If he, or the mafia doesn't want him to be found, there's not much you can do.
But in all seriousness: yeah, when someone is missing they should be reported as such at the local police, who can contact the embassy's office in the country they were going on holiday. Many parts of Italy are very safe, rich, modern. But there are also parts where you will get hurt, especially as a tourist. Loads of poverty, gangs, mafia, corruption (particularly the south).
I worked at a restaurant as a teen. One of the managers went to Hawaii for vacation and never came back. Food service jobs are not hard to find. The bartender he was occasionally fucking was pretty unhappy because he didn't even tell her or call.
Every time I've gone to a beautiful place, (Kauai/Virgin Islands/Moab etc) I've run into former insurance salesman types who just said fuck it, and stayed, and now live in an old school bus and fix outboards or whatever. Often it was precipitated by a big life event like a divorce or a child leaving the nest but sometimes they just bounced. I get it.
When it got to a point that I was making careful plans for how to effectively remove all traces of my existence before walking into the sea or something, I realized that it was probably not a good thing that I was fixating on this "fantasy" and how attractive it was becoming, so I went to a nice little family mental health clinic in walking distance.
I was diagnosed with depression, PTSD and general anxiety disorder. A few years and a few rounds of therapy and medication later and I'm... still struggling. But at least I'm not planning my exit. There's a lot to live for, but you can't see it when your brain starts running away with your mental narratives. Don't ruminate, don't fantasize. Get some help and do something new with your lives.
I'm in a similar situation. I recognize the planning of my exit. I used to do that in the past.
Or well. Maybe it's not all in my past yet. But I'm doing my best.
Good ideas, all around. I'm glad you didn't walk into the sea. I have walked through that dark place myself and it led me to get a therapist who knew exactly what that was like. I learned how to help myself. It's been ten years since then.
A guy at work did something like that. Went on vacation for a week, just never returned. Didn't return phone calls or emails. Eventually he popped up on social media about 6 months later and some coworkers spotted him and got the story. If I remember correctly (which I may not), I think his girlfriend convinced him to stay, so he did, and he just ghosted his job.
Interesting that this is "Livin the dream". It happened at my friend's workplace and the leading theory is that he did some diddling and is escaping the repercussions. Guess it's a fine line...
Something similar happened to a coworker of mine a long time ago. This girl I used to work with, Adriana, her boyfriend, Christopher, called us at work one day one said that she went on vacation and she just never came back. It was a shame too because the guy died in a car crash like a year later. I saw it on the news.
I seriously almost did this. I visited the Netherlands, and fell absolutely head over heels for their way of life. It's so damn peaceful and free! You don't have to worry about getting shot when you're running errands. You don't have to worry about going bankrupt through medical expenses. You don't have to worry about going to jail over weed or mushrooms. You don't have to buy a car, because bicycling infrastructure and public transportation is AMAZING.
While I was there I met a lovely chap who is originally from England. He told me that he spent a holiday in Amsterdam, and broke his leg. So he stayed at the hospital, and afterwards, just didn't leave. He's been working/living there ever since.
When it came time for me to leave, I had accidentally missed my train, and it was going to be some extra money to switch around my flight/train to get back home, and a part of me was seriously considering just being like "fuck it" and staying. The only thing stopping me from moving there now is the knowledge that I'd have to continue paying taxes to the U.S. if I wanted to keep my citizenship while living and paying taxes in the Netherlands. 😑
If anyone can tell me a way around this... please do, because I want to move to the Netherlands.
I am Dutch but moved to England (for love) 16 years ago and I have never regretted it. Do it while you can, else you will just live with the regret. It is such a life experience moving countries, there is no way to describe it. The magical feeling that you have in the beginning does disappear a little over the years, but it never leaves completely. The memories you create are just so amazing that you will never lose the magical feeling entirely.
I burned myself out at a startup about 20 years ago. Walked into my bosses office & told him I quit. Was on the other side of the planet a few days later. I did eventually return home though.
Severance, you're right. Unemployment is likely still on the table depending on the state. In Texas, the person can file for unemployment. The company can challenge saying they were a no show but the employee can argue that it isn't true. It is just easier to allow unemployment to just cover it.
EDIT: I once had a guy work for two week as a 1099 and he still filed for unemployment. That got denied because he was never an actual employee, but had we not noticed the claim in the mail, he would have gotten paid.
Why would he get paid for not showing up for 2 weeks, at least when I went on parental leave I had to talk to HR every week I didn't work and ask them to use my sick time, even then they'd forget and I'd have to remind them before the week was off otherwise I wouldn't get a check
Salaried employees get paid by default. Someone has to notify accounting to not pay the person, not the other way around. This has been the process for every company I have ever worked for, or owned. I am not saying that what you are saying isn't true, I am saying that it is fucked up.