It’s summer, the season where even kicking back on the deck beside a smoking barbecue while catching up with a friend falls under the category of “big plans for today.”

But there’s a disturbing trend threatening the future of our beloved Canadian summers.

For the past nine years, online travel company Expedia has conducted a “Vacation Deprivation Survey” focussing on how hard working people worldwide are not taking their vacation time. Among the 2009 findings, roughly one third of adults in the United States reported feeling better about their job and more productive after returning from vacation.


One Canadian stat that jumps out, however, is cause for alarm. Employed adults in this country, on average, leave two vacation days  “on the table.” That’s two whole days  (days that could be full of backyard bliss, days spent on the water, at the course, in the garden, with family, with friends . . . with a bag of Doritos and a DVD . . .) that are falling into the abyss of lost opportunities.

So, how do we fix this problem?

We could start by keeping it simple. A vacation is merely a block of time away from work. You don’t have to hit the open road or fly the friendly skies.

Unless you’ve not only been suffering from  vacation deprivation but have slipped into media deprivation too,  you’ve already heard the term staycation - being a tourist in your own town.

It’s worth noting that people love to say staycation. So much so, the concept has caught on like wildfire with media outlets looking for trends to highlight on slow newsdays.

Regardless of the media saturation, the staycation makes sense -- especially to classic car and custom bike buffs. While hitting the open road and touring across the continent is nirvana for gearheads, there’s plenty of us who are still retooling, adjusting, tweaking and overhauling. Short trips are a great way to get the kinks out and enjoy a vehicle at the same time without the looming feeling that can nag you when testing your mettle (or metal, as it were) on a long trip.

Our modest proposal? Don’t give those two days back to the boss this year. Spend them with a friend or a family member. And don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty if the opportunity presents itself.

It would be foolish to try and list the myriad ways our tools could be part of your summer. Rest assured, from tuning up the outboard to assembling the new barbecue, to helping Rover get those porcupine quills out of his snout, Seattle Tool will be helping you squeeze every ounce out of your vacation time. We consider it our patriotic duty.