New infographic depicts timeshare vacation as recipe for happiness

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a new infographic from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) showing the lasting benefits a vacation has on one’s health and life should leave an impression beyond the length of your next trip.  The graphic also shows the long-term savings of $18,160 over 18 years of vacationing with timeshare, compared to an average hotel vacation over the same time period—as an additional metric of measuring vacation value.

Over the past decade, metrics for evaluating the value of vacationing have evolved as research continues to show the positive effects of vacation on health, wellness, job performance, relationships and lifestyle.  “There is finally a large body of evidence that supports why taking time away from the stresses of daily life and spending time creating memories with family and loved ones is good for you,” said ARDA’s president and CEO Howard Nusbaum.

For instance, the on-going Framingham Heart Study, found that men who didn’t take a vacation for several years were 30 percent more likely to have heart attacks compared to men who didn’t take time off.  And women who took a vacation only once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a heart attack compared to women who vacationed at least twice a year.

Further research from the Harvard Business Review analyzed the effects an engaged brain has on job performance and that to be truly engaged at work, your brain needs periodic breaks to gain fresh perspective and energy.

And approximately 169 million Americans still did not take all of their earned vacations days last year—a sure recipe for burnout, as the infographic shows!

To underscore the inherent value of vacations, the timeshare industry promotes taking regular time off with loved ones and family.  Having the space to spread out but privacy to unwind is what makes vacation ownership the antidote to burnout—plus, you have thousands of resort-options all over the world.  “Vacation ownership guarantees that you will vacation at least once a year and ensures you take future vacations – all at a substantial savings over regular hotel vacations,” said Nusbaum.  “Timeshare owners tend to think of vacationing as a necessity not a luxury, as a recipe for happiness.  How do you place a value on that?”

For more information and to learn why timeshare vacations make for better vacations, visit www.VacationBetter.org.