More Small-Business Owners Forgo Summer Vacation

Fewer than half (46 percent) of small-business owners will be taking a summer vacation for a full week this year, down from 67 percent in 2006, a new survey shows. The top reasons for staying home are busy work schedules (37 percent) and affordability (29 percent).

While those entrepreneurs who are taking time off this summer aren't wasting time on guilt trips—the majority of small-business owners (79 percent) do not feel guilt over taking a vacation—their plans are being influenced by the uncertain economy (57 percent), according to the latest American Express OPEN Small Business Vacation Monitor.

And they are experiencing gas pains; 23 percent said that high gas prices will limit the distance they plan to travel.

The average vacation budget for small-business owners this year will be $2,215, according to the survey, but nearly a quarter (24 percent) plan to cap their vacation spending at $500 or less.

Most small-business owners (73 percent) don’t try to mix business and pleasure by linking vacations to business trips, but they do insist on keeping in touch with their businesses while they're away.

But they're not as zealous about it as they were a few years ago. The number of owners checking in at all while on vacation has declined from 81 percent in 2008 to 68 percent in the most recent survey. And there are fewer compulsively wired owners who check their phones and emails several times a day; their numbers have declined from 26 percent in 2008 to 18 percent this year.

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Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at nsmith@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith.