Why Most People Never Take a Real Vacation (And How to Fix It)

Fake Vacations Don’t Count: If You’re Still Checking Emails, You’re Still Working

This week, I was on vacation.

It felt damn good.

Taking time off always does. But have you ever stopped to ask why vacations feel so incredible? Why do we crave them?

Here’s the truth: We don’t own our time.

Our calendars? Not ours. Our schedules? Controlled by someone else. For weeks, months, even years, we follow routines that aren’t designed for us. Work, meetings, deadlines, rinse, repeat.

Then—finally—we break free.

We escape. For a few days, we get to decide what matters.

Maybe it’s traveling with family, planning epic adventures, or just doing nothing. Maybe it’s baking with friends, reading books, or watching the sunset without a single notification ruining the moment.

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s sitting at home, phone on silent, and doing whatever the hell we want.

That’s the magic of vacations. They remind us how life is supposed to feel.

“A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it.” — Robert Orben

Credit: DALL·E

But Most People Never Take Time Off

And here’s where it gets painful—most people don’t take vacations when they actually need them.

They wait.

They overwork.

They let their bosses, deadlines, and obligations dictate their time. They convince themselves that "now is not the right time."

And before they know it, they’re burned out, exhausted, running on fumes, dreaming of a break they’ll never take.

The worst part?

Most people don’t even know how to take a real vacation.

They carry their laptops. Check emails "just in case." Keep Slack notifications on. They pretend to be on vacation while secretly being available for work.

And that’s not a vacation. That’s just changing your office location.

Work Won’t Miss You (But You’ll Miss Your Life)

You know what happens when you finally take a break?

Nothing.

The company keeps running. Emails keep piling up (like they always do). Meetings go on without you.

And guess what? Nobody really notices that you’re gone.

But you will notice if you never take time off.

Your mental health will take a hit. Your creativity will fade. Your energy will drain. You’ll become a robot following a schedule that isn’t even yours.

The Hard Truth: Your Life Isn’t Meant to Be Lived Between Deadlines

Most people wait for some magical moment—"I’ll take a break when I finish this project." or "I'll take a break once I get promotion."

That’s a lie.

There’s always another project. Another email. Another meeting. Another milestone in career.

The real high-performers—the ones who actually do great work—know that breaks aren’t a luxury. They’re a necessity.

They unplug. Fully. They take their vacations like their life depends on it—because it does.

They come back sharper. Smarter. Ready to crush it.

And the people who never take time off?

They keep running on empty. They work harder, not smarter. And they burn out wondering why they feel so exhausted all the time.

“If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” — Banksy

The Lesson? Take the Damn Vacation.

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” — Charles Buxtonx

Not when it’s convenient. Not when your boss says it’s okay. Not when you’ve earned it.

Now.

Because the truth is, work will never be "done." There will never be a perfect time.

But there’s a perfect reason to take time off: Your life.

Don’t wait. Don’t overthink it.

Just take the damn vacation.