#JSETT Twitter Chat Recap: Using Your Vacation Days

All work and no play—for travel lovers, that’s tough to do. But do we take advantage of our paid vacation days? Or, with the constant connectivity via smartphones and email, does work too often interfere with relaxation time? As the summer months are fast approaching, we got your take on taking time off.
Q1: Do you work a regular job? Do you get vacation days? How many? If you’re freelance do you ever take a REAL vacation?
@JSETTchat A1: I'm a professional travel blogger and keynote speaker, so I constantly travel. No such thing as a real vacation. #JSETT
— Shane Dallas (@TheTravelCamel) May 14, 2015
A1 We've always been good about using vacation days, even though I freelance & my hubs works for himself. But he's his WORST boss! #JSETT
— Heather Mundt (@momfari) May 14, 2015
A1: I teach so I have summers right now. Started my own business, so we'll see! 28 days in Europe last summer and 42 this summer! #JSETT
— Backpack Europe (@BackpkEurope) May 14, 2015
A1: I am a travel writer and video producer. My vacation lines get blurred with work crossover 😉 #JSETT
— Sandi McKenna (@SandiMcKenna) May 14, 2015
Q2: When you plan your vacation days, what are your goals (to disconnect, to sleep and rejuvenate, etc.)?
@JSETTchat One reason I started carrying #Quirk was to give myself breaks within work trips. #JSETT pic.twitter.com/TF9Vb2oSIF
— SheilaGibsonStoodley (@SGSwritereditor) May 14, 2015
A2: Maximize my time away, however I need. This summer it's seeing friends. I'm hitting 3 European cities in 2 weeks. #JSETT @JetsetExtra
— Kim Powers (@KimberlyRose356) May 14, 2015
@JetsetExtra A2:We love to feel the warm sun, catch a ball game, and ride some coasters. So rejuvenate! #JSETT
— Family Vacations U.S (@familyvacayus) May 14, 2015
A2: Disconnect and focus on the beauty and culture of the destination. #JSETT (Ph. Rio Negro in Brazil) pic.twitter.com/fa0aYj8NRy
— Rainforest Cruises (@amazon_cruises) May 14, 2015
Q3: What does a real vacation look like for you? How far ahead do you plan out how you’ll use your vacation days?
@JetsetExtra A2: Building happy experiences with people we love wherever we vacation is a usual goal and getting some SLEEP. #JSETT
— Trendy Vacations (@trendyvacations) May 14, 2015
@JSETTchat A2: Depends on time of year but general like cultural immersion or city fix since we live on an island! 🙂 #JSETT
— Shannon Kircher ✈ (@lavidashannon) May 14, 2015
A3: We like to be in a location 4-5 days and really get to know it, instead of constantly moving. Fly, not drive. #JSETT
— Scott Norris (@weninchina) May 14, 2015
@JetsetExtra #JSETT A3: Any time I can get out of town for more than a day is a real vacation to me. The best are always on cruises though!
— Scott McCruiseNutt (@mcnuttsc) May 14, 2015
Q4: Do you feel we have enough vacation days with regular jobs? Or is there room for improvement? What improvements?
A2: Disconnect and focus on the beauty and culture of the destination. #JSETT (Ph. Rio Negro in Brazil) pic.twitter.com/fa0aYj8NRy
— Rainforest Cruises (@amazon_cruises) May 14, 2015
A4: On paper, I have a good # of vac. days, but at work, no one else to handle the load so usually only use 1-2 days at a shot #JSETT
— Scott Norris (@weninchina) May 14, 2015
@JSETTchat A4: In the US, I would say there's not enough vacay time for a good work/life balance. Def room to improve! #JSETT
— Shannon Kircher ✈ (@lavidashannon) May 14, 2015
@JetsetExtra A4: @Forbes ran an article recently Americans lose 5 vacation days a year by not using them. http://t.co/UQ99kMJ0Wm #JSETT
— Trendy Vacations (@trendyvacations) May 14, 2015
Q5: Does your job urge employees to take their vacation time, or do you feel guilty when you take a day off?
@JetsetExtra A5: we say heck yeah! There are places that let you take vacay days as needed. We could totally get down with that! #JSETT
— Family Vacations U.S (@familyvacayus) May 14, 2015
A5 In the past employers gave the guilt trip. It sucked @JSETTchat #JSETT
— Arnette RTW (@RTWgirl_) May 14, 2015
A5 Never felt guilty about taking vacation days. EVER! And my hub's company starts w/4 weeks bc he WANTS employees 2 take a break! #JSETT
— Heather Mundt (@momfari) May 14, 2015
Q6: Do you have trouble disconnecting from work and emails when on vacation?
A6: My preferred strategy to disconnect is to hit a time zone so far out of sync that the home office can't contact me (Asia, EU). #JSETT
— Scott Norris (@weninchina) May 14, 2015
@JSETTchat A6…Disconnection is not real. I'd like to meet these lucky people and work where they work. #JSETT
— hijinks+halos (@hijinksandhalos) May 14, 2015
@JetsetExtra A6 not at all, I never setup wrk email on my phone and I leave my laptop at home. #twomoreSanMiguelsplease #JSETT
— Gap Life Travel (@Gaplifetravel) May 14, 2015
@JetsetExtra A6: Other than IG updates…nope! I had no service most of my time in Namibia and it was the best. #JSETT
— Ms. Dee (@TheDLife) May 14, 2015
Our Twitter chat is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. PST/1:30 p.m. EST, using the hashtag #JSETT. See how the chat works and join us for the next one!