What's insane to me is that you only get 2 or 3 weeks of vacation a year. Especially in software engineering where companies struggle to hire!
Of course, my Scottish relatives think it's completely normal. And I tend to agree. With only 3 weeks of leave, it's really hard to take 2 weeks off in a block. And I find a 2 week vacation is really required to relax and let go of work.
As a freelancer I'm glad I can take as much vacation as I like.