Most people, when asked how much time they prefer to take off of work for a vacation, say they prefer to take longer periods of time off (for example, 2 to 3 weeks). We're all overworking, and work (and life) is stressful, so it makes sense that we try to get away from our jobs for as long as possible. But, is vacationing longer actually more beneficial for us?
A study of Dutch workers, had one group of workers go on a 9-day vacation and another group of workers go on a 4.5-day vacation. They asked both groups to report on six health and well-being indicators: health status, mood, tension, energy level, fatigue and satisfaction. The groups rated these indicators on a scale of one to ten before, during and after their vacation. The researchers found that many vacationers experienced a significant positive change in health and well-being while on vacation REGARDLESS of whether the vacation was 9 or 4.5 days in length.
Several studies have found similar results to this study and many researchers have concluded that there is no association between vacation duration and happiness, health and wellness, stress, burnout, job satisfaction, job involvement, organizational commitment, turnover intention and life satisfaction across vacations as short as two days to vacations as long as 17 days. In other words, if you take a long versus a short vacation, you will NOT be happier, healthier, less burned out, more satisfied with your job, more committed to your job or more satisfied with your life.
So how long should you vacation for?
I advocate for taking short vacations (of 4-7 days) and here is why:
- You can take more throughout the year.
- If you love traveling, taking frequent vacations means that you can travel to more places.
- It’s easier to leave work for shorter periods of time. There will be less overtime work leading up to and after a vacation, you will need less coverage while you are away, and you won’t miss as many meetings or emails.
- It’s easier to leave daily life for shorter periods of time. Taking shorter vacations means you will experience less stress leaving kids or pets behind, missing out on routine activities such as sports training or scheduled exercise, or neglecting household duties or personal matters.
- There’s less stress planning and preparing for the vacation.
- Short vacations are cheaper than long vacations.
- You are less likely to adapt to the novelty of your vacation. A 10-day vacation at a resort in Mexico might seem like a good idea, but the novelty of the resort is likely to wear off after the first couple of days being there and you might start to feel bored or yearn for a comfortable home-town coffee on day 5 of your vacation.
However, long vacations may be necessary if you:
1. Are highly stressed - If you are experiencing a high level of stress or you haven't taken a vacation in a long time (and that is contributing to your high level of stress) then you will want to take a longer vacation. The more stress athletes put on their muscles, the longer it takes them to recover. The more stress you put on your brain, the longer it takes to recover.
2. Want to travel far - if you want to travel far away from your home you will want to take longer vacations to balance the time it takes to travel with the time you actually get to relax in a destination.
So, how long should you vacation for?
Based on my own experience, I have created a formula to determine approximately how long we should vacation for. To calculate the length of your next vacation, multiply your stress level (on a scale of 1 to 10) by the time it has been since your last vacation (in weeks) and then divide by 10 (see image below). The computed number will be your vacation duration reported in days.
Here's an example of how the vacation duration calculator works. The average person reports a stress level of approximately a 5 out of 10. If the average person hasn't taken a vacation in 10 weeks, then they will need at a minimum a 5-day vacation to recover from stress.
Use the Vacation Duration Formula as a guide. If you get a small vacation duration but you have to travel across 5 time zones, then length your vacation duration.
Try out the Vacation Duration Formula and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Happy Vacationing 🏝