Feeling like you just really need a holiday—like you work too much and have too little time off? Chances are you’re one of the many Brits who consider themselves holiday deprived. In fact, according to Expedia’s 23rd annual Vacation Deprivation Report, global annual leave deprivation levels are the highest they’ve been in 10 years.
56% of UK adults reported feeling holiday deprived, the second-highest rate seen in the past 10 years. This is nearly on par with deprivation levels Brits reported in 2021 (63%), which followed a year characterised by travel restrictions and lockdowns.
The biggest factor at play in the UK is the workplace and workers seeking flexibility from their employers. 70% of workers would be more motivated to change their job if they had the chance to get more holiday days and 62% are working remotely in order to make the most of their annual leave allowance.
While most Brits also feel their employers are supportive of them taking time off (72%), 25% felt they couldn’t go away last year because their work schedule did not allow for time off or there was not enough staff to cover their workloads.
Despite these barriers, Brits are on a path to reduce vacation deprivation in 2023. 44% of Brits plan to take more holiday days (21-30 days) in 2023 compared to 29% in 2022, while almost three-quarters, 74%, of UK adults tend to prioritise holidays over other luxuries in their everyday life.
To help vacation deprived Brits reclaim their time off, here are Expedia’s top five tips to help you get on your way:
Work smarter, not harder, when planning your next trip: For the travel planner in the group, Expedia’s new trip planning boards, launching on the Expedia app in June 2023, are made to make your life a whole lot easier. This collaborative tool takes the stress out of trip planning by allowing groups of travellers to plan the perfect trip together.
Feel confident knowing you’ve got the best travel deal: Handy new Expedia tools including Price Tracking can help guarantee you’re getting a great deal by tracking flights on the Expedia app.
Spend your travel pounds wisely: By bundling your travel by booking your airfare, hotel and car at the same time on Expedia, you can instantly unlock savings.
Don’t risk leaving money on the table: Expedia members earn Rewards points for every booking that can be redeemed as pounds off on the next trip. By entering mileage plan numbers at checkout, travellers can also earn their airline miles on top of Expedia points, which is an easy way to double-dip and rack up travel rewards even faster.
Anticipate travel disruptions: Demand is high, and airlines are still operating fewer flights than pre-pandemic. That means full flights are expected this summer, so make sure you arrive at the airport early and give yourself plenty of time to get through security. According to Expedia’s 2023 Air Travel Hacks Report, departing before 3 p.m. also cuts your chance of flight cancellation in half, so take the early flight.
About the Report: Expedia first commissioned Vacation Deprivation in 2000 to examine the work-life balance of people worldwide. The annual study is currently in its 23rd year and was conducted online among 14,527 respondents across North and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Commissioned from February 9 – March 3, 2023 on behalf of Expedia by Northstar Research Partners, a global strategic research firm, responses were gathered using an amalgamated group of best-in-class panels. Looking at the margin of error for the global average, a 1-4% difference is statistically significant at 90% confidence.
Learn more about what’s stopping workers from taking time off.
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