ATLANTA - During a weeklong vacation a few months ago in Florida, Caren West wasn't just wired, she was literally wired - or wireless. The Atlanta public relations whiz spent most of her time in a beach house with laptop open, smartphone ringing and brain firing as she dealt with clients. On the one day she planned a boat trip, she asked for a moment of peace - which she got, until she returned to land and her mobile phone blew up.

"It is to the point where it almost doesn't make sense to go on vacation because not only are you working, but you come back to twice as much work," said West, co-owner of Caren West Public Relations. "I always feel guilty about not working." West isn't alone.

More than half of American workers ended 2011 with an average of 11 days of unused vacation time, according to a recent survey by Harris Interactive for JetBlue.