40 percent of American consumers have no plans for a vacation over the next six months. And that makes me very sad.

In many countries, vacation is almost a divine right. Four or even six weeks of vacation is the norm, and those vacations are used. In the US, unless you’re a teacher, you’re lucky if you even get two weeks. And even then, according to the Travel Industry Association,

The average American expects his or her longest summer trip to last only six nights. And it takes three days just to begin to unwind.

One of the reasons I am self-employed is that I like vacations. I don’t have anyone paying my salary when I’m traveling, but I usually manage to get about six weeks off per year (in chunks of anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks). That recharge time is soooo important!

Fortunately, at least a few companies, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, are beginning to recognize the importance of time off. The accounting giant (with 29,000 employees) closes the company completely for 10 days around Christmas and 5 at July 4th.