OK, so you have two weeks of paid time off each year. Not too shabby. But here’s the real question: Do you use it all on one epic vacation? (Two weeks exploring northern Italy does sound pretty magical…) Or, do you break up your PTO so you can take several mini trips throughout the year?
If that second option has you intrigued, well, you’re not alone. It’s actually a new travel trend otherwise known as a micro-cation, and—you guessed it—millennials are making the most out of them.
If we’re going off a normal American workweek, opting to take off a Friday here or a Monday there extends the average two-day weekend into a three-day reprieve. That means you could potentially leave after work on Thursday and return Sunday night, enjoying an exciting (or relaxing—your pick) two-and-a-half days on vacation while missing only one day of work.
While trends in travel once revolved around lengthier timelines, Allianz Travel Insurance Vacation Confidence Index reports that 72 percent of millennials took at least one micro-cation in the last year, while 29 percent said they took three micro-cations during that same time period.
Considering the rise of affordable flights and the never-ending barrage of vacation shots on our social media feeds, it’s not surprising that people want to experience more and more and still be able to make rent. But there’s also the fact that so many millennials came into and evolved with a never-not-working culture. Email and Slack are fabulous for staying connected to the world…but also for feeling chained to the office. That helps explain why 25 percent of this generation feels “vacation shame,” which makes requesting time off work a mental hurdle. But…requesting one or two days seems far more palatable, right?
Everywhere! It’s really up to the traveler and their comfort level. For some folks, a three-day vacation to Paris might not be worth it, while others consider it the ideal length.
The moral of the story? Brief or lengthy, vacation is in the eye of the beholder.
