Two-week trips are dying out - but your vacation time is still safe

Planning a family vacation, a romantic getaway, some time away with the girls? According to a Holiday Inn study, a quickie rather than a 2-week vacation is likely your first choice.

More than half of the 5,000 Brits who answered a Holiday Inn poll said the 2-week vacation is out. Ready for Vacation?Almost 24% of Brits don't bother with spring breaks or summer vacations because fees rise so dramatically during peak travel times.

Another quarter said going away for 2 weeks is simply not possible anymore, whatever the date. And 1 in 5 people can't get time off work, while 1 in 10 couples can't get the time off together.

More than 72% of respondents are satisfying their wanderlust with shorter breaks, closer to home.

Whew! Is there any hope for salvaging our time away?

"Gone are the bad old days when people would save all year for their annual two week summer holiday at the busiest and most expensive period," said Chris Hale, spokesperson for Holiday Inn. "Over the past few years, we've seen a huge surge in the number of people booking into Holiday Inns for short breaks."

On the upside, you're probably taking more vacations spread throughout the year. On the downside, it's hard to uncoil yourself from work stress and a weekend away isn't nearly long enough into relax into vacation mode.

The bottom line is your boss owns your life for 50 weeks of the year, and you deserve to reclaim it once in a while.

What are you doing to protect your precious time away from work?