Americans Should Take Longer Vacations Research Paper

" (de Graff, 2008)

Vacations make workers more productive. Air New Zealand conducted a study and states findings that following having taken a vacation that workers were able to sleep one hour longer and to experience quality sleep with reactions times that were 30 to 40% faster than before their vacation. The gains were found to last across several months.

The work of Gilbert and Abdullah (2003) reports a study focused on understanding if taking vacations has any impact on the well-being or the life satisfaction of individuals. The study reports "A comparison between a holiday taking group and non-holiday taking control group provided evidence that the former experienced a higher sense of well-being prior and post their travels when compared to the latter. Although the effect sizes are mostly small, the evidence suggests that holiday taking has the potential to enhance the level of happiness of those enjoying it, not causing individuals to feel any worse off than before traveling." (p.1)

Hunter-Jones (2006) reports a study that had the primary objective of considering whether taking vacations has a role to play in post-diagnosis treatment, within the rehabilitation process for cancer patients. The qualitative study reports findings that benefits to the "health and well being and particularly of a sociopsychological nature were indentified. Such benefits impacted upon personal health, social effectiveness, personal identity, self-image, independence, future career prospects, and personal behavior." (Hunter-Jones, 2006) the study concluded that vacations provide a "vehicle for transcending illness, even if only for a short period of time. Travel offered a range of therapeutic opportunities as well as providing a necessary means of escapism." (Hunter-Jones, 2006)

III. The Solution

The solution for much of what ails families in America is that of the vacation. There is an old adage that the family that plays together -- stays together -- and while this study has fallen short of providing any such proof to that saying, this study has clearly shown that Americans need more vacation time away from work and additionally, in alignment with the rest of the globe those vacation days should be paid vacation days. Paid vacations will results in more productive workers with greater levels of energy as well as better mental and physical health of American workers while enabling families to spend time together.

References

Gilbert, D. And Abdullah, J. (2004) Holidaytaking and the sense of well-being. Annals of Tourism Research Vol. 31, Issue 1. Jan 2004. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738303001051

Graaf, John de (2008) in the U.S. We Don't Take Enough Vacations -- Really. SF Gate. Retrieved from: http://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/in-the-U-S-we-don-t-take-enough-vacations-3200407.php#page-2

Hunter-Jones, P. (2006) Managing Cancer: The Role of Holiday Taking. 8 Mar 2006. Journal of Travel Medicine. Vol. 19, Iss 3. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2310/7060.2003.35762/abstract

Need a Vacation? Many Americans Don't Take Them (2012) Reuters. Retrieved from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/09/09/us-work-vacation-idUSTRE6883DW20100909

Thompson, D. (2012) No-Vacation Nation: Why Don't Americans Know How to Take a Break.….....