Are rising gas prices keeping Americans from taking their summer vacations? Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., a global outplacement consulting firm thinks so. Firm chief officer, John A. Challenger said that with gas prices close to $4 a gallon and job insecurity rampant, people may want to consider shorter vacations close to home.

“As workers become more concerned about job stability, their vacation requests are likely be for fewer days and will include the caveat that they will check e-mail and be available for work calls. Those who are out-of-touch for a week or more will be remembered, and not in a good way, particularly if some type of crisis arises during the absence," Challenger said.

You can bet your bottom dollar that the French – who currently pay $8.54 a gallon – aren’t forgoing their standard four weeks of vacation because of it.

Healthy employees are happy employees. People need time away from work to do the things that they are interested in – whether that be laying in a hammock and reading a book or taking a week- long camping trip at Acadia National Park off the coast of Maine. Taking a mental break from your Blackberry shouldn’t cost you your job.

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