When was the most recent time your breadwinner took a week or longer vacation?

[luuknam]

I was thinking I need a vacation, and then realized that I probably just need for my wife to take a vacation. Today she had a comp day (compensation) because she worked all weekend two weeks ago, and then worked the entire comp day she was supposed to have last Friday, and of course she worked half of today as well. Ugh. I'm glad she's got work, but when she works too much overtime it's really draining on me (and it doesn't help I had a cold last week as well). I'm not sure she's taken a full week off since getting this job, other than to move to Buffalo (from Texas) 2.75 years ago.

[Tsuga]

We both work. We took three weeks together in the summer. I am a huge believer in annual leave and a sabbath/rest day. You can lose your home, your savings, your health, your job, but that time spent as a family is in time forever. Screw the promotion. You can't cash that in at the end of life for more time with your loved ones or one more dance.

[SparklyUnicorn]

last week

 

 

[73349]

I answered thinking of Christmas... He did take a few days off in the spring when his parents visited, but I don't think that was a full week.

[Wabi Sabi]

We both work full-time. We're at the tail end of a two week vacation: I go back to work tomorrow, he goes back on Monday. 

[MomatHWTK]

LOL, right now-school is back in session, time for homeschoolers to go on vacation.

 

;)

[creekland]

This is actually a difficult one for me to answer.  We travel and vacation a lot, but since hubby's job is portable, he often works in downtime to keep up.  That downtime can vary to fit our vacation schedule, of course, so he takes days off, but I'm not sure when the last time is he took 7 days in a row completely off.  Perhaps last August when we took a family vacation to drop youngest off at college.  I can't guarantee it though.

 

Our last major trip not to see family was last month.  We tend to travel somewhere every month, but not always for a week or more.

[carriede]

We have out first full week vacation planned in Oct. BUT we've gone on many extended Long Weekend trips such as taking 2-3 extra days on Memorial Day weekend. So that'd be 5-6 days not going to work, but it'd be sandwiched between two short work weeks.

[luuknam]

This is actually a difficult one for me to answer.  We travel and vacation a lot, but since hubby's job is portable, he often works in downtime to keep up.  That downtime can vary to fit our vacation schedule, of course, so he takes days off, but I'm not sure when the last time is he took 7 days in a row completely off.  Perhaps last August when we took a family vacation to drop youngest off at college.  I can't guarantee it though.

 

Our last major trip not to see family was last month.  We tend to travel somewhere every month, but not always for a week or more.

 

I get it. My wife's job can be done anywhere she has a computer and internet access, so it is kind of harder to keep track of when she works from home etc. I just had to define 'vacation' somehow, so your situation can be filed under 'other' if you really don't know. It's just not really relaxing when any moment you might be called to put out some fire or fix "just one little thing". Real downside of the internet.

[luuknam]

We have out first full week vacation planned in Oct. BUT we've gone on many extended Long Weekend trips such as taking 2-3 extra days on Memorial Day weekend. So that'd be 5-6 days not going to work, but it'd be sandwiched between two short work weeks.

 

I was thinking more like 2 weekend days + 5 weekdays + 2 weekend days = 9 days when I was writing this question. Though it's okay to count 7 days. Or w/e... it's just a silly online poll.

[The Girls' Mom]

I think it was in the past 6 months.  He works from home, and takes comp time occasionally, so it is hard for me to remember when he's actually off unless we go on a trip or something. 

[TrixieB]

I think last Christmas.  Or else last August (2014).

[Chris in VA]

Dh works 6 days a week and gets a month off in the summer. He takes every.bit. of it.

[SproutMamaK]

We took a week's vacation last week. Before that it had been at least a year. Come to think if it, pretty sure it had actually been two years. He owns the business, so he feels guilty whenever he leaves. No one else can really do his job. Next year we have a three week vacation to Disney planned... he's already stressing out about it. TBH I worry that he'll get so worked up about leaving work for that long that it'll ruin the trip. :/

[creekland]

I get it. My wife's job can be done anywhere she has a computer and internet access, so it is kind of harder to keep track of when she works from home etc. I just had to define 'vacation' somehow, so your situation can be filed under 'other' if you really don't know. It's just not really relaxing when any moment you might be called to put out some fire or fix "just one little thing". Real downside of the internet.

 

I voted other.  Our trips are still quite relaxing.  He's very good about not dealing with work when we're doing something else.  Who wants to answer a work phone call when you're snorkeling or hiking anyway? He also takes breaks to eat or play games with us when we're just sitting around at wherever we are.

 

His income allows us to continue our travels.  No work = no pay.  (He owns the company.)  Therefore, we both appreciate him keeping the income coming in when we're not doing something more exciting.  Some of our vacations/trips are longer than 2 weeks (longest was 8), so we need a mixture to make it work - and keep clients happy.  It's not something we consider a problem in our lives.

[Frances]

For my husband, it is every month. Most of the year he works six days on, eight days off. But he accumulates so much PTO that for three months off the year he works four days on, ten days off. He will also take three additional vacation leaves this year when he will actually travel.

 

I am very jealous of all of his time off, as my vacation time is more standard. I get four weeks off plus several paid holidays, and I use every last bit of it every year. Except for a long weekend here and there, I tend to use most if it between September and December.

[Julie Smith]

My husbands job always give the employees all the days off work from Christmas to New Years. This isn't included in anyone's holiday time off. 

 

He did take a week off a little over a year ago when he had surgery for his neck (skin cancer)

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

What do you mean by a vacation?  Dh takes weeks off from his paying work to do his non-paying vocation.  Does that count?  

 

If you mean a family vacation - the last time was last summer when we went to see my parents.  My dad died the day after we got there.  It didn't really feel vacationy.  

[Luanne]

I don't have a breadwinner.  I voted "other".

[Joker]

Dh took two weeks in Dec/Jan and a week in June so we could go on vacations. He usually takes a week vacation twice a year and then a few days here and there. He uses all his vacation every year without any guilt.

[bettyandbob]

We took a week long trip early 2008, so I put within the last decade. However, did not completely disconnect. He did some work dily while we were gone.

[Wheres Toto]

It's been awhile for us but not because we can't the time off work.  We just don't have the money to do anything so don't bother taking more than a long weekend.  I am taking a week off in December since our kids teacher is going away but I might end up working from home.  If I do, it will because I want to so I don't use up my vacation time.

 

We are tentatively planning a 11-12 day trip to Florida/Disney in January or February.  We'll be driving and dh doesn't think it's worth going unless we can spend an actual full week in Florida.  

 

ETA:  My company closes between Christmas and New Years and nobody works.

[Guest]

I said within the last year, because I am not totally certain we took a full week for our ski trip this past spring. In fact I'm close to certain it was four days or five, but that is a full work week. In any case, we took a full week last summer when we went to the beach. I think it was in July.

 

He almost never takes a "staycation," though. He is self-employed so, if we are home, he is working. I work for him and never take "staycation," either. If I take vacation days, it is because I am not going to be home.

[TechWife]

My husband took two weeks off in May. He previously had taken three weeks off in December. He tries to take at least one week off every six months, but often can't. He carries vacation days over each year. They accrue up to a certain point, when he is required to take them (which is how he ended up with three weeks off last December - it was "use it or loose it). 

[nd293]

My husband works in an industry that slows down between Christmas and New Year, and his department shuts down entirely. So, depending on dates, he gets up to 10 consecutive days off then. He's just returned to work after 2 weeks unemployed, and that was the longest he's had off in 6 years.

[HS Mom in NC]

Last decade.

 

Last year he took 4 days. 

 

Before that it was 6 years ago that he took a vacation for a week or more.

 

He's been self-employed for 3 years now.

[nd293]

My husband works in an industry that slows down between Christmas and New Year, and his area of work shuts down entirely. So, depending on dates, he gets up to 10 consecutive days off. Mostly we go away for a week then, even though I hate travelling during high season (Southern Hemisphere). He works as a contractor, so no work = no pay, which means he doesn't usually take other holiday time, except maybe an extra day or so around the Easter long weekend.

 

He's just returned to work after 2 weeks unemployed, and that was the longest he's had off in 6 years.

[Amy in NH]

He's gone 3 years without a week's vacation before, but he took a week off to chaperon a 4-H trip this summer.

[MrsMommy]

My husband's employer has recently started granting sabbaticals to employees who have been with the company for five years. So my husband was off work for about 12 weeks this summer, and just went back to work this week! It was nice to have him around (even though he already works from home, and is technically always around, except for travel times), and it was nice to see him not stressed about anything. Now if I could just figure out how I can get a sabbatical...

[Jenny in Florida]

I think the last time my husband took off a full week (or close to it, anyway) was three years ago this November. We forced the issue and took a real family vacation then, because we knew it was likely to be the last time we would have both kids at home to do so.

[Luckymama]

Dh had always worked on every vacation we'd taken (on intenet days, that is). In June 2014 we went to China for two weeks with a local group. He didn't work then, though he came home with some new clients ;) Dh and I went *alone* to Alaska in August. He did not work at all for thirteen days---heaven!

[rebbyribs]

The title for this post showed up for me as "When was the most recent time your breadwinner took a wee..." before I clicked on it.  Very relieved to find that it was not the entire title, since remembering that information for my potty-training children is enough for me.  :-)

 

His last week long vacation was in July - he spent time with the kids while I got our old house ready to sell.

[SemiSweet]

My husband took off a month last April while we vacationed in SE Asia and then he took a little over a week off in August for my birthday and a small trip to Kauai. He can't work from home in any capacity, so he's very much "off" when he's at home or on leave. He also can't talk about work in any capacity, so it's actually kind of weird, I have almost no idea about his life outside of our home. He's very good about taking time off though, we highly prioritize family time and togetherness, and his pay isn't affected by time off, so that helps.

[Loowit]

DH took off 2 days for us to go out of town for our anniversary in April.  Then used all of his other vacation days to take kids to various camps.  I am not sure taking our son with ODD and OCD to summer camp for a week counted as a vacation.  We have done one family vacation that I can recall and it was about a year and half ago, but we went on a holiday weekend so he didn't take any days off for it.  Most of his days are eaten up by helping with doctor appointments, taking a day here or there for a scouting event, and so on.  He is saving up his time right now for next summer so he can take a week to take the boys to summer camp and the girl to Philmont.  We were supposed to go on a cruise for our anniversary in the spring, but I don't think he will have the ability to do that too.

[DawnM]

Aug we went to Florida for a week.

[Farrar]

I clicked within the last three months, but then I realized it wasn't a full week. Close, but not quite. Also, that was SO not a vacation. It was a trip to see my family that turned very hectic and sad when my grandmother, who we were about to visit, ended up in the hospital facing major surgery while we were en route.

 

But I can't complain. He always has plenty of vacation time. He rarely takes a full week, but he takes a day here, a day there, an extra long weekend or a few days off a couple times a year. He typically has days left over and can cash a few of them in. We're clearly pretty lucky.

[AmandaVT]

DH is off from his main job (the one with vacation time) for 2 weeks at the moment. He's on and off for his business, but we're away for a long weekend right now and he should have about a week total off from his business. Unless an emergency pops up.

 

[ScoutTN]

My husband has been on medical leave from work since late July. He goes back Monday!

 

In a normal year, he takes about 3 weeks of vacation. A week at Christmas, a week for our family vacation and a week of random days off here and there.

[hellen]

As soon as I voted six months I remembered the time he took off in July so I should have voted three months. He also took a week off in May and 10 days last December. His work frowns on people not using all of their vacation days.

[luuknam]

My husband took two weeks off in May. He previously had taken three weeks off in December. He tries to take at least one week off every six months, but often can't. He carries vacation days over each year. They accrue up to a certain point, when he is required to take them (which is how he ended up with three weeks off last December - it was "use it or loose it). 

 

My wife apparently has 2 weeks of "use it or loose it" this year, and then some days that will be paid out in cash if she doesn't use them, iiuc, and then of course days that will roll over into next year. I talked to her earlier, and she says that when they wrap up the client A thing, and the client B thing, they need to get started on client C, but she might be able to train some coworker to get started with client C's stuff, so she should be able to take some time off in October? Trying to convince her to put in a vacation request to HR (technically supposed to be done 2 weeks in advance), and to tell everyone she'll be out of the country in an area without phone/internet connections or something, lol.

[Hen]

I chose within the last decade, but it was 6 years ago, right before we got our labradoodle :)  we took the kids to Boston.  We've done some other close vacations since, but it always involves dh taking 2 or 3 days off plus the weekend, so never a week or more.

[Mandamom]

I'm thinking my answer is never as an adult. I use to growing up regularly. 

 

If I'm off my teaching job, I keep my tutoring schedule going. When I miss more than 4 days it is because of student's canceling. 

 

I do take the kids places -- mostly gymnastics meets 6-8 hours away and the occasional family reunion (3-4 days). Our team has been outside of Disney 2x and I've still never taken the kids to any of the parks. I could afford to take one kid but not all 3 so no one goes. . I drive the 14 hours on Thursday - Friday and am usually home on Sunday night after leaving Sunday morning. Dh stays home so I do all the driving.. 

 

 

[Tap]

Dh took a week off this summer to go sailing. He just started a new job this year, so he only has 2 weeks vacation.  

 

I have taken 3 weeks in the past 3 months.  I had some vacation to burn, and it was a good time to do it.

 

I get 4 weeks, plus 2 floating days vacation per year (17 years w/same company).  My company requires that you take a full week at a time and if you don't use it, you loose after it sits in your vacation bank for 2 years, so there is good incentive to take you vacations. 

 

My husband's positions even at different companies (district manager) have always required a replacement staff, so he gets his vacations relatively interruption free.  The other managers cover for each others vacations and they all want their own time off, so they don't bother the person on vacation unless there is truly an emergency that can't be dealt with without the person.  Calls and email are forwarded so the person on vacation can't really even check on things. 

 

 

[BooksandBoys]

My husband's job is flexible enough that he can do some work remotely. This allows us to travel across the country once a year to see family, a trip which is ideally about two weeks long, without him taking (much) time off. Between working from my mother's house and attending two work-related conferences that happened to be near my parent's home, I think he took three work days off of the entire two weeks we travelled. Nope, he doesn't know how to take time off. I expect that when the kids are old enough for me to drive back home without him, he won't even come along.

 

Edited for typos.

[marbel]

We both work. We took three weeks together in the summer. I am a huge believer in annual leave and a sabbath/rest day. You can lose your home, your savings, your health, your job, but that time spent as a family is in time forever. Screw the promotion. You can't cash that in at the end of life for more time with your loved ones or one more dance.

 

For some people it's not about getting a promotion; it's about keeping the job. 

 

Anyway, my husband took a week off in August.  He gets 2 - 3 weeks of vacation a year; usually he takes one 1-week chunk and the rest as 1 or 2 days here and there.  He sometimes has to do a little work while on vacation but usually he can shut off completely. 

 

He will probably add a couple days to the Thanksgiving holiday so we can go visit his parents.   And, he has a shut-down between Christmas and New Year's Day so that's nice. 

[Cinder]

I voted now since dh's vacation officially starts on Sunday. He has a week off and in his line of work he is unable to work from home, only at the job site. The week will be spent getting things done around the house.

[creekland]

For some people it's not about getting a promotion; it's about keeping the job.  

 

And I guess for some of us it's a lifestyle choice.  We'd much rather have far more travel with interspersed days off than have one whole week (or two) totally off and just get one or two of these per year with 5 days per week at home the rest of the time.

 

Sunday is almost always a day off from work stuff for us.  There are rare exceptions.  Tomorrow will be one for me since I have a ton I'm cramming in.  Any other time we want time off we take it.  When my boys were home we took Tuesdays off (weather permitting) and went geocaching/hiking or similar.  We all loved our "family days."

 

But otherwise, we love traveling so much I can't imagine just picking one or two places per year to go due to wanting to take the whole time off while traveling.  As soon as we're on our way home from destination A, we're contemplating Destinations B, C, D, etc.  And occasionally there's that B+ we toss in there - like when youngest got selected to be Lysander in Midsummer Night's Dream at his college.

 

I'm pretty thankful that we have the flexibility we have to travel on a whim.  It's perfectly ok with me if hubby is working during down time.  It's ok with him too.  He loves his job.  It's not "work."  It's more like a lifestyle - similar to diets vs dietary changes I guess.

 

I'm working full time for 10 weeks now and it seems really restrictive.  Fortunately I can keep the short trip (two work days) we'd planned in Oct and toss in that B+ trip (one work day) during Nov.  If not, honestly?  I'd give up the full time job!  Admin knows this... it's probably why it's easy to get those days off!  I love my job, but I need my travel.  I proudly wear the title of travel junkie and I feel fortunate that both hubby and I have jobs that support our habit (financially and flexibility-wise).  It's ok if he rarely takes a full week off doing absolutely no work.  He's not stressed by it and neither am I.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Over two years ago. No vacation in sight. Healthcare work is not good for workers health.

[Lady Marmalade]

I voted within 3 months, as we took a family camping vacation at the end of July for a full week, and DH went with us.  However, you didn't ask how long it had been since he took the last vacation.  I think we figured out that the last time he went with us for a week anywhere was 4 years before that.

 

He was due, and he really, really needed it.  He works seasonally, so he has down time in the winter, but that is certainly not a relaxing vacation, as he spends every waking moment figuring out what he needs to do to get the next round of bills paid.  

 

He was amazed how great he felt when we had gotten home and he'd returned to work.  Vacation IS important.

[AlmiraGulch]

I voted "other".  We both work full-time, but DH is in sales and works on 100% commission, as he has his entire adult life.  If he isn't working, he isn't selling and isn't getting paid.  He gets a week of paid vacation a year, but he recently changed jobs.  So, we had a family vacation this very week last year, and other than a long weekend here and there I don't think he's taken any time off since.  

 

I also work full-time and I have considerably more time off than he does.  I'm also on salary, not commission, so it's easier for me to be away.  I had a fully week off in June of this year, but DH was not off with me.  The two youngest kids and I went on a trip, and I did not really work that week, but the only time I ever go without at least checking my email most days when I'm off is when I'm on a cruise and I don't buy the internet package.  It's just easier for me to keep up with what's going on, maybe shoot off a quick email reply if necessary, so I don't worry about walking back into a shit show when I return.  

 

I changed jobs last December, and I have less paid time off than I used to.  It's a bummer.  I miss my random days off and long weekends, but I like my job a lot better now, so it's a win for me.