Six (Stupid) Reasons Not to Go on Vacation

Written By Peter Moore

The survey results are in: You should get the hell out of town.

There’s a market research company called IPX1031, and I think that first, they need to gather a focus group to rename the company. I mean, really: It’s a better name for an asteroid than a company trying to communicate their sales acumen. But aside from that train wreck of letters and numbers, the company does good work, typified by their recent study of workers’ attitudes toward vacation. The most shocking stat: During this time of pandflation and inflademic, workers have passed up on 169 million PTO days, which is the equivalent of rejecting $52.4 billion in benefits.

Maybe it’s more difficult to go on vacation, when you’re staying home anyway?

Here are the the six (stupid) main (stupid) reasons (stupid) people are squandering one of their main benefits, and thereby allowing employers to further stuff their corporate pockets, to the tune of unprecedented 13% profit margins this year.

$hameful! $hocking! $tingy! $winish!

In contrast to corporate cupidity, workers are being downright self-effacing and meek, judging from their (stupid) reasons for not taking their time off. Here they are, in order of frequency of citation.

Based on this deep research, I urge you to kiss off your boss (politely), and head for France. S/he’ll probably double your salary when/if you return.

Stupid Reason #1 for cancelling a $52.4b in vacations: Fear of returning to a mountain of work. I live in the Rockies, so I know: Mountains are beautiful!

Stupid Reason #2 for cancelling a $52.4b in vacations: Fear of being seen as replaceable. Are you kidding? In June, there were 10.7 million jobs open in the U.S. And one of them is better than that shithole you shovel out right now. Scram! Vamoose! Take off!

Stupid Reason #3 for cancelling a $52.4b in vacations: Wanting to show job dedication. You think your employer is dedicated to you? Only as much as the average leech is dedicated to the average blood vessel. There’s always another one to tap into.

Stupid Reason #4 for cancelling a $52.4b in vacations: Company culture is against vacation. Corporate culture is also anti-mental health, anti-relaxation, anti-fun. Why else would they make you participate in team-building exercises?

Stupid Reason #5 for cancelling a $52.4b in vacations: Inability to disconnect. There’s reason they gave you that corporate phone. It’s the same reason the warden invests in shackles.

Stupid Reason #6 for cancelling a $52.4b in vacations: Stockpiling vacation days. It’s a trick! Your employer lets you roll them over, year to year, and as a result, you never take them! Don’t roll over! Roll down a runway!

Vacation is freedom. Travel enlightens, and lightens your load. The door is open, and the big world beckons. Where to? Scott’s Cheap Flights has a few suggestions…

Peter Moore

PETER MOORE Writer/Editor/Illustrator/Wiseguy

3x NYT bestselling author...multiple National Magazine Award winner as writer and editor...2x interviewer of Barack Obama...chilled with Matt Damon in India for a week, for a Men’s Health cover story...NPR animator and commentator…cartoonist/columnist for the Colorado Sun

Peter Moore is an editor, writer, illustrator, animator, co-author, radio host, TV and podcast guest, speaker, editorial consultant, and journalism lecturer. He currently works as a columnist/cartoonist for The Colorado Sun and a commentator/animator for NPR. Peter recently completed gigs as interim editor of BACKPACKER magazine; launch editor for NatuRX, a cannabis/health magazine; and a two-decade run at Men’s Health magazine, where he topped out as VP/Editor. He has written or ghosted three New York Times bestsellers. He publishes twice weekly at petermoore.substack.com; his 8,000 subscribers open his emails to the tune of 20,000 reads per month.

In August 2008, Peter joined then-Senator Barack Obama on his

campaign plane for a cover story for the November issue of Men’s Health; the issue was on newsstands when Senator Obama became President-elect Obama. Almost exactly a year later, he interviewed President Obama in the Oval Office for a cover story in the October 2009 issue of Men’s Health. The following week he interviewed Michelle Obama for Women's Health.

Peter has written major features for Men’s Health, Prevention, Parade, and Backpacker, and AARP: The Magazine; between them they boast about 30 million readers. Following his own heart-health scare, Peter wrote “A Tale of Three Hearts,” which garnered Men’s Health’s first National Magazine Award. In April 2010, after his first year as editor of Men’s Health, the magazine won the NMA for General Excellence, in competition with The New Yorker, among other magazines. The January 2014 issue contained his account of a trip to India with Matt Damon, to visit villages impacted by Damon’s activist group water.org.

Moore has made 1000+ appearances on television, podcasts, and radio programs, discussing travel, career development, cartooning and drawing, second careers, humor as stress relief, relationships, and other stuff he makes up as he goes along. He has been interviewed on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and CBS This Morning, as well as NPR, CNN, and MSNBC. He was the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show Men’s Health Live, heard in 52 markets; it had a million listeners per week. He now works as a commentator/animator for Front Range NPR and a columnist/cartoonist for the Colorado Sun.

Prior to joining Men’s Health, Peter served as articles editor for Playboy. A graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, he lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his wife. He is an avid mountain climber, backpacker, skier, basketball player, bicyclist, yogi, international traveler, illustrator, and cook. And he can juggle.

https://petermoore.substack.com
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