If you didn’t answer that question by enthusiastically shouting “I Do!” while waving your hand in the air, your vacation days may be among the 460 million that will go unused in the United States this year.

The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) has some interesting, if not disturbing, information about the vacation habits of Americans on their website vacationbetter.org.  On average, Americans get less than half of the amount of paid vacation days than workers in most European countries, and on top of that 47.5 million of us in the U.S. will each leave an average of 3 of those precious days unused.

The Trip Say blog posted findings from a Hewitt Study that showed workers in Denmark averaging the highest amount of paid time off days at 31 per year. That’s more than double the American’s average of 10 to 14 annual vacation days.

But don’t put your suitcases in storage yet… A press release announced that today, Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) is introducing the Paid Vacation Act of 2009 at a public news conference in Washington, D.C.

Grayson and members of the group Take Back Your Time along with a physician, an economist, a business consultant and others are speaking about the benefits of taking vacations, including higher work productivity and family bonding. Vacation Better elaborates on the reasons vacations are necessary for everyone and features interviews and articles from several vacation experts, including John De Graaf, Executive Director of Take Back Your Time and advocate of the Paid Vacation Act.

The first vacation bill in U.S. history would require one week of paid vacation for employees of companies with at least 100  employees.  Three years after passage, the bill extends this requirement to companies with at least 50 employees, and will require two weeks for companies with 100 employees.

According to the press release, more than 147 countries have paid vacation laws, while a quarter of all U.S. workers receive no vacation time at all.

So who deserves a vacation?  Everyone does! If you are spending this Memorial Day at a Festiva Resort or any other timeshare or vacation ownership resort, then cheers to you! If you’re one of the many who have not used your vacation days this year, then stop waiting and contact Festiva Resorts Central Reservations department today to discuss your options for making the most out of your vacation ownership package.

And if you’re eager to use up your much-deserved vacation days, then check out our Vacation Story & Photo Contest page to see how you can win a free Festiva Resorts vacation!