Taking a summer vacation's a great idea - in theory
By Beth Teitell
Wednesday, July 6, 2005

``Longer trips are out this year. Only 8 percent of those polled plan to vacation for two weeks or longer during the summer months.''

- From a just-released survey by Woburn-based Prospectiv, an online marketing solutions provider.

Why are Americans cheating ourselves out of decent vacations?

Isn't going away restorative? Doesn't it give you a new perspective on life? Recharge your batteries?

Oh, batteries. When you do take that nice trip, don't forget to bring your cellphone charger, and a backup battery for your laptop, and, and, and . . .

Yes, taking a long, leisurely trip would be restorative - if only all that relaxation wasn't so much work.

Of course, that's not what people tell pollsters. It's embarrassing to admit you're too lazy to go away. So we come up with excuses. Gasoline's too expensive. I'm afraid I'm going to lose my job.

But really? If you promise people anonymity, they'll whisper their secret shame.

One woman admitted she fears the pretrip prep. Suspending the newspapers, holding the mail, making reservations at a spa for the dog, doing the laundry.

It makes a girl think - about staying home, that is.

``I actually have time I need to use up,'' one working mother told me, ``but there's no way I'm going away for two weeks.''

I mentioned that she sounded more like someone fighting jail time.

``And there's no point in going any place great,'' she continued, ``when the only thing you'll see are the playgrounds. That's all you research before your trip. It's not like you're looking for great French restaurants.''

I tried to cut in, but she was on a roll. ``You basically have to transport your entire playroom,'' she added. ``And then once you're there, it's exhausting.

But it's not just getting ready and going away that's tough. There's re-entry.

``It takes me a full day to go through my e-mail when I return,'' one man told me.

All these vacation tales were starting to tire me out. Yawning and stressed out, I started fantasizing - about staying right here in Boston all summer and working.