(03-27-2019, 06:52 PM)beechnut79 Wrote: Prime vacation season may still be a couple of months off, but some of you may be starting to think about this year's plans. Schools around me are out on spring break this year which may have slowed down food delivery sales this week even though this time usually doesn't affect much else outside of the schools. You may just feel like you need a break, you know there are things you could do but you don't have the energy to do them. Many of us not only can't afford the expense involved in taking a regular vacation of a week or more, we have been more or less brainwashed to believe that time not doing something productive is wasted time. Delivery of food has become popular as it seems as if for whatever reason so many choose not to even take a long enough time out to enjoy a sit down meal in a restaurant or perhaps even at home. Thoughts of "that's okay, tomorrow is another day, for now be kind to yourself and relax", has nearly become sinful in many folks' minds. Some of this may very well fall into the "we have met the enemy and it is us" category. I personally resisted the trend for many years but now when I think of perhaps going out, say, on a regular date, I question whether I can afford not only the monetary expense but the time expense as well. This whole "I don't have time" syndrome is, as I have often pointed out, is quite the opposite of what many pundits expected would happen with the advent of modern technology. Said technology has served to ratchet up expectations as opposed to actually saving people time. I recently had some unexpected disruptions in my own life, and that is why I have been a stranger to this site and a few others.

Quote:It was once said that nearly half of all US workers fail to use all of the vacation leave time they are entitled to, in many cases out of fear that they will be considered highly expendable if they do so. European workers, by contrast, have a much stronger culture of vacationing. Even traditionally workaholic Japan has surpassed us in the amount of vacation time taken. The outlook is no doubt made worse by the advent of the gig economy where you're independent contractors and not allotted any real vacation, sick leave, or other benefits. I recently talked with the owner or manager of a restaurant I sometimes pick up at, and he told me that, like it or not, the gig economy is going to be the wave of the future and that there will be fewer and fewer traditional jobs with full pay and benefits. This already began with the trend toward companies using more and more temporary workers out of staffing agencies.

Quote:So, are you planning to take any true vacations this year, or are you in the category that just can't afford to? In the spirit of full disclosure I tend to fall into the latter camp, although I may try to squeeze a couple of days away if I am lucky. While we're at it I may also seek out opinions as to whether we ever will become that society of increased leisure we were once all but promised.

(03-27-2019, 06:52 PM)beechnut79 Wrote: Prime vacation season may still be a couple of months off, but some of you may be starting to think about this year's plans. Schools around me are out on spring break this year which may have slowed down food delivery sales this week even though this time usually doesn't affect much else outside of the schools. You may just feel like you need a break, you know there are things you could do but you don't have the energy to do them. Many of us not only can't afford the expense involved in taking a regular vacation of a week or more, we have been more or less brainwashed to believe that time not doing something productive is wasted time. Delivery of food has become popular as it seems as if for whatever reason so many choose not to even take a long enough time out to enjoy a sit down meal in a restaurant or perhaps even at home. Thoughts of "that's okay, tomorrow is another day, for now be kind to yourself and relax", has nearly become sinful in many folks' minds. Some of this may very well fall into the "we have met the enemy and it is us" category. I personally resisted the trend for many years but now when I think of perhaps going out, say, on a regular date, I question whether I can afford not only the monetary expense but the time expense as well. This whole "I don't have time" syndrome is, as I have often pointed out, is quite the opposite of what many pundits expected would happen with the advent of modern technology. Said technology has served to ratchet up expectations as opposed to actually saving people time. I recently had some unexpected disruptions in my own life, and that is why I have been a stranger to this site and a few others.

It was once said that nearly half of all US workers fail to use all of the vacation leave time they are entitled to, in many cases out of fear that they will be considered highly expendable if they do so. European workers, by contrast, have a much stronger culture of vacationing. Even traditionally workaholic Japan has surpassed us in the amount of vacation time taken. The outlook is no doubt made worse by the advent of the gig economy where you're independent contractors and not allotted any real vacation, sick leave, or other benefits. I recently talked with the owner or manager of a restaurant I sometimes pick up at, and he told me that, like it or not, the gig economy is going to be the wave of the future and that there will be fewer and fewer traditional jobs with full pay and benefits. This already began with the trend toward companies using more and more temporary workers out of staffing agencies.

So, are you planning to take any true vacations this year, or are you in the category that just can't afford to? In the spirit of full disclosure I tend to fall into the latter camp, although I may try to squeeze a couple of days away if I am lucky. While we're at it I may also seek out opinions as to whether we ever will become that society of increased leisure we were once all but promised.

(03-28-2019, 12:20 PM)Tim Randal Walker Wrote: Well, the brainwashing didn't work on me.  The little time off that I have is needed to avoid burnout, so I sure don't feel guilty.


Some relevant terms.

Staycation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staycation

Came across a definition for a Nearcation-going someplace within driving distance for a long weekend.

(03-28-2019, 12:20 PM)Tim Randal Walker Wrote: Well, the brainwashing didn't work on me.  The little time off that I have is needed to avoid burnout, so I sure don't feel guilty.


Some relevant terms.

Staycation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staycation

Came across a definition for a Nearcation-going someplace within driving distance for a long weekend.

(03-30-2019, 12:48 PM)sbarrera Wrote: If a "nearcation" is driving to a nearby city to visit relatives, then I do that all the time. But that's not what I think of as a vacation at all, I assumed we were talking about taking an extended trip with days off of work. Staycation I have done often in the past, but not so much now because my girlfriend likes to travel so if I took a week off of work it would be when she is off of work and we would do *something* interesting.

Driving 3-4 hours to see relatives for the weekend is just keeping up with family. I mean, you want to see them regularly because time is fleeting.

(03-30-2019, 12:48 PM)sbarrera Wrote: If a "nearcation" is driving to a nearby city to visit relatives, then I do that all the time. But that's not what I think of as a vacation at all, I assumed we were talking about taking an extended trip with days off of work. Staycation I have done often in the past, but not so much now because my girlfriend likes to travel so if I took a week off of work it would be when she is off of work and we would do *something* interesting.

Driving 3-4 hours to see relatives for the weekend is just keeping up with family. I mean, you want to see them regularly because time is fleeting.

(03-27-2019, 07:50 PM)sbarrera Wrote: I'm a contractor with no benefits, therefore in the "gig" economy. I try to save money and take vacations when I can, though it might be tough this year. I'm not sure how "traditional" a job with benefits is - did they have them 100 years ago? I thought that kind of job was a temporary phenomenon that benefited a few generations only - the GIs, the Silents, and early-wave Boomers.

(07-08-2019, 08:16 AM)beechnut79 Wrote:

(03-27-2019, 07:50 PM)sbarrera Wrote: I'm a contractor with no benefits, therefore in the "gig" economy. I try to save money and take vacations when I can, though it might be tough this year. I'm not sure how "traditional" a job with benefits is - did they have them 100 years ago? I thought that kind of job was a temporary phenomenon that benefited a few generations only - the GIs, the Silents, and early-wave Boomers.

 I thought that kind of job was a temporary phenomenon that benefited a few generations only - the GIs, the Silents, and early-wave Boomers.

Obviously true, but this is still being held up as the gold standard for what an economy should be, and probably will continue to do so as long as there are folks alive who remember this model, even if only children at the time who didn't need to worry whether Daddy would come home one day and no longer have a job. I am sure there were some folks who felt that this is what Trump meant when he campaigned on the theme of "Make America Great Again". I have chosen to withhold judgment as to whether or not this is what he meant.