My husband has been at his company for 30 years, and he gets 6 weeks of vacation time. I "only" get three weeks, plus two personal days. I stretch it by combining with Monday holidays, and since I only work three days a week, my husband uses vacation days for a long weekend, but I don't.

We take two ski trips each winter, a two week vacation in the summer or fall, and long weekends to visit family or go to NY for a theater weekend.

Right now I only get 2 weeks but will get 3 next year. Part of the problem I have with using vacation time around holidays is that your expenses are usually higher and there are more crowds. So we try to go places that aren't hugely popular during those times.

hi melissa..yes, spread your vacations as the other posters suggested.i get 3 weeks a year (my husband 4)..but i also get 12 company holidays + and comp days if i work extra days.
we usually do vacations that lasts one week each...which means traveling 3x a year every 4 months. the other posters have good suggestions about long weekends. those are best to do if you're not going too far though..you don't want to use an entire day traveling.
i think it might be best to only use your three weeks vacation at once if you're going somewhere far..if you're from u.s., then use them all at once to go to places like africa or asia.
i agree with you...so many great places to go to, so little time!

I find that negotiating for more vacation time is a good tactic these days, with purse strings being so tight at most places. In the past, if an annual merit increase was not up to par, I've asked for (and received) additional paid vacation days. It's something to think about -- many companies are happy to dole out a few extra vacation days, rather than attempt to defend a tiny raise that doesn't cover the cost of living increase!