It's hot. School's out for a few months. Petrol prices have come down. The economy needs a boost. And Americans should be jumping in their Chevys and hitting the beach.

But as much as I try to convince my American friends to take a break it seems almost engrained in their psyche that Vacations = Bad.

My dentist's secretary proudly showed me her 'Executive Sandbox' while I was waiting for an appointment.

At $24.95 it comes complete with sand, a miniature beach chair and an umbrella.

And it's as close as she's getting to the beach this summer.

She thought it was cute. I thought it was tragic.

Whoever developed this desk-size beach alternative for the busy American worker is a genius. And he (or she) will have no end of customers.

That's because Americans have for years been reluctant to take holidays and it's only getting worse.

At a party on July 4 - Independence Day - a senior transport department staffer in her 40s was telling me about a colleague who'd taken three weeks to see her son who'd moved to Australia.

I fell right into the trap.

"That's great," I said. "That will give her a good amount of time to get around and see a bit of the country."

Her eyebrows shot up.

"Are you serious?" she asked with a sneer in her voice.

"She'll be lucky to have a job to come back to."

No wonder Americans are worried about putting down the phone and stepping away from the desk. If they do, they might discover it becomes a permanent holiday.

American workers don't start their working lives with much leave. The luckiest get two weeks. Some even less. An airline attendant wrote on a blog that she received six days paid leave that she was allowed to start taking after she's completed 12 months of work.

The allowance for everyone increases at a glacial pace until they reach the magic number of four. Anymore than that and they'd be wondering if a hidden camera was about to leap out of the cupboard and confirm it was a terrible joke.

Some American companies make it clear to their staff that taking more than one week off at a time is downright indulgent.

But even if they were given more holidays, Americans are reluctant to use them.

Various surveys regularly point to less than 60 per cent of Americans taking the leave owing to them.

It's enough to make a German cry. The Germans afterall get an average of six weeks paid leave per year and certainly don't wait for an invitation to take it.

When people debate why Americans don't take holidays, the country's past is often raised - the original Puritan settlers who permanently stamped their work ethic on this country.

But I think there's more truth to be found in the conversation I had on July 4, from the vacationer's colleague who was ready to denounce her for daring to take three weeks.

Imagine the reception she'll receive when she gets back. There'll be no showing off the snowdome or the happy snaps from Bondi. Instead she's likely to get a cold shoulder and a bucketload of case files dumped on her desk as a Welcome Home.

Americans would probably take more holidays if they weren't so fearful of losing their jobs. From what I've seen it's not difficult to fire someone in the US. And while taking leave isn't (yet) a sackable offence it can warp opinions and change the way a good employee is considered.

So despite the American beachside holiday destinations screaming out for holidaymakers to come and spend their money, it's more likely to be Australians pulling on the Speedos and plopping themselves under the (real) beach umbrella than the Americans - who'll instead be gazing at their desktop beach setting and only dreaming of what might have been.

And while the economy remains as unstable as it is, it'll take a while for Americans to be convinced holidays can not only be good for them, but good for the country.

Lisa Millar is one of the ABC's north America correspondents, based in Washington. You can follow her on Twitter @LisaMillar.