These 3 States Take the Most Vacation Days

A recent report from Project: Time Off looked into which US states are leading the nation in vacation days — and which states could certainly use some more R&R.

The group surveyed more than 4,000 American workers, ages 18 and up, who work more than 35 hours a week and receive paid time off from their employer and found that when it comes to taking vacation days, employees in Colorado, Virginia, and Arizona take the lead, while Montana, Delaware, and Rhode Island are the worst.

Colorado workers take more vacations days than any other state at around 20 days compared to the national average of 17 days. Virginia comes in second with nearly 19 days and 52% of Virginians say their company cultures encourages vacation usage — a crucial factor that determines whether an employee will take time off.

In a separate report by Kimble, a survey of more than 1,200 full-time American employees found that 19% said they've felt pressured by their managers to not take a vacation and 27% felt taking time off would add stress because of too many projects and deadlines. Similarly, even when employees vacation, they find it hard to unplug from work. Nearly half said they check work during their time off.

When the US is the only developed country that does not require paid time off, it's no wonder more than half the workers surveyed by Project: Time Off reported they had unused vacation days left at the end of 2017; that's the least in the past 7 years.

We value travel more than just about anything at TPG, and while we make trips around the globe for work-related purposes, we encourage vacation time whenever necessary. Time off is good for your health and your career. Of the Americans taking all or most of their vacation days, 20% are happier with their personal relationships and 56% happier with their health and well-being than their counterparts who take few or no vacation days. Additionally, those using their time off to travel are happier with their companies. If you can't remember the last time you took some time off, it might be time to make the trip you've been thinking about. A vacation shouldn't be stressful so plan in advance and follow other tips on taking a break.

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