Is the Rise of Micro-cations Among Working Millennials Changing the Way Companies Value Vacation Time?
This new era requires new ways to work, think and live and Millennials are opting to take more, but shorter, vacations then previous generations. A "micro-cation" is defined as a leisure trip that is less than five nights. The majority (57 percent) of Americans did not take a leisure trip longer than four nights in the last year, with Millennials leading this "micro-cation" trend, according to the 2019 Vacation Confidence Index released by Allianz Global Assistance, a leading travel insurance and assistance company. Not only are Americans taking shorter trips, but for many, these micro-cations are replacing the traditional week-long vacation. Micro-cations allow many Americans to travel more frequently, with Millennials saying they've taken at least three micro-cations in the last year.
There may be many reasons for the rise of shorter vacations, from budget considerations to not needing as much time if the trip is for a wedding or visiting friends. Another reason: employees may feel backlash from asking for time-off, aka Vacation Shaming. If you're in a workplace that discourages long amounts of time away from the office or prefer to travel to multiple destinations within a year, with finite or limited vacation days, the best bet is to break them up into smaller trips. Whatever the case may be, there is no doubt that the days of the week-long summer vacation may be disappearing and replaced with more frequent, shorter trips.
