A vacation is a leave of absence from a regular occupation, or a specific trip or journey, for the purpose of recreation or tourism. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations. Vacations or holidays are often spent with friends or family.

A person may take a longer break from work, such as a sabbatical, gap year, or career break.

Contents

• 1 Etymology
• 2 Regional meaning
• 3 See also
• 4 External links

Etymology

In the United Kingdom, vacation once specifically referred to the long summer break taken by the law courts and, later, universities—a custom introduced by William the Conqueror from Normandy where it facilitated the grape harvest. In the past, many upper-class families moved to a summer home for part of the year, leaving their usual family home vacant.

Noun

vacation (plural vacations)

1. (US) leisure time, at least a whole day but usually longer (typical are one to three weeks), away from work or duty and devoted to rest or pleasure.
2. (US) (law) the act of making legally void.
3. the act of vacating something; moving out of something.

   The Conservative Party’s vacation of the centre ground gave an opportunity to its opponents.

4. a holiday period for a law court or university.

Definition 1 is not found in the UK, where the term holiday is used instead; in the US a holiday is normally a single day. For example, many companies give two holiday days at Thanksgiving.

In Canada and Australia, vacation and holiday are both used in sense 1.

Definition 4 is current throughout the English-speaking world.

Not to be confused with vocation.

Vacation

Quotes about vacation

Sourced

• The family is always the family but during vacations it is an extended family and that is exhausting.
  • Gertrude Stein, Paris, France, 1940 (New York: Liveright, 1970, p. 107).

• Vacation is what you take when you can't take what you've been taking any longer.
  • Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz)

• I need a vacation.
  • The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Terminator 2.

• Vacation All I ever wanted Vacation Had to get away Vacation Meant to be spent alone.
  • "Vacation", Vacation, The Go-Go's.

• What Dad means by "see" of course, is "drive past at 67 miles per hour." Dad feels it is a foolish waste of valuable vacation time to get out of the car and actually go look at an attraction.
  • Dave Barry, Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need.

Unsourced

• The worst day at the beach is better than the best day at work"
  • Unknown