This seems to be a typical American issue. No matter how much money you earn, you can take vacation.
You don’t need to go far away in an exotic country. You could stay at home if you have a house or visit friends, or use appartment / house exchange programs! Spare a few extra bucks to prepare for your vacation, just like you shop for food (or less needed stuff, i’m sure)

So now that we settled the money issue. You can find a job that gives you vacation. You can switch countries: in France we have up to 50 days of paid vacation (we get paid to go on vacation!).

Then don’t forget, ever that vacation means resting and cooling down.
So you need to lower your stress level by doing great activities, or being lazy, it’s up to you.

At the same time, turn off everything related to work, both physically and mentally. You’re not at work, you’re on vacation. As it was said in another post, if your truly needed, you don’t need to worry about your job being given to someone else. And if you are disposable, well bosses are exchangeable too.

I think people don’t fight enough in the US to really try to find the job they want, they are too worried about Short Term consequences and not long term satisfaction.

Vacation is a requirement, to rest the soul, and the body. To get ready for some more ! See in France we don’t do shit you think? well our productivity levels are quite highers than yours. Why ? We get some rest, so we are not too tired, stressed out, etc…

Same thing for people in spain, they rest, even during their day of work : la siesta!
Good for productivity too.

So don’t try to be the good son your mom didn’t have, we are talking about jobs and this is totally up to your choices, expectations, and making the market evolve in the right direction. Demand and offer are truly two component of the same result : the labor market. you are one of them, don’t forget that…. There is not only your boss deciding but you too…

On this note, have a great vacation. By the way, I’m just about to leave for 4 weeks on vacation : 3 in the US and 1 in Mexico. I can come, make you a free willing hostage and come back to france with you in my suit cases so you can enjoy a different life, with your job on one side, but also enjoying your wife, your time on your own, your children, leisures, visiting new countries and so on.

I work about 30 hours a week, gets 7 weeks of vacation (some get 10… here), have a nice salary to live on (EUR 60,000 = $ 85 000). See life can be easy. You don’t have to work two jobs, you just have to ask for the right salary, and conditions that you deserve.
I would not accept to be paid more for less time off, for example, it’s an important part of my life that I want to dedicate my time to.

Good luck!

As for scheduling conflicts, at the beginning of each year my team and I hang a new calendar. This is where we indicate when we may be taking time off – notice I said MAY BE. This ensures that we don’t overlap. It’s also come in handy when you that you will be away for a special occasion, like a 10th wedding anniversary, your wedding, or the birth of your grandchild.

But the key is communication. We have also implemented a buddy system so that if one person is away (even for a day) the buddy will check for any urgent e-mails and voicemails.

Trust me, you can have a relaxing vacation and not have to worry about coming back to chaos.

The key is to be enough time zones away that your input on a problem will always be too late. I like to be at least 8 hours away.

1. I always plan my holidays out on New Years Day! I pick the dates, the location, and I book it in with work and the venue immediately. It is so refreshing to have these great events to work towards, and because it is in your mind for some time, you will find that you subconsciously create a space in the mayhem for the break!

2. As far as the office is concerned, EVERY location to which you vacate has no phone reception (even if it does)!

But don’t beat up on yourself if you find it hard to switch off .. it is a common ailment. Captain J. A. Hatfield put it this way – “The art of resting the mind and the power of dismissing from it all care and worry is probably one of the secrets of our great men.”

My boss and my boss’s boss are also of the same ilk – that kind of lends some credibility to the situation – “If I want to get his job, this is what is expected of me…”

Personally I feel the situation is about control, or lack of it. If you are unable to manage or control your business, or the part of it for which you are responsible, (not necessarily your fault!) being out of contact might allow for this to be found out.

Being in constant contact means you can ‘firefight’ constantly, maintaining the illusion of control.

It could be a combination of having European bosses because I’ve also always had at least 4 weeks vacation + any sick days on top of it, and I’ve always used all of my vacation every year. This has been true since graduation. I don’t put myself in a situation where others can dictate terms to me like being connected even when I’m gone. I don’t put myself in a situation where I allow others to dictate my free time to me.

I think there are a number of challenges for people. One guy I know actually has a real problem shutting off while another guy doesn’t shut off, but can if he felt he could. Personally, I think it’s always in the control of the individual employee, but too often we go into the workforce assuming the opposite, and hence we relinquish control to those we assume have control over us. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy in my opinion.

1. There is never a good time to go on vacation, so just decide when it is best for you to go and then go.
2. The objective of a vacation is restoration. If you are tethered to all the communications with the office, there is no restoration, only more stress because you are still hooked into the work but in a place where you can do little about it.
3. Most companies would lay you off in a heartbeat if they weren’t making objectives. Why you would put up with not having time off away from all work activities seems to be an unrealistic sense of loyalty.
4. If you are the only one who can do the work, the company will either hire someone else to support you — since you are undoubtedly working 24×7 while not on vacation — or figure out that you are indispensable, a good situation in either case.
5. Finally, how you go on vacation and under what conditions is really your decision. If you decide to go on vacation and not work, that’s your decision and if people at work can’t respect that, then you should be having an issue with where you work. If you go on vacation and decide to work, that’s your decision too. If you decide to work on vacation, you can’t complain about working on vacation. It’s your decision. You can guess what side of that decision I’m on…

And, yes, vacation time stateside sucks compared to Europe.

Step Two: On your first or second day, express this *assertively* but not agressively to your new boss as one of your expectations of him. In the same conversation, ask what his expectations of you are.

I like the philosophy that Peter mentions, and I applaud Justin’s steps.

My two cents:

Take some time off. No one will do it for you.