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National Plan for Vacation Day is Jan. 29

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Fri, Jan 25th 2019 06:20 pm

AAA Western and Central New York urging Americans to use their vacation time

By AAA of Western and Central New York

Every year, more than half of Americans (52 percent) fail to use all their time off, creating a stock pile of 705 million unused vacation days – up from 662 million days the year before.

National Plan for Vacation Day is celebrated the last Tuesday in January as a day to encourage Americans to plan their vacation days for the rest of the year at the start of the year.

In New York in 2017, there were 40,908 PTO days left unused – that’s 24.8 percent of all PTO days earned, ranking the state third in the country for the most unused PTO days.

“National Plan for Vacation Day is an opportunity for Americans and for America. And who better than the travel industry to help plan the perfect vacation?” said Roger Dow, president and CEO, U.S. Travel Association. “America offers something for everyone, whether you prefer a sunny day at the beach or a snowball fight in the mountains. We encourage every American to plan their time off to explore our great country.”

The most effective remedy for American workers who want to use more vacation days is better planning. Yet just over half of households set aside time to plan the use of their vacation time each year.

“AAA Western and Central New York is celebrating National Plan for Vacation Day, because we want to encourage Americans to take their well-deserved time off,” said Carol DiOrio, vice president of travel for AAA WCNY. “By committing to planning on Jan. 29, Americans can all reap the benefits of taking a break while giving yourself something to look forward to.”

Research shows planners have a distinct advantage over non-planners: They use more of their time, take longer vacations, and are happier.

53 percent of planners took all of their vacation time vs. 43 percent of non-planners.

Planners are also more likely than non-planners to use all or most of their time off to travel (33 percent to 18 percent).

More planners report they are “very” or “extremely” happy with their personal relationships (81 percent vs. 68 percent), health and well-being (56 percent vs. 43 percent), company (57 percent vs. 50 percent), and job (56 percent vs. 48 percent) compared to non-planners.

To help employees get their vacation days on the calendar, U.S. Travel Association created a vacation planning tool. By simply entering the number of days off earned, users can plot out their vacations for the year, export to their work or personal calendar, and share with their family and co-workers.

As upstate New York’s largest member services organization, AAA Western and Central New York provides more than 880,000 members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, AAA has been a leading advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. Visit AAA at www.AAA.com.

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