Don’t Let Your Clients Suffer from Vacation Deficit Disorder

Have you ever wondered if the desire to travel has an effect on mental health? If you answered “yes” you might be on to something. According to Allianz Global Assistance’s 10^th annual Vacation Confidence Index, Americans suffering from a “vacation deficit” are two times as likely to show signs of moderate to severe depression. The index describes vacation deficit as, “those who think that a vacation is important but are not confident they will take one this year.”

Nearly a third of Americans with vacation deficit show symptoms of mild to moderate depression, 12 percent are considered to be suffering from moderately severe to severe depression. The index also found that Americans who display symptoms of depression are drastically less likely to have taken a vacation within the past two years and are unlikely to take a vacation in 2018. Many people who consider a vacation important aren’t confident they’ll take one within the next year. In fact, among the 58% who said it’s important to take a vacation each year only 67% were sure they would get one.  What a huge opportunity for travel professionals. This shows that Americans WANT to take a vacation but something is stopping them from actually doing it. Maybe because they don’t want to do all the planning themselves. Or they simply don’t have the time to do the planning! As we’ve talked about before, your clients may just need some encouragement from you to actually go on a vacation.

While this new research is intriguing, more studies are needed to completely understand the long-term effects of a lack of vacation time and the mental health of Americans.   But for now, don’t let your clients suffer from vacation deficit and give them an offer they can’t refuse.