Global vacation habits and other travel news

A recent study reveals the haves and have-nots of vacation time.

Expedia’s 2011 Vacation Deprivation Study took the issue of holidays to the streets of North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australia, polling more than 7,000 people between Sept. 19 and Oct. 9.

The results provide an interesting peek at other cultures’ work and play habits. Residents of France, Denmark, Spain and Brazil do vacation right: They got 30 days off a year and used them all. South Koreans, by contrast, need to chill out more: Of 10 free days, they took only seven. The United States keeps company with the deprivation crowd; we got 14 vacation days but failed to use two of them.

Asked about their preferred type of vacation, most respondents chose the beach. The United “Lucky Lady” States owned the gambling category, with 7 percent electing to roll the dice during their break.

As for favorite time to travel, only Singapore defied the consensus, preferring fall over summer.

And next time someone bugs you about obsessing over email and voice mail on holiday, tell them that at least you’re not a worker bee from Japan. Twenty percent of Japanese participants admitted that they “constantly” gaze at their gadgets. Americans: a measly 4 percent.

For the study: www.expedia.com/p/info-other/vacation_deprivation.htm.