Top Reasons to take a Vacation, Is Spring Break Healthy, Give Me a Break
Monday, March 16, 2009 9:44If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
We all need to take a vacation! There might be more underlying this statement than most people realize. Recently, studies have shown that your health may depend on it.
The Conference Board, a private research firm, reports the number of Americans planning to vacation in the next six months is at a thirty year low. Their regular consumer survey indicates 39% of respondents were not considering a getaway next year either — the lowest figure since 1978. Public health consultants say this is a mistake.
In times of high-stress and job instability, we need a break. An ambitious research project that started in 1948 known as the Framingham Heart Study has made strides in isolating certain risk factors that contribute to heart disease. Three generations of study participants over twenty years routinely filled out questionnaires. Research data shows that women who traveled every six years or less were virtually eight times more prone to heart disease or heart attack.
The relationship between lifestyle and stress is clear. Another study released in 2000 that involved 12,000 men over nine years had parallel results. Those men who did not take a vacation at least once a year increased their risk of death from a heart attack by 33% while also increasing their risk of death from other causes by 21%. The results also indicate that mental health is affected by vacations. Scientists at the Marshfield Clinic of Wisconsin report an increased rate of depression with a decrease in the frequency of vacations.
These studies suggest real evidence that taking a vacation is necessary to your health and well-being. Now is the time to reinvent our travel plans. With pressure on spending budgets, considering all the options is a smart idea. Not long ago, the emergent travel giant, MOR Vacations, unveiled a new product that will allow families to travel while squeezing the most out of their limited finances. Securing time off from work may be the only thing standing in the way.
Nearly 25% of Americans in the private business sector are not awarded paid vacation time. Moreover, 127 countries do mandate paid vacation time. However, the United States does not. Mr. John de Graaf, the editor of Take Back Your Time, is lobbying for Congress to pass an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act that would ensure three full weeks of paid vacation to workers who have been employed with their organization for at least one year. Even though this may be a tough sell to business, vacation time is more attractive than sick time because it is easier to anticipate.
It seems that economic progression is still on a downhill slide. Neutralizing the negative consequences is essential to our well-being. Earmarking funds for a leisurely and luxurious vacation is now urgent. After all, we are entitled.
A travel club lifetime membership could turn out to be a worthwhile investment. Stay away from timeshare rackets with recurring anniversary fees and long, drawn-out payments. Consider the options with a one-time, front-end fee and completely transferrable membership. Even more valuable is automatic VIP status for new members and free travel passes for unlimited guests. A travel product with these attributes will help balance your work-life responsibilities and squeeze every cent out of your travel budget.
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