Play Hard or Hardly Play? New Carnival Research Reveals Aussies Are Stuck in a ‘Time Off Trap’

Wippa and Sam Thaiday

New South Wales' Wippa and Queensland’s Sam Thaiday team up across state lines to give Aussies permission to play

Australia is facing a ‘Time Off Trap’ as new research from Carnival Cruise Line reveals Aussies waste a third (33%) of their annual leave allowance on life admin tasks, at the expense of having fun.

The research also found:

• More than half (54%) of employed Australians admit to using their annual leave for life admin in the last two years, rising to 63% for millennials and 61% for parents.
• Time to play and switch off is instead being swallowed by housework and chores (50%), running errands (42%), emails and bills (40%), attending appointments (37%).

The problem is even clearer in New South Wales and Queensland, where the calendar offers fewer chances to properly switch off. In a standard year, residents in Queensland receive 11.5 days and New South Wales receive 11 days, compared to up to 13 days in Victoria and the ACT. NSW still falls short even with the recent announcement of the additional ANZAC Day public holiday for 2026 and 2027.

For many Aussies, public holidays are sacred as 54% agree they are the only time they can truly switch off ‘because everyone else is on leave too’.

Now, two proud stars are stepping up to champion the cause of play to ensure Aussies make the most of their days off. New South Wales media personality Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli and Queensland rugby league legend Sam Thaiday have teamed up with Carnival to encourage Aussies to fight for more permission to play.

Wippa says many Aussie adults, himself included, are guilty of treating annual leave like an extension of their to-do list. “I think a lot of Aussies are caught in this Time Off Trap. Annual leave is for fun and play, but too often it turns into the boring stuff. I’m guilty of it myself! We work hard to earn our leave, we should be using it to properly switch off. We need to commit to play.”

Thaiday agrees, especially for those in New South Wales and Queensland. “I’ve learned that taking leave isn’t just about ticking things off a list. I need to consciously step back and enjoy myself, whether it’s playing basketball, fishing, spending time with family or just kicking my feet up. If we work hard, we should also play hard.”

To help Aussies unwind and protect their precious annual leave, Carnival has launched a downloadable Play Away toolkit. From a custom ‘Play Mode’ do-not-disturb setting to a tongue-in-cheek ‘can’t come to the phone right now’ voicemail script, the tools have been designed to help Aussies lobby their family, friends and even their bosses for more permission to play.

“Cruising is a great way to escape the Time Off Trap, to really switch off from those day-to-day responsibilities and just have FUN,” said Anton Loeb, Carnival Cruise Line Assistant Vice President Sales & Marketing. “Aussies find value in shorter getaways that require minimal annual leave, and we’ve recently increased our short break sailings to meet growing demand for this type of holiday.”

Aussies ready to escape the Time Off Trap can download the toolkit and enter for the chance to ‘play away’ and win a 4-night cruise from Sydney or Brisbane at carnival.com.au/playaway.

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