Reminder: Take Your Vacation Days, Idiots
A survey from the U.S. Travel Association finds that 41% of you who are lucky enough to have jobs that offer vacation days "do not plan to use" all your paid time off this year. Time for a new plan.
The new plan: use all of your paid time off.
Use every last day. Take a vacation. Travel somewhere fancy. Travel somewhere moderate. Travel somewhere cheap. Alternately, take a staycation. Stay at home. Just chilling. Not working. Whether you go somewhere, or don't go anywhere, you'll still want to use all of your vacation days.
Every last one.
Even though Americans say they enjoy their vacations, they also say that they worry about whether their job will get done correctly in their absence, and they worry about being seen as lazy or easily replaceable at work, and they worry that their boss is sending subtle signals that it would be better not to take time off.
You worry too much, Americans. Take some time off.
If your boss is an obstacle to taking vacation days to which you are contractually entitled, maybe you should poison him (non-fatally). Then both of you can take some off.
That job don't love you. That job is not your friend. That job is not looking out for you. That job is a machine in which you are a cog. That job has no human feelings. That job is interested only in sucking you for every last ounce of labor that you are physically capable of producing before you pass out. It is not the job's fault; it is in the job's nature. Therefore it is up to you to look out for yourself. You gotta love yourself in this world. Take that time off. Nobody else is going to take it for you. Take it. Take it all.
If you're lucky they will fire you and you can sue them.