Australians can’t afford to take holidays

Australians are no longer the holiday-loving, laid-back and relaxed workers they used to be. Online travel company Expedia has released its annual global “vacation deprivation” survey, which says Australians are the least likely people in the world to use up their annual leave.

The survey, which includes countries such as the United States, Canada, Britain, Spain and France, says it is the second consecutive year Australia has come up last.

Rather than family or logistic problems, 32% of Australians blame the credit crunch for their lack of holidaying, while 34% said they just couldn’t afford to stop working.

Arthur Hoffman, managing director of Expedia.com.au, says: “The results of this survey encourage Australians to take more holidays in line with the rest of the world.”

Macquarie University organisational psychologist Ben Searle told The Age that the survey results are more than just worrying. If people delay vacations for too long and push themselves too hard, they can “affect health and relationships, and in extreme cases has been linked to premature deaths”.

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