New Travel Survey Reveals The Truth About Taking Time Off From Work

Are you a Summer Friday-er, or the type who's still slumped over your desk on a holiday weekend? A new travel survey from Priceline.com could help you figure out just where your vacation habits rank. The data will be publicly released next week, but we've got an exclusive sneak peek ahead — and the results may surprise you. The Priceline.com Summer Getaway Survey, conducted using Google Consumer Surveys, questioned American workers about their summer vacation schedules. Of 15,723 respondents, 43.5% said their employers did not approve additional time off, such as Summer Fridays or earlier closing hours. Tough break, guys. Still, 34.6% out of a smaller pool of 558 respondents said they would be taking more time off this summer, compared to 18.4% who had less holiday time booked, and 47% who were keeping the same vacation time as last summer. A majority of respondents said they use their days off for actual traveling, as opposed to catching up on personal errands or enjoying a staycation — suggesting that employees want to make the most out of what vacation time they get. Of course, there are still those of us who spend our days off catching up on work. Out of 561 respondents, 27.9% of employees said their bosses want them to stay in touch with the office while they're away, and 11% claimed their bosses expect them to spend that time working. Just 38% reported that their bosses do not want them working at all while on vacation — which might help explain why nearly half of respondents admitted to making their vacations plans while at work. It all kind of makes you want to go freelance or move to France, right? But, until then, maybe you can strategically "forget" to pack your laptop.