for many people. Especially when you consider the average American receives just 10 paid vacation days a year.

And, as Alpert additionally explained, using that much time off is akin to trying to “binge sleep” on the weekends to catch up on your rest. This, he said, will do little for your health, just like a long vacation won’t fix all your woes in eight days. Instead, it’s best to opt for several short vacations to help you feel more restored all year long.

It appears people are already unintentionally heeding this excellent advice. In a 2017 survey by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 85 percent of Americans said they were planning to take a three-day trip in 2018, NBC reported. Almost half of the respondents cited “reducing stress” as to why they wanted a three-day escape.

Indeed, a three-day vacation can make you feel less stressed because they can be far less stressful to plan, cheaper than a long getaway, easier to execute, and will give you more vacations to look forward to.

But, where should you go on a three-day journey? Check out our guide to everything three-day weekend related, including where to go, where to stay, and what to do to maximize those 72 hours of bliss.

How This 23-year-old Saves $800 a Month for Luxury Vacations

Courtesy of Bridie Wilkins

We get it, traveling is expensive. From the flights to the hotels, spa treatments, dinners, cocktails, and tourist activities, vacations can cause a serious drain on your finances. But for some of us, traveling is simply a necessity worth sacrificing for.

Take, for example, 23-year-old Bridie Wilkins. The fashion blogger from London recently revealed to the Daily Mail that she skimps on just about everything in her life, including on food and daily transportation, just so she can afford to travel the world in style.

“I don’t think twice about restricting my diet to things such as canned fish — if you love something as much as I do traveling, the sacrifices you make don’t even cross your mind,” Wilkins said. “Travel has changed everything. I absolutely love seeing new parts of the world. It has made me into a more well-rounded person.”

Wilkins shared that she’s been able to save nearly $800 a month with her cost-savings plan, which she then spends on luxury resorts around the globe. In fact, according to the Daily Mail, Wilkins has already checked into resorts in 19 countries around the world. She will soon add Copenhagen, Los Angeles, and Mexico to her growing travel list.

“I'm a lot more confident,” Wilkins said. “I've flown alone multiple times and I'm only 23, while I've also been on a week's trip alone.”

Courtesy of Bridie Wilkins

Wilkins said her favorite destinations include the Anantara Uluwatu hotel in Bali, Velassaru island in the Maldives, and the Grand Hotel Angiolieri near Sorrento, Italy. Additionally, Wilkins said Le Quattro Dame suites in Rome and the Radisson Blu Le Metropolitan in Paris were her favorite urban destinations.

Courtesy of Bridie Wilkins

“I've also got a new zest for life — I'm so excited to see what else is out there,” Wilkins said. “When I'm not traveling or working, I spend most of, if not all, of my waking hours researching where else to go. The world is a beautiful place.”

Courtesy of Bridie Wilkins

Moreover, Wilkins uploads photos to her growing Instagram account, which will undoubtedly inspire us all to swap out a few decadent meals a week for tinned tuna so we too can travel in style. As she said on her site: “You don't have to save for months — if you really want something, you can make it happen.”

For more tips and tricks to budgeting for travel, check out Travel + Leisure’s guide here.

7 Travel Habits Frequent Fliers Swear By

"More discerning travelers know their stuff and want to get where they're going, especially on connecting flights," says Julie Danzinger, director of luxury travel services at Ovation Vacations in New York City.

To help you breeze through airport screening, she recommends splurging on an airport meet-and-greet service like Solve, whose concierge can carry your bags, escort you to your airline's check-in, make sure you board on time, and whisk you past airport security, immigration, and customs.

"When you land you kind of feel like a celebrity," Danzinger, who's been a big fan of the Las Vegas-based startup since it launched last year, said.

10 'Vacations' You Can Take From Your Desk

Want to jet off to Australia, Hong Kong, New York or Tokyo? Of course you do. Unfortunately, daily life generally forces us to sit at a desk from 9 to 5. But a few companies are helping to ease the pain by allowing you to escape from the dreariness of your cubicle. Enter virtual reality.

Whether it’s a viewing devicestrapped on your face transporting you to Australia or a 360-degree on-location video online, taking a mini journey across the globe has never been easier. Companies, resorts, and museums have developed groundbreaking technology that allows you to have totally immersive experiences ranging from birds-eye views of locations to intense intricate closeups of paintings that you can’t see with the naked eye.

For adventurous folks, Hamilton Island in Australia partnered with Samsung Electronics and Rapid VR to provide three-dimensional, 360-degree interactive vision that gives viewers a feeling of immersion. You can swim with turtles in the Great Barrier Reef and take a helicopter tour over the island.

More low-key museum types will enjoy the Google Cultural Institute’s latest: 1,000-gigapixel images of famous paintings from museums around the world. The images of works by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and more are so detailed that you can actually see the layers of paint.

Other companies, like Lufthansa, have created several 360-degree on-location videos. Google Maps takes you on a safari through South Africa. Check out these 10 virtual reality vacations you can take from your desk.

Jordi Lippe-McGraw is a Contributing Digital Reporter with Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.