Health, Happiness and Holidays: The Kiwi New Year’s Resolution

Media Release

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Health, Happiness and Holidays: The Kiwi New Year’s Resolution

Expedia Vacation Deprivation Report reveals Kiwis striking work-wellbeing balance

• Study shows a 5% decline in the number of Kiwis feeling vacation deprived

• Kiwis still abandoning hard-earned annual leave – taking only 17 out of 20 days

• Holiday wellbeing benefits revealed: health, happiness, better relationships

Expedia.co.nz has released its annual ‘Vacation Deprivation’ report showing Kiwis have an improved sense of vacation satisfaction while front-footing an emerging global trend directly correlating personal wellbeing with holidays taken.

The 2014 report showed 47% of Kiwis claim to feel vacation deprived, a 5% decrease when compared with the 52% reported in 2013. UAE topped the global ranking as the nationality that feels most vacation deprived (73%) while Germans feel the least deprived (38%).

Based on the employed population of New Zealand[1], the Vacation Deprivation Report shows that Kiwis are leaving an average of more than seven million leave days unused annually – only taking 17 out of the 20 available to them.

Speaking about the research findings, Georg Ruebensal, Managing Director Expedia Australia and New Zealand urges Kiwis to take ownership of their annual leave to ultimately live a happier, well balanced lifestyle:

“Whilst we’ve seen a 58% increase in the number of short breaks Kiwis have taken in the last two years, Expedia’s 2014 Vacation Deprivation report has once again shown New Zealanders see huge personal value in regular holidays but feel hamstrung by everyday life when it comes to scheduling time off – falling well behind countries like Germany and Brazil who see the virtue in rest and recuperation, utilising majority-to-all of their entitled leave.”

Regular vacations are important for general health and wellbeing according to 93% of Kiwis– edging ahead of the global average of 91%. Brazil topped the list (95%) with Norway and Ireland tied in the number two slot (94% each).

Across the holiday wellbeing spectrum the report revealed:

• 90% feel less stressed when they return from a vacation

• 88% agree that they feel happier when they return from a vacation

• 41% say they enjoy a full eight hours sleep when away vs 25% when at home

• Almost half of Kiwis (47%) say being on vacation makes them most happy when compared to finding lost/misplaced money, getting a tax refund, being told you look younger than you are and birthdays

Holiday glow beats back-home-blues

The report also found the positive effects of a holiday on personal wellbeing are shown to extend beyond the trip itself with almost two in five (38%) saying it takes them a couple of days for the ‘vacation high’ to wear off.

• 82% of Kiwis say regular vacations are important to their relationship with their significant other (global average 89%)

• 85% of Kiwis agree that regular vacations help them feel better connected to friends and family (global average 83%)

• Three quarters of Kiwis (75%) start planning their next holiday more than a month after returning from a holiday, in line with the global trend. In contrast 6% of Kiwis had such a great time they start planning the day they return!

Methodology

The study was conducted on behalf of Expedia by Northstar. The survey was conducted online from august 25 – September 17, 2014 across North America, Europe, South America and Asia Pacific. The study was conducted among 7,855 employed adults aged 18 years and older across 24 countries.

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