Giving Thanks on [and for] America's Riviera

I had the pleasure of spending an extended Thanksgiving holiday this year with family (you're the host with the most, Dames) and a friend (you're a trooper for driving up and hanging out, Kurt) in Santa Barbara - the coastal California town that bills itself as The American Riviera.

Having been to both the French and Italian versions, I was skeptical about the comparison. Though I'd been to S.B. once before on a quick day trip up from L.A., I couldn't recall being struck by anything resembling a riviera vibe. But then, there's not much that I can recall from that early visit; I think it comprised a quick lunch downtown, and that's it. Maybe it was on a drive up to San Fran along Hwy 1? I can't be sure (early onset Alzheimer's, what can I say).

Anyway ... in addition to spending a little cherished quality time with family, I had a lot of free time to amble about town. And amble I did. Left to my own devices in a new place, I can while away the hours in no time, accomplishing a lot or a little. It's all the same to me (fun). This trip was pretty low-key in terms of accomplishments. But the one thing I did go buck wild with and really tackle in satisfying fashion was the Spanish tile situation. Santa Barbara is crawling with the critters. My favorite application was adorning the city's many steps and staircases. With eyes were on permanent peel, I was amply rewarded for the effort. Check it out.


Gorgeous, right?

I only wish I'd been maybe a hair more productive on the photographic front and taken a few shots of the drop-dead lush 'n lovely hills - the drive we took up there through Montecito and beyond was fairytale-caliber beautiful - or at least one of the amazing technicolor sunsets (with a full moon, to boot). Oh well. Next time. There was plenty I didn't get around to. So I shall return soon (prepare your bowling arm, Damon) and hopefully it'll be a tad warmer; particularly after dark so I won't have to brave the elements to break out the camera - the 33F nights were a bit crispy for my comfort, though inside by the fire was quite cozy.

Despite the chilly and very un-Riviera-like nights, what a fitting trip to kick off my 2011 travel plans - fresh off my visit to America's Riviera (which is exactly what it looks and feels like), I've got my sights set on a spring stint in the Italian Riviera and a fall fling on the French. Even though I've been to both regions in years past, those trips weren't well captured because, at the time, I had only a crappy little point-and-shoot. So I've got high hopes for the photos this time around.

Oh là là! It's going to be magnifique.

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for more pretty pictures from Santa Barbara in my Flickr stream, on Etsy, and via iStock and elsewhere. The post-processing fun has only just begun (but first I have to clear out a backlog of far more pressing photographic work, so please be patient).

State of the Union's Approach to Travel

A leisurely vacation overseas escapes the vast majority of American working dreamers. For most U.S. workers - lacking the time or the money, or both - traveling abroad essentially amounts to an unattainable or once in a lifetime (if they're lucky) luxury.

Having just returned from a quick four-day visit to Montreal, I was already lamenting having to wait a full calendar year to accrue the allotted 12 days of paid time off so that I could take something more akin to what I consider a real vacation. For me, if there isn't a trip on the horizon I'm just not a happy camper. So I put in for my time away next spring, this spring. That's how serious I am about taking time off. I was chatting about this with a friend in Paris and he mentioned to me that the new job he's considering offers―now would be the time to sit down and brace yourself before reading on―48 days of paid vacation. Um, yeah. I was floored, too.

I was reminded of that scene in Sicko where, "Sitting at a restaurant table with a bunch of American ex-pats in Paris, Moore is treated to a jaw-dropping recitation of the perks of social democracy: 30 days of vacation time, unlimited sick days, full child care, social workers who come to help new parents adjust to the strains and challenges of child-rearing." - Ezra Klein

In stark sobering contrast to what workaday Americans are guaranteed, in the way of paid time off in particular: "We guarantee zero. Absolutely none. That's why one out of 10 full-time American employees, and more than six out of 10 part-time employees, get no vacation. And even among workers with paid vacation benefits, the average number of days enjoyed is a mere 12. In other words, even those of us who are lucky enough to get some vacation typically receive just over a third of what the French are guaranteed." - Ezra Klein

Sigh. And a very heavy one, at that.

I'm now one of those Americans who enjoys "a mere 12" paid vacation days. After three years with the company that will increase to a whopping 15. If it weren't for the the fact that I love the company, the work, and the people, I couldn't commit to such a setup. Not unless there were the possibility of unpaid leave, which is what I enjoyed at my former place of employment.

Although, to quote Ezra Klein - "Very few individual workers in the United States can ask for four weeks of vacation. It is not only outside the benefits of their job but far outside the culture of our workplace. The incentives for most every individual, particularly if they want to keep their position and amass a reputation as a good employee, is to abide by those norms," I worked up the gall to ask my last employer for unlimited unpaid leave in addition to the standard two weeks (i.e., only 10 days) he outlined in the company benefits package. For some crazy reason, my request was deemed reasonable and I got my wish. It was fantastic. I even took it a step further when I opted for less monthly income in favor of a four-day work week.

That arrangement lasted for nearly six travelicious years before I decided it was time to move on and pursue my work as an artist more seriously, along with a career/day job that more closely matched personal passions; first and foremost, my love of travel. I consider myself exceptionally lucky to have found just such a place and position. Although I lost my lobby for unpaid leave in lieu of more fully-funded with my new employer, the fact that I enjoy my work counts immensely. Not many people―American or otherwise―can say that.

All that said, this still strikes me as shockingly medieval. This being where the U.S. ranks with the rest of the industrialized world in time paid to step away from the grindstone and catch up on some much needed R&R:

Kinda makes you want to scream and wish you'd been born a Brit or a Brazilian, right?

The reason it's so hard to get a vacation and so hard to enjoy one when you manage to squeeze part of one in is that the U.S. is the only country in the industrialized world without a minimum paid-leave law. As you can see from the chart [above], we've got a death grip on last place in the paid-leave standings. The first column details figures for statutory minimum annual leave and the right-hand column lists combined mandated leave with average additional time off by agreement with employers.

One of the most frequent remarks I'd encounter on my extended two, three, and four week trips abroad in the last five years is how atypical my length of leisure was for an American. Americans are often criticized for being an insular clan of overworked folks who take quick trips of five to seven days abroad and aim to squeeze in as much as possible within that tiny time frame. Going from Venice to Florence to Rome in the space of five or seven days doesn't sound like leisure to me; it sounds like stressful work. How can one possibly achieve a state of relaxation when so much time is spent traveling and sprinting about on the vacation itself? But given that "the average number of days enjoyed is a mere 12," what's a Yank to do? Spend the whole 12 on a single trip without saving time for family events or other piecemeal days off needed throughout the year? It's not like most companies allow a plethora of "personal days" or sick leave. That's right. For many Americans, sick time can often dip into vacation time because we're also lacking a logical allotment of paid sick leave.

It's kind of sad―though it's brought me unmeasurable pleasure, but I'm more and more thankful to be single and without dependents. Life is expensive these days and it's difficult to coordinate time off with friends, family, and partners. Especially when you're unwilling to take a five or seven day trip to somewhere 10 or more hours away by plane. I can't even imagine affording a real vacation, with kids. Let alone enjoying one! Not that it's not possible for those of us making less than $100,000 a year. I'm just saying that I can't imagine it.

In conclusion, I think that when one's government does not espouse or encourage a proper vacation by law, it is unarguably apparent that said government does not truly expect its people to be citizens of the world. Particularly puzzling when the nation in question is one of the richest in the Western World. The part that shouldn't come as a shock, then, is that in the United States, the vast majority of Americans can afford to be nothing other than what they are: untraveled people whose idea of a vacation is a three-day weekend (often spent working, from home!) It might also explain why Americans can be such ugly travelers, as they say. We don't get out much. Out of the country, that is. Our culture both in and outside of the workplace doesn't allow for much else (lack of support or mandate from the federal government; professional/social peer and personal pressure to work longer hours and to value material rewards rather than experiential rewards like vacations). Coupled with the ever increasing cost of living and the well-traveled American becomes the true overseas oddity. It's the truth, and it's a travesty.

Update: August 5, 2010 - Why don't Americans have longer vacations?

Sources:

• Land of the overworked and tired
  
• http://www.worktolive.info/poen_vaca_worl.cfm

Questions? Ask away! Please use the comments feature to ask questions rather than contacting Marisa directly. That way everyone can learn a thing or two, too.