Vacation & leisure: camping, Thanksgiving and no right to time off

Nobody in the Western world works as hard as Americans. In 2016, the average employed person in the USA worked 1,790 hours a year, compared with just 1,482 hours in France. In return, French GDP per capita is only 73% of the American figure. So the French work roughly 17% less than their American counterparts. It looks much the same in Italy and Spain. No industrialized country works less than Germany, where people put in an average of just 1,371 hours a year.

It's not just that the typical workday in the USA is longer than in Europe (Americans work an average of 44 hours a week). What matters far more is that the USA has no legally mandated public holidays and no statutory vacation.

Yes, you read that right. The USA does have eleven so-called federal holidays. Strictly speaking, though, these are just 11 days on which federal agencies close. Other employers have no obligation whatsoever to observe them.

Of course, most employers give their staff Christmas and Thanksgiving off, and maybe one or two other holidays. But few businesses observe all eleven federal holidays.

There's no right to vacation either, paid or unpaid. Most employees get no paid vacation at all. The lucky ones get 5-10 days of paid vacation a year. Change jobs, and you usually get no vacation at all for your first 2 years with the new employer.

The upshot: in the USA you earn more (because you work more), but you have relatively little free time, let alone vacation.

1How it shapes free time

Working conditions like these inevitably shape how Americans spend their free time. It starts with the fact that many Americans never go on vacation at all. The height of luxury is spending Thanksgiving weekend with the relatives (including 10 hours of driving there and back).

Americans who do get paid vacation can usually take only a week off. Nobody flies to Europe for a week; at best you go to Disney World in Florida or visit family in Sioux Falls. In my view, this is the main reason Americans know so little about the world beyond the USA: they simply never get the chance to see it.

2More money, less free time

Longer hours and less vacation inevitably mean that Americans earn more on average than Europeans. And so the lack of free time is made up for with consumption: Americans buy, buy, buy. You often get the feeling it's about piling up stuff on principle: a new phone, a new car, a new TV, this and that.

One of the most popular pastimes is a trip to the mall. Even teenagers meet up at the mall on Saturday afternoons, broke or not.

It's not unusual for 10-year-olds to have an iPhone and an iPad, and of course their own TV in their bedroom. Buy, buy, buy. Those who already have everything buy a jet ski and new golf clubs. And we're not talking about wealthy Americans here: thanks to financing, you can afford quite a lot on a "normal" income.

I once had a girlfriend in the USA who ran an outpatient clinic and earned around $100,000 a year. Yet every cent of her take-home pay was committed for years to come, paying off loans for all kinds of junk she'd bought at some point.

3The truly lucky ones are the entrepreneurs

I could never live in the USA as an ordinary employee. Life would be a nightmare. But as an entrepreneur in the USA, you've hit the jackpot: you set your own schedule and get to enjoy the fantastic leisure opportunities America has to offer. It's a luxury few Americans can afford, simply because they don't have the time.

That's a big reason why the USA is so attractive for entrepreneurs in particular. There are endless ways to have a great time with your partner and your family, and everywhere you go, people work hard to give you great service.

Of course, all this has its price and can be expensive, sometimes outrageously so. You'll have to see for yourself and set your own priorities.

4My leisure tips for your time in the USA

Everyone is different, and everyone has their own idea of a great way to spend free time. Below I've put together a list of leisure ideas I've enjoyed in the USA. I've deliberately focused on activities that are typically American.

4.1Hunting

In Europe, hunting comes with all sorts of restrictions, and some people frown on it. The USA is completely different. Every state offers a wealth of hunting options for everyone: from organized hunting weekends where even total beginners can join in and hunt wild hogs, to challenging deer hunts.

4.2Fishing

As with hunting, fishing comes with few restrictions. The usual practice is catch and release, but of course you can also take your fish home to eat. Just watch out for any seasonal minimum sizes and similar rules.

4.3Learning to fly

Flying is hugely popular in the USA, and getting your pilot's license is much easier than in Europe, and cheaper too. Expect to pay around $6,000 to learn to fly a Cessna.

4.4Golf

The choice of golf courses in the USA is enormous. Even smaller towns often have several. Admittedly, many courses are run as country clubs, where you have to become a member before you can play. But hotels in particular often open their courses to non-members.

4.5RV road trips

If you like RVs, you'll love road trips across the USA in a Winnebago. Wide roads and extremely comfortable campgrounds all over the country make your road trip pure pleasure. Quite a few American retirees sell their house, buy an RV and cruise around the country for 10 years.

4.6Horseback riding

Riding is also often much cheaper and more accessible in the USA than in Europe. Many Americans own horses, and keeping them costs far less than we're used to. You'll find stables everywhere offering trail rides, for half a day, for example. And if you like, you can ride for three weeks through the still-wild West.

4.7City breaks

Weekend city breaks are very popular in the USA. Las Vegas, New York, Miami and Los Angeles are my favorites. Treat your partner to a romantic weekend with a little shopping, a show and good restaurants. There are plenty of big cities to explore.

4.8Boating

There's no nationwide boating license in the USA, but many states require a course. In Texas, anyone born on or after September 1, 1993 needs a Boater Education Certificate to operate a motorboat of more than 15 hp; in Florida, anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 needs a Boating Safety Education ID Card for 10 hp and up. You can rent a speedboat or a motor yacht and cruise along the coast of Florida or California. Naturally, no owner will hand over their baby without the necessary know-how, but you can learn all that once you're there.

4.9Wine tasting

The USA has quite a few wine regions, some better known than others. California certainly stands out. Every wine region offers tastings. And what could be better than spending a few days touring wine country with your loved one, sampling delicious wines? Just make sure you don't get behind the wheel tipsy!

4.10Skiing

Skiing in the USA is an experience in itself. I've never seen wider or longer runs anywhere. And because the resorts cover such huge areas and have so many lifts, lift lines stay short even on busy days. I've been skiing in the USA with my kids several times, and you can count on a ski trip that you and your family will never forget.

4.11Going to the theater

I realize I haven't suggested many cultured pastimes so far, so let me make one last attempt. My experience is that cultural life in the USA can't match Europe's. There may be exceptions, fine. But by and large, US cities can't keep up with the cultural offerings of Europe's great capitals.

Still, almost every US city regularly stages theater productions worth seeing. And because the country is so big, you have so many options that you could catch a different show every weekend.

To find out how to get around in the first place, see our page on mobility and transportation. Everything else about life in America is covered in our overview of moving to the USA.

In short

• The US has no legally mandated public holidays and no statutory right to paid vacation; the eleven federal holidays apply only to federal agencies.
• If you're lucky, you get five to ten paid vacation days a year, and many employees get no paid vacation at all.
• The result: higher incomes, little free time, lots of spending and hardly any travel outside the US.
• Business owners set their own schedules and make the most of everything America offers for your free time, from hunting and fishing to golf, road trips and skiing.

How we help you

• Moving to the USAVisa, bank account, taxes and where to live: your move with Mount Bonnell Advisors.
• Visa RoadmapIn writing: which visa fits you and your family, prepared with the immigration attorney on the firm's team.
• US Company FormationLLC, Inc or LP in Delaware, Florida, California, New York, Texas or Wyoming.
• ConsultationOne hour with the firm: your case, your questions, a clear answer.