• Despite advocating for a healthy work-life balance, 70% of British Gen Zers are holiday deprived and struggle with taking, planning, and enjoying a holiday.
• 24th Annual Vacation Deprivation Report finds Brits are 10% more vacation deprived than five years ago but less than most other nations.
• Expedia unveils tips on how to get more out of your time off by taking inspiration from the least holiday deprived countries around the world.
• UK Psychologist Dr Becky Spelman reveals positive impact holidays can have on wellbeing and relationships, including the ‘holiday halo’ effect.

Today, Expedia released its 24^th Vacation Deprivation report, finding that Gen Zers globally are more holiday deprived than any other generation. While only 38% of Baby Boomers report they feel like they don’t have enough vacation time, a whopping 70% of Britain’s youngest workers claim to be deprived of enough time off.  

“Despite receiving more than five weeks of annual leave from their employers, Gen Zers in the UK left on average two days unused in 2023, due to FOMO and guilt,” says Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group brands public relations. “That means if they don’t change their mindset and become more confident about taking time off in the near future, they will waste over three months over the course of their career, almost a month more than Baby Boomers.”   

FOMO is keeping Gen Z from taking a holiday 
While Boomers take time off more frequently, more than half of Gen Z workers (53%) go six months or more between holidays. Only 7% allow themselves a break from work every month. For today’s youngest workforce, the big thing holding them back is FOMO, the gnawing fear of missing out. While FOMO is not exclusive to any particular generation, it’s most prevalent in Gen Z with one in two (52%) saying they have fear of missing out on something important at work when away, versus just 16% of Boomers.  

Another reason that makes it difficult for UK Gen Zers to take time off is guilt. Fifty-two percent feel guilty having coworkers covering their work when on a trip, and 50% feel the need to apologise for taking annual leave. Not even a fifth of Boomers share the same concerns. 

Brits are not as holiday deprived as other Europeans and leave the fewest days behind 
International vacation deprivation has remained the same in 2023, with approximately two-thirds of employed professionals saying they feel somewhat or very holiday deprived. ​  

For Brits, 56% feel holiday deprived according to Expedia’s report, 10% higher than five years ago, so with over half the nation yearning for more holidays, it is perhaps not a surprise given that almost one in five Brits went a full year without a holiday last year.  

British women feel more vacation deprived than men (57% versus 54%), and the top reasons for not holidaying are that people are too busy (20%), saving time off for unexpected leave (20%) and saving money for one big trip (18%). 

It is international travel that most Brits spend their holiday days on (42%). However, their perfect make up of annual trips would be to take five long weekends, three one-weeklong holidays and two 14-day holidays per year. 

Comparing the UK to other nations, the biggest year-on-year shift in vacation deprivation sees Germans become 14% more holiday deprived versus last year, and the Japanese 10% more. On the flip side, Mexicans and Australians saw a positive shift, feeling 13% and 8% less deprived respectively.  
 

UK employers champion holiday time, with Brits desperate for a 4-day working week 

On average, Brits receive 26.5 holiday days from their employer and ended up using 25 days in 2023, while those lucky ones with unlimited leave used 30 days. In 2024, a quarter of Brits plan on taking more holidays than they did in 2023 and the nation’s employers could encourage it. Expedia’s report showed that UK employers are doing a good job of encouraging people to take holiday days, with 76% of Brits feeling their employer is supportive of them taking holidays. 

Almost 90% of Brits are in favour of moving to a 4-day week though, predominantly to have more personal time (40%) for things like appointments, managing the household and projects, with a quarter saying they’d use that extra time to travel. 

Holiday habits from around the world  

With the UK sitting in the middle of the pack for feelings of vacation deprivation and days left behind, there are lessons to be learned from other countries: 

• Japan, the least vacation-deprived country in the world, makes weekends count: Japanese respondents are seven times more likely to take a trip monthly compared to other countries, despite only taking 11 days of holiday annually. Their strategy: Take advantage of public holidays or office and school closures to schedule frequent, short getaways that allow for a break from the routine and a quick refresh between longer trips, without dipping into precious holiday allocation.  
• France, took the most days off of any country globally, says spread it out: Brits didn’t use all their time off in 2023, leaving two days behind, with almost one in five saving up for one big trip instead. French respondents, on the other hand, tend to shy away from the “big trip,” with nearly a third (30%) opting to spread their days off evenly throughout the year instead. Taking the pressure off a big annual trip can save time and holiday allowance. 
• Hong Kong, the only location not to leave any annual leave days behind, take more than their allocation: In 2023, took 2 days more than their annual allocation and looking ahead, 15% vow to do it again in 2024 (highest globally).   

“No one means to leave vacation days behind, but life gets busy and it’s the research, planning and booking part that slows us down,” says Fish. “Some 53% say they feel overwhelmed by the process, but the good news is in 2024 there’s tech that makes it easier. If it’s flight prices keeping you up at night, Price Tracking* in the Expedia app helps members book without the stress and get to the fun part — the holiday.”  

 
Science of the vacation: Why holidays are the ultimate mood booster 

As expected, two thirds (65%) of Brits feel their mood boost when they were on holiday but interestingly over 40% see their mood improve when they book the trip and even the planning of it boosting over a third of Brits mood (35%). 

That holiday feeling is all about rest and relaxing for two thirds of Brits (65%), for 55% it is about spending quality time with loved ones and for 41% it is that freeing feeling from the daily responsibilities. Almost 90% of Brits think holidays are good for health and wellbeing, that it is a deserved basic right and that they always come back feeling less anxious.    

Expedia has partnered with leading UK Psychologist Dr Becky Spelman, who backs up these findings, and reveals the science behind holidays and how it impacts your life, including the ‘holiday halo’ effect. She explains: “Everyone’s idea of what a great vacation looks like is different, but having some meaningful downtime is absolutely essential for our mental and physical health. Like Expedia, I am championing the idea that no vacation days should be left behind and I challenge everyone to take time off, rest, relax and enjoy vacation time with your loved ones.” 

Dr Spelman’s Top Five positive impacts holidays can have on our wellbeing: 

1. Reduce stress – Even when we really love our jobs, work can be stressful. When we are stressed, our bodies produce elevated levels of adrenaline and cortisol, making us hyperalert, and causing our muscles to tense. While short-term stress is a healthy response to danger, chronic stress impacts both our mental and physical health, contributing to symptoms such as indigestion, high blood pressure, muscle tension, and more. Regular vacations can make an enormous difference on stress levels as these are periods when we can focus on our wellbeing, utterly relax, and unwind.  
    

2. Brain Break – Vacations are not only time away from our duties but can make us work more effectively. You know how sometimes your computer needs a reboot? Our brains are much the same. Over time, work stress can build up to an unsustainable level and our brain functions start to slow down and work less effectively. When we take a break, it’s easier for our brains to absorb new information, process new sensations and create new memories – a process known as “cognitive flexibility”. The benefits can last long after the vacation is over. By taking time off and “rebooting” our brain, we return refreshed, which can lead to longer term job satisfaction.  
    

3. Serotonin boost leads to a ‘holiday halo’ – Having a vacation when we get to focus on ourselves and what makes us happy is important to our wellbeing. Planning the vacation, going on it and then reflecting afterwards on what we’ve done, all boosts happiness, and along with it the levels of serotonin in the brain, contributing to positive mood and a healthy brain — for much longer than any vacation lasts. Elevated mood can persist for at least a month following a vacation, and that even just taking a break once a year can reduce stress levels at work in general. 
      

4. Quality family time that lasts – Vacations are times when families can devote themselves to one another, have fun, and really getting to know one another as individuals. When we have new experiences, we create new neural connections in our brains and the human brain continues to develop those connections for a lifetime. These are particularly important in a child’s developing brain, as memories created in childhood can persist for years, and positive associations can cause our bodies to secrete feel-good hormones, such as serotonin, even many years later.  
    

5. Travel and learn – Vacations are downtime, but they are also times when we learn a lot. The very act of travelling, of seeing, tasting, and experiencing new things is a learning experience in and of itself – and having new experiences leads to the creation of new neural pathways, helping to keep our mind stimulated, and open to learn and adapt from whatever life might throw at it. Whatever age we are, we can return from vacation intellectually stimulated, open to new experiences, and ready for more. 

Dr Spelman’s Top Five positive impacts holidays can have on relationships: 

1. Creating memories. When we look back on our lives, our memories often centre around the exceptional moments: anniversaries, birthdays, Christmases and, of course, vacations, and these stand-out events lead to memories that last forever. Recalling special moments, talking about them, and looking at photographs can bring back the positive emotions and feelings of togetherness that help keep a relationship strong, while those feelings lead to the secretion of serotonin, which makes us feel a heady sense of happiness, while contributing to a general sense of wellbeing. 
    

2. Less tension. We can all get short tempered with those closest to us at times but by taking meaningful vacations, we reduce our overall levels of stress, resulting in us being less likely to react negatively when speedbumps come along in our relationships. By removing chronic stress from the equation, and introducing new and positive experiences, we are giving our brains the opportunity to learn and rediscover the things we appreciate in our loved ones. Because we are more relaxed and happier, we are less likely to default to fight-or-flight mode when there’s a problem, and consequently are less irritable and less likely to argue with the people we love.  
    

3. Pushing us out of our routine. Most of us are busy, busy, busy with the daily grind. We’re often exhausted and each week can seem the same as the next. By going on vacation with our loved one, we can break out of our usual routine, do new things, be spontaneous in a way we can’t usually and see one another in a new light. By breaking out of autopilot and getting comfortable with change, we keep our brain young, by giving it the opportunity to develop new neural networks in response to new experiences. 
    

4. Learn something new together. It could be a yoga retreat, cooking class or hiking holiday that pushes you both beyond your comfort level. Whatever your shared interests are, a vacation is an opportunity to try something new and learn something about one another in the process. The intensity of shared positive emotions can create extraordinary bonds, and not just when you are living the experience. Shared recollections, long after the vacation is over, will trigger the same feel-good cascade of hormones and chemicals that result from enjoyable experiences, and that foster feelings of togetherness.  
    

5. Improves physical intimacy. In our busy lives, physical intimacy can get pushed aside. It can be difficult to find time to be romantic when we are tired and stressed. But when we are on holiday, we have all the time in the world and can relax together, make one another feel good and rekindle the passion. In fact, research shows that people who are intimate more often report higher levels of happiness and better physical health. The benefits show more effective immune systems, a lower rate of premature death and, among older adults, better recall and cognitive function.  

From now through until July 14, vacation-deprived Expedia members can save 25% or more on thousands of hotels with Expedia’s Summer Deals***. With deals valid for travel through the end of October, it’s the perfect time to become a member and lock in a trip to ensure vacation days don’t get left behind this year. 

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About the research:   

Expedia first commissioned Vacation Deprivation in 2000 to examine the work-life balance of people worldwide. The annual study is currently in its 24^th year and was conducted online among 11,580 respondents across North and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Commissioned from March 26 to April 3, 2024, on behalf of Expedia by HarrisX Research Partners, a global strategic research firm, responses were gathered using an amalgamated group of best-in-class panels. Looking at the margin of error for the global average, a 1% difference is statistically significant at 90% confidence.    
 

*Price Tracking price predictions are not a guarantee. Available in the app to members on select routes. 

***Expedia’s Summer Deals are available to members only.