European workers not only earn more vacation days than U.S. workers, they actually take them all. And that makes them happy, because they feel well rested, returning to work in a better frame of mind than when they left.

This is one slice of the research pie served up by Expedia in its 2014 Vacation Deprivation study. Nearly 8,000 employees worldwide were asked about vacation habits and policies, and what they would give up for a week to get one additional vacation day.

“Somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of people worldwide say that vacations make them feel happier, better rested, closer to their family, less stressed and more relaxed,” said John Morrey, vice president and general manager of expedia.com. “These are all emotions that correlate to a productive employee. So it's almost paradoxical: spend more time away from work, and you might just be a better performing employee.”

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.