Friday, April 3, 2026

Americans Plan to Take an Additional Week of Vacation This Year

Wed, 03 February 2021  |  employment vacation 

Following a year where for many, every aspect of life – from work, school, daycare, and even vacation – was spent under one roof, in 2021 people worldwide are more determined than ever to use up all the vacation days they've earned. According to the annual Vacation Deprivation study from Expedia®, in 2021 Americans plan to take an extra week (five days) of vacation. With this new "no days left behind" mindset, Vacation Deprivation is well on its way to becoming a thing of the past.

Expedia first launched the annual study more than two decades ago to illustrate the benefits of vacation and encourage working adults to regularly unplug. In recent years, the benefits of vacation are well-known and undisputed, yet Vacation Deprivation is on the rise in most nations. This year's findings point to yet another shift, one in which workers agree they will never take their vacation days for granted again. In fact, many Americans are optimistic about travel in 2021, with 36 percent planning to resume taking regular vacations this year, and another third (32%) vowing to take more vacations than usual to make up for lost time in 2020.

The study found that the U.S. reported the fewest number of vacation days taken in 2020 out of the 16 countries surveyed. Considering the impact of the pandemic on travel, feelings of vacation deprivation were unsurprisingly higher than in years' past, with 64 percent of U.S. respondents reporting they felt vacation deprived, a three percent increase from 2020 and 11 percent increase compared to five years ago. The study also found:

• Fewest Days Received, Most Days Left on the Table: Not only did U.S. employees take the fewest vacation days (8) in 2020, along with Thailand the U.S. also received the fewest vacation days (13) when compared to other countries surveyed.
• Time Between Vacations Has Grown: One in four (26%) U.S. respondents noted they haven't taken a vacation in over a year, compared to 16 percent in 2019.
• Using Vacation Time, but Not for Vacation: 47 percent used at least one vacation day in 2020 to care for a sick family member or in lieu of childcare. More Cancelled Trips: 42 percent cancelled one or more trips last year due to COVID-19.

It's not all bad news, however. With Americans planning to take 13 vacation days this year, up from just 8 days taken in 2020, work-life balance is bound to improve.

Source: Expedia