Can you really take all your vacation days when working abroad?

When vacation time comes around

Here's one more reason to consider working in Europe (among many others). The Old Continent has a well-earned reputation for generous paid leave. Estonia leads the pack with 28 days per year, followed closely by Luxembourg (26 days), Austria, Denmark, Sweden, and France (all at 25 days). Finland, Germany, and Malta are not far behind. Other European countries typically offer between 20 and 22 days of annual leave, and that's before counting public holidays.

Expats working in the European Union benefit from a strong legislative framework: EU member states guarantee workers at least 4 weeks of paid leave per year. This entitlement isn't tied to seniority; it applies to everyone from day one.

Vacation culture around the world

This legal framework goes a long way toward explaining the vacation culture in EU countries, where time off is simply part of professional life. Employees generally take their full entitlement, whether spread throughout the year or all at once. In France, for example, summer holidays hold a special place. It's perfectly normal for employees to take two or three weeks off in July and August. Business typically slows down during this period across many industries (tourism and leisure being notable exceptions), which naturally encourages workers to take their leave.

Other countries around the world also guarantee at least 4 weeks of annual leave by law, including the UK (28 days). At the other end of the spectrum, paid leave is far more limited in the Philippines (5 days per year), Mexico and Thailand (6 days), Singapore (7 days), Canada and Japan (10 days), and Israel (11 days). Public holidays can boost total time off considerably, bringing the figure up to 30 days in Japan, 21 days in Israel, and 19 days in both Canada and Thailand, though Mexico only reaches 13 days. The Philippines and Singapore receive no additional boost from public holidays.

When the labor laws don't regulate vacation

What happens when there's no legal framework governing employee leave? That's the reality in the United States. Under federal law, employers have no obligation to provide any paid or unpaid leave to their employees. Everything comes down to negotiation between employer and employee, though individual states can and do enact their own provisions.

In practice, many employers do offer vacation days, and for good reason. The research on the benefits of taking time off is extensive, and growing awareness of workplace mental health has further strengthened the case for paid leave. In the US, the number of vacation days varies by company and seniority, with most employers offering between 10 and 15 days per year, increasing over time. What about unlimited vacation? It's a concept most closely associated with the tech sector. The so-called "unlimited vacation revolution" has been making headlines since the early 2000s, but it remains far from mainstream. In 2025, the practice applied to barely 7% of American companies.

What actually happens in different countries

There's often a significant gap between what the law says and what actually happens, and paid leave is no exception. Expats can experience genuine culture shock when it comes to taking time off. Should they even take it? Even when the law or their employment contract entitles them to take paid time off, many hesitate. That hesitation is shaped by the culture of the country they're working in: What do colleagues do? What's the prevailing attitude toward vacation?

In the US

In the United States, it's common not to use all of your vacation days. Work culture demands it. You're expected to be available at all times and to show that you're a hard worker. The rise of AI has added another layer of pressure: fearing replacement, a growing number of employees are choosing to forgo their leave altogether. In late 2025, job search platform FlexJobs published a study surveying 3,000 American workers. One in four said they took no vacation at all in 2024. Another 42% used just a single day, despite being entitled to 10. And 25% reported that their manager had actively discouraged them from taking a full week off.

Far from being the answer, unlimited vacation policies may actually add to the pressure. Employees with unlimited leave are estimated to take an average of 16 days off per year, only slightly more than the US average and well below European legal standards. Workers say unlimited vacation places extra responsibility on their shoulders: no one wants to seem unreasonable by actually taking unlimited time off. People think about their colleagues, their company, and their standing within it. In the end, they don't use their vacation days, or, if they do, it's at a rate not far from that of those without the unlimited option. Analysts largely view unlimited vacation as more of a recruiting gimmick than a genuine benefit.

In Canada 

While the federal framework sets a baseline of 10 vacation days per year, the rules around employment in Canada and how leave is taken in practice can vary significantly from one province to another and from one company to the next. Each territory and province is free to legislate independently on the matter. Alberta's provincial law, for instance, requires employers to grant annual leave to "most" of their employees, based on length of service. A similar principle applies in Nunavut, where leave is calculated according to seniority. Most provinces provide two weeks of paid vacation after one year with the same employer, rising to three weeks after five years. Saskatchewan is more generous from the start (three weeks after one year), with four weeks kicking in after 10 years with the same company.

This seniority-based approach to annual leave is also reflected in the federal text governing vacation entitlements for employees working in federally regulated industries under federal regulation (banking, air transport, agriculture, postal services, telecommunications, public service, and more). Company-level agreements can also govern how leave is taken. Employers are free to offer more paid vacation than the provincial minimum, and extra days are often used as a perk, with more senior positions typically receiving greater entitlements. Some companies leverage this to attract both local and international talent. That said, the total number of days tends to stay within what's considered reasonable by Canadian standards. Don't expect to match European norms.

Should you take all your vacation days when working abroad?

This is a genuinely tricky question for many expats, especially those coming from countries with generous leave policies. Going from 4 weeks of paid vacation to just 6 days is a significant adjustment. On top of that, actually taking leave can be a challenge in itself. Work culture varies widely from country to country, and using your full entitlement isn't always well received (though it also depends heavily on the company's culture). The pattern becomes harder to ignore when you consider that the countries offering the least vacation tend to be the same ones with the strongest "always on" mentality: always ready to work, always willing to cut your leave short.

So what can you do? First, it's worth remembering that the law of the country you're working in (or provincial law, or company agreements) may actually require you to take your leave within the year. There's often a set reference period during which the vacation must be used. If you don't use it, you lose it. Leave isn't always carried over, so it pays to check before you start "saving" your days.

Can unused vacation days be paid out?

The general rule is this: leave must be taken during the reference period defined by law or any other applicable regulation. That said, there are some situations where unused vacation days can be compensated financially.

End of contract

An expat who reaches the end of their contract without having taken all their leave will typically receive payment for unused vacation days as part of their final settlement.

Vacation denied by the employer

An employee who formally requested leave but never received approval from their employer can request payment for those unused days (known as a vacation payout or paid leave compensation). This request is generally submitted to the company's payroll department and must be supported by documentation. It's up to the employee to demonstrate that the company prevented them from taking their leave.

Provisions in a collective agreement or employment contract

An employer may include a payout provision for unused vacation days, for example, during a peak period when taking time off simply isn't possible. Paid leave compensation may also be written into the employee's collective bargaining agreement. In the US, for instance, some companies do pay out unused vacation days, but this is not standard practice across the board. It all depends on the employer.

Learning the art of switching off

Another useful approach is simple observation and information gathering. What do your colleagues do? Do they take all their vacation days? Do they completely disconnect during the holidays, or do they check their emails "every now and then"? Many countries have passed right-to-disconnect legislation, but truly stepping away from work can still be difficult in practice. According to a 2024 study conducted by the German research firm Bilendi for marketing leader Königsteiner, nearly 50% of German employees admitted to working "a little" during their holidays, even though 88% believed that unpaid extra work would not lead to a promotion. This difficulty disconnecting is especially common among managers and those in positions of responsibility. In the US, employees are generally expected to check their email even while on vacation. In Japan, fewer than 20% of workers took their full paid leave entitlement in 2023.

But what's the real risk of actually using all the vacation days you're entitled to? Not much, beyond the fear of being judged as the "lazy expat" who has no problem leaving colleagues in the lurch to spend 10 days at the beach. What if taking your vacation became an act of quiet resistance against a certain kind of work culture? With wellbeing rising up the agenda in the international job market, more and more young professionals are standing up for their rights. A quiet revolution may well be underway.