The folks at Best Western conducted (with Wakefield Research) a survey of American travelers that tells us why we vacation. For most, it’s to escape our jobs. However, many of us have a hard time finding the time to escape or the ability to unplug once we are away.

Here are some of the findings:

  • More than half of U.S. travelers have difficulty using all their vacation days
  • When they do manage to take time off, 62 percent of travelers struggle to relax and unplug from the stress of the office
  • Women tend to be better than men at unplugging
  • When asked what they most need a vacation from, almost a quarter of women chose their spouse or significant other (compared with only 15 percent of men)
  • The vast majority of respondents (64 percent) reported most needing an escape from their job.

In conjunction with this poll, Best Western has launched a contest on its Facebook page in which you can enter weekly drawings for prizes such as Best Western Travel Cards, MasterCard and Amazon Gift Cards, Avis rental car vouchers and AAA/CAA memberships. One Grand Prize winner will get a dream vacation that includes a five night stay at any Best Western hotel in the world, round trip airfare, gift cards to use on vacation and more.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch