Vacation Time in America

Story and Photographs by David Noyes

Ask 100 Americans what they consider to be a perfect vacation and you’re likely to get 100 different answers. Think of all the possibilities we enjoy today, from spending time at a seashore cottage or backpacking the remote wilderness, to cruising the open seas or jet-set-ting to a distant country. There is, however, one thing that most will agree on—our next vacation will be way too short.

The average employee in America earns just 13 days off work, compared to 28 in Great Britain, 37 in France, and a whopping 42 days in Italy. What is even more remark-able is that many Americans don’t actually take the vacation days they have coming. Even when we do go away, the modern office of e-mail, BlackBerrys, cell phones and WiFi can keep us connected in even the most remote locations.

America’s Early Vacationers

While we fear returning to a pile of work, the effort and worry associated with planning a vacation also con-tributes to the love-hate relationship Americans have with their time off. A quick review of history reveals that this is not a new phenomenon. What we know as “vacationing” began in the 19th century as a privilege for the elite. Wealthy industrialists in the North and plantation owners in the South enjoyed weeks at the seashore or relaxing with the family at a destination “summer resort” catering to a new American vacationer.

However, hardworking Americans raised with a Puritan work ethic were suspicious of leisure and viewed recreational travel as a pursuit of the rich. Work, dedication and frugality were the virtues that defined success, happiness and wellbeing. But there was also some-thing unique about the American spirit that inspired people to explore their growing nation.

The Beginnings of Adventure Travel

Early in the century, reports of spectacular landscapes, great natural wonders and vast open prairies were beginning to spread east from the campfire tales of settlers, trappers, prospectors and adventurers.

As the Industrial Revolution trans-formed America from an agrarian society into an urban-industrial nation, a growing middle class began working in city offices and enjoyed more prosperity. By the mid-1800s, Niagara Falls and Mammoth Cave in Kentucky had emerged as the ultimate destinations for hearty travelers escaping the city on their often arduous trip-of-a-lifetime to the new frontier.

The development of safer and more efficient transportation networks at the turn of the 20th century made travel increasingly accessible, allowing more people to explore the exotic destinations of legend on sightseeing trips to historic places. Attitudes about leisure were changing, and the spirit of adventure captured the unbridled imagination of the nation: This new generation of American vacationers were tourists.

A Nation of Tourists

With the growth of the automobile, magazines, photography and a middle class with time and money, travel was no longer the dominion of the elite.  The experience of touring offered the opportunity to see America, and in turn, tourists discovered what it meant to be an American.

As early as 1926, both migrants and tourists “motored west” on the newly created federal roadways. The famous Route 66 covered nearly 2,500 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. The dusty small towns, old gas stations, hamburger joints, motels, old signs and roadside attractions still lure vacationers to parts of the country where significant stretches of the historic route remain.

Long before the national highway system criss-crossed the continent, enlightened naturalists and politicians recognized the impact of increased westward expansion and set in motion a series of legislative initiatives to set aside public lands—that are now among our most visited national treasures.

In 1872, Congress reserved the spectacular Yellowstone country in the Wyoming and Montana territories as a pub-lic park, or “pleasuring-ground,” for the enjoyment of the people. By 1916, the Interior Department was responsible for 14 national parks and 21 national monuments. From these humble beginnings, total recreation visitors to the national parks grew to 272,623,980 in 2006.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Following WWII, the family vacation became an essential part of the American dream, and entrepreneurs like Walt Disney set out to build a new recreation experience. The amusement parks of the 1920s and ’30s were often dirty, disreputable places. Even the popular turn-of-the-century amusement area at Coney Island had acquired a rough and tumble reputation.

For years Walt Disney had dreamed of building a “little family park” where parents could take their children for a day of fun. With the opening of Magic Kingdom in Orlando, and the skyrocketing popularity of television and movies, it wasn’t long before the Disney franchise forever changed the family vacation.

At the very time that Walt Disney was turning his post-war, family-friendly vision into a reality, the infamous Bugsy Siegel was pursuing a very different dream for an American vacation destination in the Nevada desert. The Pink Flamingo, Stardust and Tropicana are synonymous with the Las Vegas of the 1950s and bright lights of the “Vegas Strip” that now entices tourists from around the world.

What Is Your Definition of Vacation?

Although vacationing is a modern concept in America, where we go and what we do in our leisure time is a fascinating reflection of our constantly changing culture. Throughout history, technology has provided safer and faster transportation options to explore more distant destinations. While recent technological advancements have offered us the opportunity to stay connected to our work, the same technology also has placed the collective knowledge of millions of travelers just one mouse click away.

As the world’s destinations become more accessible, so does the availability of instant information for travelers of the digital age. From real-time flight information to a virtual walk-through of a hotel in a foreign land, the Internet has transformed vacation planning in America.

Technology has allowed us to choose our destinations and plan our time wisely, but the travel industry also has recognized the age-old American aversion to idle-ness. Like early 19th-century vacationers on a quest for adventure at frontier attractions, American vacationers are not passive participants in the experience of travel. We want to do something, learn something or experience something on our vacations. With just 13 days to play, there isn’t a single moment to waste.

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