Peace out!
We’re only one month into the new year, but if you’re itching to use your PTO, you’re not alone. About 12% of Americans vow to travel more in 2025, with one travel industry news site calling this “the year of long getaways.”
It’s important to maximize the time you have off. New research reveals a simple way to improve your health and well-being on vacation — and an annoying habit to avoid.
Psychologists at the University of Georgia analyzed 32 studies from nine countries and were surprised to learn that vacations are more beneficial for employee well-being than previously thought. Their findings were published this month in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
“Job demands and job stress are on the rise. But people think that they can’t take time off because they don’t want to look bad or lose out on an opportunity for promotion,” said Ryan Grant, lead study author and a doctoral student in psychology.
“We think working more is better, but we actually perform better by taking care of ourselves,” Grant continued. “We need to break up these intense periods of work with intense periods of rest and recuperation.”
Boost your well-being on vacation
Grant’s team determined that travelers who participate in physical activities — anything that gets their heart rate up — experience higher levels of well-being and restoration.
“A lot of physical activities you’re doing on vacation, like snorkeling for example, are physical,” Grant said. “So they’re giving you the physiological and mental health benefits. But they’re also unique opportunities for these really positive experiences that you probably don’t get in your everyday life.”
A Florida-based fitness trainer recommends packing resistance bands and doing 10-minute workouts on vacation.
Her 10-minute ab routine consists of moving planks, spider walks, toe reaches, hollow holds and side planks.
Cossack squats, sumo squats, weight slides, inner-thigh hip dips and inner-thigh lifts are part of her 10-minute inner-thigh workout.
Avoid this one pitfall
It’s easy to continue to answer emails and take work calls while you’re on vacation — but you do so at your peril.
“If you’re not at work but you’re thinking about work on vacation, you might as well be at the office,” Grant said. “Vacations are one of the few opportunities we get to fully just disconnect from work.”
Vacationing employees who disengaged from work showed the most improvement in their well-being, according to the analysis.
A US clinical psychologist suggests telling your coworkers what to expect in your absence and muting notifications on your phone.
If you still find yourself sneaking a peek, try deleting work apps altogether.
Other tips for maximizing time off work
- Use all your vacation time. Studies show that Americans collectively leave more than 600 million vacation days unused each year.
- Reduce stress by giving yourself time to pack and plan your trip.
- Carve out a day or two at the end of the vacation to ease the transition back to work.
