<story><title>66% of Americans say they want extended European-style vacation policies at work</title><url>https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/25/66percent-of-americans-say-they-want-extended-european-style-vacation-policies-at-work.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>lionkor</author><text>&amp;gt; While the average American is lucky to get 11 vacation days&lt;p&gt;WHAT? Does that count sick days as well, or is that a myth?&lt;p&gt;Here in Germany, I get 30 vacation days per calendar year, plus any sick days, and thats fairly normal.&lt;p&gt;Edit: Sure the absolute salaries here are lower, but the cost of living is vastly different and the social support structures and healthcare are different, too. That should definitely be kept in mind.&lt;p&gt;I dont need to drive my car a lot, because my city is fully walkable&amp;#x2F;bikeable, and thats not a super rare thing here. There are a lot of factors.&lt;p&gt;I feel vacation days are just a basic  requirement for happiness, whereas being rich maybe isnt</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>cloogshicer</author><text>Exactly.&lt;p&gt;I live in a big European city. You basically don&amp;#x27;t need a car - pretty much anything within the city is reachable in about 30min, and public transit is comfy.&lt;p&gt;Also, I have a public transit ticket that allows me to travel the entire country for a year, which only cost about 1000€.&lt;p&gt;Yes, salaries are lower, but I also don&amp;#x27;t have to save anything to get my kids through university, or keep emergency funds for health issues.&lt;p&gt;Also, I can&amp;#x27;t just get fired without cause. And if I do get laid off, I have 3 months of grace period, plus potentially years of unemployment money.&lt;p&gt;Also, the government even pays for certain courses so I can find employment again.&lt;p&gt;The social system in Europe is amazing.</text></comment>
<story><title>66% of Americans say they want extended European-style vacation policies at work</title><url>https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/25/66percent-of-americans-say-they-want-extended-european-style-vacation-policies-at-work.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>lionkor</author><text>&amp;gt; While the average American is lucky to get 11 vacation days&lt;p&gt;WHAT? Does that count sick days as well, or is that a myth?&lt;p&gt;Here in Germany, I get 30 vacation days per calendar year, plus any sick days, and thats fairly normal.&lt;p&gt;Edit: Sure the absolute salaries here are lower, but the cost of living is vastly different and the social support structures and healthcare are different, too. That should definitely be kept in mind.&lt;p&gt;I dont need to drive my car a lot, because my city is fully walkable&amp;#x2F;bikeable, and thats not a super rare thing here. There are a lot of factors.&lt;p&gt;I feel vacation days are just a basic  requirement for happiness, whereas being rich maybe isnt</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>jacobgorm</author><text>When I first joined a US startup, they said &amp;quot;you can take unlimited PTO -- we suggest starting with a week per year&amp;quot;... I negotiated that up to the five weeks that are standard here in Denmark.</text></comment>