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It's all too easy to make excuses not to plan a trip but more and more data is showing that there are large costs, both financial AND mental, with NOT taking a vacation!
So
for everyone’s sake, take some time off! And if you need some more convincing,
see our top reasons for flying the coup! Weather you take your kids is your
decision!!
1.
A Yearly Vacation Can Reduce Your Risk of Heart Attack by 50 (!) Percent
That's
right -- taking time off is not only fun, it can actually make you live longer!
The U.S. Travel Association compiled
findings from scientific studies over the last couple of decades to
show the myriad health benefits of travel, including the significant impact on
heart health.
2. You're
Not Using All of Your Vacation Days
A
different report
released by the U.S. Travel Association in September 2014 and prepared by
Oxford Economics showed that U.S. workers are taking fewer vacation days than
at any point in the last four decades. By sacrificing Paid Time Off days, you
are basically agreeing to work for free. According to the study, the 169
million days of forfeited PTO equates to $52.4 billion in lost benefits. So
stop putting money back into your boss’ pocket!
3. Vacations
May Lead to a Decrease in Dementia
According
to Dr. Paul Nussbaum, President of The Brain
Health Center, travel improves brain health. "When we travel,
we plop our brain down into an environment and it's a bit complicated for us,
and the brain," he says. "When your brain is confronted or stimulated
by something new or complex, the brain cells kind of rejoice with that."
He explains that the dendritic cells in our brain are sort of like branches on
a tree, and traveling can increase cellular connections and lead to more
branches. "You want your brain to look like a jungle. If you or I had to
go into a jungle and make a path, it would take a long time. Think
about Alzheimer's. If our brain is set up to look like a jungle, the
better chance we have to fight the disease off. We can delay the
onset," he says.
4.
You Exercise More on Vacation
That's
right -- most people are more active on vacation than they are at work sitting
in front of a desk (shocker, right?). "Physical exercise has been shown to
increase a bit when we're on vacation, whether it be from walking the beach or
using the gym that's in the hotel," Dr. Nussbaum says. "Physical
activity is incredibly important for the brain. Every time the heart beats 25
percent of your blood goes to your brain, so the more heart beats, the better
it is for your brain."
5. It's
Good for the Economy
If
Americans used all of their PTO days, the economic impact could include an
additional $160 billion in total business sales, $52 billion in additional
income earned, and 1.2 million additional jobs in the U.S. economy, according
to a study
on paid time off in the U.S. by Oxford Economics. Hear that? Using all of your
vacation days helps America's economic engine. By booking that flight to Hawaii, you're proving
your patriotism.
6. You'll
Be More Productive at Work When You Get Back
The
evidence is clear -- people who take vacations are far more productive when
they return to work. A vacation can increase performance by 80 percent, and
reaction times of employees upon return may go up 40 percent, according to a
study by Alertness Solutions cited on “worktolive”.
7.
Vacations Reduce Stress
The
U.S. Travel Association compilation
on the personal benefits of travel showed that blood pressure, heart rate, and
levels of epinephrine -- a stress hormone -- go down on even a short vacation
of only one or two days. "Typically travel, especially when travel is
involved with pleasure, can reduce stress, because it removes us from
surroundings that are a bit more conditioned to stress in our lives and it
helps us escape," Dr. Nussbaum says. Not surprisingly, stress is
really bad for your health, and is linked to a ton of different diseases. It
also may worsen
existing conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, peptic
ulcer disease, and cardiac disease.
8. Travel
Provides New Perspective
People
who go on vacation are "able to be introspective, reflect, set some new
goals...those are all really good things for the brain," according to Dr.
Nussbaum. Exposure to different cultures also helps, as "things that are
culturally sophisticated are shown to be good for the brain, be it art or
dance." Additionally, a study
in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that people who
spent time abroad are better problem solvers, more creative, and more
innovative at work.
9.
It Will Spice Up Your Relationship
According
to the U.S. Travel
Association research compilation, 42 percent of travelers feel more
romantic on vacation and 31 percent admit to making love more often while on a
trip. So if you're hoping to spice things up on the home front, a romantic
getaway may be just the ticket.
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