Americans are overworked and it seems to be especially bad for young workers.
By generation, Gen Z and millennial workers are “significantly more vacation deprived and burned out” than workers in their 50s, according to Expedia’s latest vacation deprivation study of 14,500 working adults in 16 countries.
Some would say that the best time to travel is when you’re young, younger at work, and have fewer responsibilities. But these workers don’t always have the authority to delegate their tasks, or they may feel the need to prove themselves while on the clock. Then there is the budget aspect of being able to travel.
CNBC Make It spoke to a handful of very busy corporate executives with decades of work experience asking the same question: What would you tell your 25-year-old self to take time off?
Here’s their best advice.
Don’t wait for the perfect moment to take a vacation
“There is never a perfect moment. My co-founders and I started building [Boomerang] when we were in our 20s. We were paying off student loans and had nowhere to go. But we took every chance to do the lowest budget travel we could afford. Now that we are a little older and the company is more successful, we have the resources to travel. But we also have children and more responsibilities. So it’s hard to balance having resources in terms of time and money versus responsibility.”
– Aye Moah, co-founder and CEO of Boomerang
You’re not that important
“I would say to my 25-year-old self: ‘You’re not important enough for your workplace to be without you for a few days.’
It was absolutely a time when I felt the need to constantly connect with what was happening at work. And in retrospect, I’m not so sure that was my workplace’s expectation as much as it was my ego thinking that they just couldn’t make it while I had three days off. And that’s just stupid.”
– Melanie Fish, head of global PR for Expedia Group Brands
Be more adventurous
“When I was younger, every five to seven years, I would go on trips with my parents to where they grew up in Southeast Asia. In my 20s, I would much rather be out with my friends in Vegas .
It took me a while to think about what a privilege it was to connect not only with my family, but with my ancestors and where I came from. Those were some of the most transformative moments I’ve had as an individual learning where I came from.”
– Eric Han, head of US security at TikTok
Those who have a problem with your boundaries are trying to take advantage
“Set boundaries and actually take breaks. The only people who have a problem with you setting boundaries are the people who have benefited from you not setting boundaries.
In all my years of work, I’ve never said, ‘Man, I should have worked that extra day and skipped that day off.'”
– Courtney McMillian, Head of Total Rewards at Twitter
Take time off every day
“Getting rest every day is critical. If you’re waiting to go on vacation three months from now, oh my god, that’s a long time.
Free time doesn’t have to be a big, expensive vacation. It could be turning off your devices after hours. The time off can be between lunch and your next meeting. Free time can be your dinner time with your family. Little exercises throughout the day can go a long way, whether it’s a two-minute meditation or time spent stretching. Take that time for yourself.”
– Dr. Geeta Nayyarchief medical officer at Salesforce
Don’t get tired of proving yourself
“I don’t want to speak for everyone, but I’m a first-generation immigrant. And often when we come to this country, we have a tendency to work too hard to prove ourselves because we have so many obstacles to overcome. But I will telling my younger self to just take a break. You’ll be better off if you do.”
– Desiree Pascual, Chief People Officer at Headspace Health
