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- Nearly a quarter of American workers feel burnt out at work, according to a recent poll.
- More than half of workers plan to use their paid time off for vacation, and many are cutting back on other expenses to save money for travel.
- Experts advise planning ahead and taking shorter, more frequent trips to make the most of your vacations throughout the year.
American workers are feeling burnt out.
A new USA TODAY /SurveyMonkey workforce survey of the U.S. workforce found that 24% of workers say they are struggling at work or feeling burnt out.
To cope with the recession, more than half of the 3,156 workers surveyed said they plan to take paid time off (PTO).
Survey results show that 55% of respondents plan to use their PTO for vacation and 50% say they will use it for family obligations.
Almost half of respondents who said they felt burnt out said they used paid time off for mental health breaks.
As the economy tightens, travel remains a priority for many workers. According to the survey, 51% of respondents cut back on spending in other areas to continue traveling.
If you want to make the most of your paid time off this year, you can take it strategically and maximize your vacation time while minimizing the number of days.
“Unfortunately, Americans take the gold medal for using the least amount of paid vacation time. Expedia research shows that the average worker gets about 12 days of paid vacation per year, but more than half don’t use all of their paid vacation days,” Melanie Fish, Expedia Group’s vice president of global communications, previously told USA TODAY. “My advice to Americans is simple: Plan ahead. Don’t hoard your vacation time for one big trip. Instead, book several 3-4 day vacations to coincide with school and office closures. Submit these vacation requests early in the year to secure the most in-demand dates, and actually enjoy the time you get.”
Services like Intrepid’s 4-6 day short break trips show you how to turn a long weekend into a rewarding vacation.
Here’s how to make the most of your paid time off for the rest of 2026.
In preparation for President’s Day (Monday, February 16th)
- Request PTO for Friday, February 13th
- Consecutive holidays: 4 days (February 13th to 16th)
Memorial Day (Monday, May 25th)
- Request PTO for Friday, May 22nd
- Consecutive holidays: 4 days (May 22nd to 25th)
Juneteenth (Friday, June 19th)
- Request PTO for Monday, June 22nd
- Consecutive holidays: 4 days (June 19th to 22nd)
Independence Day (July 3rd in 2026)
- Request PTO for Monday, July 6th
- Consecutive holidays: 4 days (July 3rd to 6th)
For Labor Day (Monday, September 7th)
- Request PTO for Friday, September 4th
- Consecutive holidays: 4 days (September 4th to 7th)
Columbus Day (Monday, October 12th)
- Request PTO for Friday, October 9th
- Consecutive holidays: 4 days (October 9th to October 12th)
Veterans Day (Wednesday, November 11th)
- Request PTO for Monday, November 9th and Tuesday, November 10th. or Thursday, November 12th and Friday, November 13th
- Consecutive holidays: 5 days (November 7th to 11th or November 11th to 15th)
For Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 26th)
- Request PTO on Monday, November 23rd. Tuesday, November 24th, Wednesday, November 25th, Friday, November 27th (if Friday is not already a holiday)
- Consecutive holidays: 9 days (November 21st to 29th)
Christmas Day (Friday, December 25th)
- Request PTO on Monday, December 21st. Tuesday, December 22nd. Wednesday, December 23rd, Thursday, December 24th (unless Christmas Eve is already closed)
- Consecutive holidays: 9 days (December 19th to December 27th)
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and can be reached at zwichter@usatoday.com.
