Others goof off work. Indians, says a new study, goof off holidays. They leave 20 per cent of their vacations unused.

Conducted by the online travel firm Expedia, the “vacation deprivation survey”, which polled employed people across 21 countries, finds that 29 per cent of Indians couldn't plan their holidays due to work pressures.

In all, 28 per cent Indian respondents said they would prefer getting paid for unused vacations. An equal percentage cited their boss' disapproval for not availing themselves of their earned leave.

Mr Manmeet Ahluwalia, Head-Marketing, Expedia (India), points out, “In India, vacations tend to be viewed as a guilty habit.”

Europeans and Brazilians, by contrast, view vacation as a necessity rather than a luxury, says the survey.

Most Indians don't disconnect from work even while on holiday.

Fifty-three per cent of Indians regularly check in on their emails and work status even during vacations and 31 per cent sometimes. Japan has a similar percentage.

Most European employees seem to know how to relax – they completely switch off during vacation, hardly ever checking in, with the exception of France with 56 per cent checking in regularly and 31 per cent sometimes.

Indians get about 25 days off in a year, while Europeans get the maximum vacation at 25-30 days in a year. The Koreans and the Japanese get the least amount of holidays – just 10-11 days a year. Amazingly, they still don't avail themselves of all their leave for work reasons.

Scandinavians are most likely to use all of their vacation days, leaving no days on the table.

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