Vacation frustration: Maybe hoarding days until December isn’t the best idea

Simon Allen says he has a blind spot when it comes to vacation days. “I think I’m going to go on this big trip at the end of the year, so I save my days,” he says. “And then the end of the year comes and nothing. I don’t go anywhere so I have to use my days to be stuck at home.”

The 42-year-old insurance analyst in Lakeland, Colorado, says this year he would have stayed home anyway, given the pandemic, but he’s pretty sure he would have enjoyed a few days off in July instead of December. “I love Colorado because the sun is out so much,” he says. “But July sun, to me at least, is better than December sun, and I miss being outdoors.”

Workers stuck at home this year may avoid the December rush in the future and instead, use their days off wisely throughout the year, says Bonnie Merifold, a career coach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Far too many of us think that we have to be on vacation in order to take a day off of work,” says Merifold. “In reality, we should be lining up our days off throughout the year and we should be using them for a variety of reasons.”

Although Merifold acknowledges the usual day-off prompts, like doctors’ appointments and wait-at-home visits from the cable company, she says it’s important to use time off throughout the year to “renew and refresh,” a concept she hasn’t always endorsed.

“When I worked in HR, the term ‘me-time’ started to get more popular, as in ‘I’m taking tomorrow off for some me-time,’” Merifold says. “We’d have employees take personal days so they could do small favors for themselves, like manicures and spa days. It used to infuriate me, but my boss was a big proponent of the concept. She would encourage people to be more self-serving with their time. Pretty soon after, it became obvious that the idea of the me-time day was important.”

Allen says next year, he’s taking Fridays off in June and July. “I don’t know when I can travel again but I know I love long weekends,” he says. “I’m going to be a little more proactive about my time in the future.”

For now, there’s always at-home entertainment. “I’m going to do some hiking on my days off, maybe take some photos outside to test out my new camera, but I know me,” he says. “A lot of my vacation will be spent on the couch, binge-watching whatever pops up on Netflix.”