Do Americans work harder than Europeans? Employment law would definitely suggest that. In France, for example, workers are legally entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave. In Austria 22, with an extra 13 days of paid holidays. Finland boasts 25, with nine days of paid national holiday. Greece has 26, in total.

The USA has a big fat 0.

1/4 of Americans have no paid public leave or annual holiday at all, even though many private companies offer their workers paid holiday.Whether it be because of the legal regulations, or the USA work ethic, “burn out” in the states is a growing problem.

America! Put down your Blackberry! A 50 hour week does not make you more productive. Physically, to recover from burn-out, the body needs at least 2 weeks of relaxation. And that doesn´t mean 2 weeks of tearing around cities, maximising your holiday, slogging your guts out power-holidaying around some new demanding destination.

If you want to relax, let your body recharge, boost your health, and allow your skin to have a silky inner glow, why not take a break in Europe.

It would it be a great opportunity to take some substantial time way from work.And with home exchange it would be a very cheap way of getting away. You would only have to pay for the flights, so you wouldn´t have to worry about it eating into your finances. Plus, it would also be a chance to let some of the finer aspects of the European way of life seep in.

Paris, London, Vienna, and Venice are a few of the many European havens where you will be able to peel the toxic stress away from those wired up minds and bodies.

Here´s a quick three-point guide to banishing stress, European stylee.

1. Make time to eat. Don´t view meal times as an irrelevant inconvenience, that can be doubled up as work time, done on-the-go, or silently crumped in front of the TV, crippled by fatigue after too much work. Take time to plan the meal, buy all the fresh ingredients, and cook together. You can eat late if necessary, but take the time to prepare together, to sit down together and talk, and savour some long fermented juicy wine as you enjoy your meal.

2. Remember that European societies have an incredible sense of history. You don´t need to see five museums in one day on top of three parks, and a trip to the opera. If you can wonder through a rustic French town for example, absorbing the smell of the marble, the cool narrow streets each telling a thousand stories of their own, breathing in the energy of centuries and centuries lost in the past, then your holiday will surely be something invaluable and unforgettable.

3. Take a chance to have a little laugh at our antiquated parliaments. Especially the British one. It may be occassionally put on USA television comedy channels, but believe it or not, it´s our system of government. If you visit London, you could take the opportunity to see the British government in action. It´s a lot of old men. Sat around, sleeping and muttering. It´s a weird system yes, but think of all it´s achieved! Free health care, a totally independent press, a welfare state… You always have to have the appearance of being fired up and go-getting in order to make great things happen.

Vacations aren´t an optional luxury. Most European governments make them totally, unavoidably obligatory. Our bodies need them, and even our productivity at work benefits from taking a couple of weeks break. With home exchange there aren´t even great costs! It´s a win-win situation!