By the time you read this, I’ll be on a flight to Ireland.

I often hear my international friends complain that Americans work too hard. They say that Americans don’t enjoy life. To some extent… I agree! 

Americans have very limited vacation time. I’ve been at companies where I only had 3 weeks of vacation; I didn’t even have black friday off. 🙄

How is that living?!  How can a person see the world with only 3 weeks of vacation? And if they have a family, it’s even more challenging. When traveling overseas, transit time can easily take up 2 days which is already 13% of your 15 vacation days!

However, for many Americans, staying at a company and taking vacation becomes a losing game… Staying at a job for longer can increase your annual PTO allowance, but switching jobs can result in a significant salary increase that gives you the resources to take more vacations. 

I’m not even going to speak on unlimited PTO because I have yet to experience that…so, Can’t Relate! 

Some of my international friends scoff at the way that Americans live and say it’s wrong. “Americans work too much.” 

But, many of these countries are adopting the western work style, so much so, that siestas are slowly being phased out in Spain for example. 

So, what’s the alternative American way of living?... to relax more and actually enjoy life? …

…WHAT’S THAT LIKE?  🤣

Relaxing is often viewed as not working so hard and vacationing a lot. 

To that I MUST say:

There has to be more to life than going on holiday, eating, and drinking. 

BUT, if that IS the meaning of life, then a couple of extra weeks of holiday is not enough to be a true hedonist!

So, do I believe the American work style needs reformation? -YES

Countries in the Scandinavian region have robust economies, healthy productivity, and a population that is generally happy.

But what I’m REALLY trying to say here (stream of consciousness aside), is: 

If you’re not satisfied with the direction your life is going, no amount of vacation is ever going to fill that void or make you happy. When you’re not traveling, you’re going to be miserable -still dealing with the same BS of everyday life. But, when on vacation, you may be too anxious to even enjoy your trip. 

That sounds horrible!😱

Honestly, I love being at home AND being away on vacation.  

Do I sometimes get the nagging urge to leave the house? Yes, of course. 

Do I get homesick at times? Yes!

Travel can be as addicting as any other vice like alcohol, drugs, or binge watching Netflix. 

I don’t use traveling as an escape from reality. On the contrary, I’m actually working harder than ever- not at all the hedonistic lifestyle.

I love travel planning at home. 

I love trying out different tools to make my travels more comfortable. 

I love learning new things about other cultures. 

I love meeting new people on my travels

I love making videos about the things I’ve learned along the way.  

AND, although writing is a pain in the ass, I’m starting to love it too. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Sharing my love of traveling with you all = priceless,

Andrew

How do you feel about the American work culture?