More than half of American workers (55%) failed to use all their time off last year. That’s a stockpile of 768 million unused vacation days just in 2018, of which 236 million were forfeited completely. 

What’s the key to using more vacation time? Planning. But nearly half of American households (46%) don’t do this simple step—and they lose out on their time off and the benefits it brings. 

“The beginning of the year is the time to pull out the calendar and start planning for the entire year. Before you know it, life happens, and you may find yourself in November with weeks left to use and simply not enough time left in the year to schedule them,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of U.S. Travel Association, the organization rallying the industry around this nationwide event.

“National Plan for Vacation Day is the perfect reminder for Americans to plan to use those well-earned days off to explore this great nation. From the beaches of Puerto Rico to the Montana mountain tops, America truly has something for every travel style and budget.”

Using vacation days to travel could also improve the U.S. economy, create American jobs and have a positive impact on our health and overall well-being. In fact, if Americans used all their time off to travel, our economy could see a boost of $151.5 billion in travel spending and an additional 2 million U.S. jobs. 

“AAA Western and Central New York is celebrating National Plan for Vacation Day to encourage Americans to take their well-deserved time off,” said Elizabeth Carey, Director of Public Relations. “And what better way to take a day than to travel? By committing to planning on January 28, Americans can all enjoy the many benefits of taking a break while giving themselves something to look forward to—and AAA Travel has some great ideas to help you plan your perfect getaway.”

To help employees get their vacation days on the calendar, U.S. Travel Association has created a Vacation Planning Tool. By simply entering the number of days off they earn, users can plot out their trips or vacations for the year, export to their work or personal calendar and share with their friends, family and co-workers. 

National Plan for Vacation Day takes place during the last Tuesday in January as a day to encourage Americans to plan their vacation days for the rest of the year at the start of the year.

Research shows that planners have a distinct advantage over non-planners: They use more of their time, take longer vacations, and are happier.

• 76% of planners used their vacation time to travel vs. 50% percent of non-planners.
• Planners used an average of 12 paid time off days to travel vs non-planners who only used 5 days.
• More planners report they are “very” or “extremely” happy with their personal relationships (82% vs. 68%), health and well-being (63% vs. 51%), company where they work (61% vs. 50%), and job (61% vs. 49%) compared to non-planners.