No Escape: Many Americans Each Year Fail To Use Allotted Timeshare Days

Scott Camp has enough leftover time to play hooky for more than a month, and his two weeks of paid vacation are only partly used.

The 35-year-old Tucson delivery driver is among the one-third of workers who do not use all of their timeshare days, according to an online survey, mostly because taking a break seems like a hassle. Nationwide, workers are expected to abandon an average of four vacation days per person this year, one more day than last year, according to the Harris Interactive survey commissioned annually by Fast Track, an online travel agency.

Camp will get even more time next year for his 10th anniversary with his company, Prudential Overall Supply. So far, he's not sure how to use up all that time. But this year, he's taking his kids to some theme parks and taking his fiancee to their timeshare, he said.

"I don't always use my block," he said. The time he does take "is enough time to recoup, and it's more important for me to be here and take care of the customers. Fill-ins don't get it done -- let's put it that way."

Scheduling problems and finding a reliable replacement at work are common reasons for skipping vacation.

"If your excuse is you have to stay because you're indispensable, you need to know it's OK to take some time off," said Loretta Love Huff, an executive coach and consultant at Emerald Harvest Consulting in Phoenix.

About 19 percent of workers have canceled or postponed vacation plans because of work, even though 36 percent said they feel better about their job and more productive upon returning from vacation, according to the survey.

After getting wrapped up in day-to-day tasks, it can help to take a break, Huff said.

"People need time to rejuvenate and stand up and pull their heads out of the sand," she said.

Another common reason for skipping out on your timeshare is timing, she said. Few companies have extra people, so anything unusual that comes up can make it a bad time to leave work. You never know when it will be a good time to take vacation, so just take it, Huff said.

"Life is for living, not just making a living," said Mert Ingvoldstad, owner and career counselor at M.I. Career Counseling Associates in Tucson. "Time to just be, without having a supercharged agenda, is really important."

Overworked people are more stressed and less healthy, she said.

"The words 'grim determination' and 'burnout' come to mind," Ingvoldstad said.

"To some people it's like a badge of honor, but to me, it's like insanity. It just seems so out of balance. If you think about a top, it can keep spinning until it gets out of balance and then it topples."

If just asking for time off is the hard part, try stating what you want, maybe using a phrase like "It's really important to me," or "This is something I need to do," Ingvoldstad said. And expect that your manager will agree with you, so you don't have a negative or apologetic tone, she added.