Read the article and started wondering what the definition of ‘going on Holiday’ is 🤔. There’s a bit in the article that mentions that 80% of Danes leave their country for holiday and that France takes that as their goal. Personally, I find that admirable but far from optimal. There are a lot of ways to holiday, especially in Northwest Europe.
For example: For lack of money, I started hiking from home to where I would like to be (and back of course). Slept in a cheap tent on budget campings, in budget hotels, low-cost b&b, etc. along the way. Went to supermarkets during the day to just get regular food. (read about easy recipes that make nice food with basic ingredients; even without cooking) Even four days of that felt more like 8 days and gave more of an actual holiday-feeling than taking a trip to a far-away location. Very personal feeling of course. And it’s good to realize that there will always be some uncomfortable experiences during such a trip.
My point: there are more ways of going on holiday than taking a plane to a far-away location. And there are more options than staying in hotels or resorts.
Still: it sucks that there is such a big difference between incomes and that society is such that single-traveling women don’t have any guarantee of not being harassed.
Only 40%?
Probably closer to 90% here in Australia. Only the rich can afford to holiday.
I think you are severely overestimating the amount of money needed for a holiday, or your social cohort is quite far below the average income skewing your idea of what is rich, and how many people are “rich”.
Australians are pretty well paid overall and get 20 days of paid holidays a year. A quick Google says that 55% of Australians have a passport. Okay, travel from Australia is expensive, but people definitely do it every few years.
Survey from 2023 states:
The majority of Australians surveyed (85%) have been on holiday in the last five yearsMore than 90% of 18-27 year olds surveyed have been on holiday in the last five years.
https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/travel-insurance/research/average-holiday-cost-statistics.html
We have a relative living in France. His government pension is a whopping 90 € per months. That isn’t even enough to pay groceries for two weeks.
France is in dire need of a revolution.
I’m surprised they haven’t all ready. It’s what they’ve been known for since 1789.
Least they have some experience in that area.
“The higher you climb the social ladder, the more likely that you will be able to get away on holiday,” the study authors wrote.
You mean the more money you make… which is pretty straight forward
In Australia labourers make a metric shitload and a yearly holiday is never missed, maybe even 2 holidays a year if the government needs another stadium built
Personally I find that linking “making money” with “climbing the social ladder” is at the core of many of our issues.
Going even further, ranking each other based on factors like wealth, education, occupation, influence, etc. is degrading and leads to inequality, corruption and emotional/mental health problems, to name a few. The idea that success is measured almost exclusively by economic gain and social rank distorts human values.
I don’t think this is limited to just France.
We’re semi-regular visitors to the wonderful nation of Canada. We’ve really only been to two or three places that might be off the beaten path instead visiting mostly bigger cities regularly. I really like getting in conversations with the locals wherever we go to learn about life in that particular city or region. Just recently when one local was asking where else we’d been in Canada, I rattled off a list of Canadian places we’d visited and they paused for a moment and they said “You’ve seen more of Canada than most Canadians.” That made me sad actually, and a bit ashamed. I wasn’t meaning it to rub it in, but just wanted to share how much we appreciate the natural beauty and the people of the country.
I don’t think you need to feel bad because it’s not necessarily a financial thing. People like to travel overseas for an exotic experience. I grew up in Canada and I’ve been to like, 4 or 5 major cities. I have never been to Banff, which every Japanese tourist has been to. Now I live in Japan and so many people, including myself, have never been to Mt. Fuji. But I’ve done tours of Europe and Asia. I’m going back in October for a one month trip of Europe with my family.
It could be a financial thing still. It’s often a lot cheaper to fly to Europe than it is to take a domestic flight within Canada. So when faced with that choice, why not go overseas?
Didn’t France just supply Ukraine with more money?
Connection?
How are people too poor to travel but rich enough to finance foreign wars?
Well, it’s not like there was a donation campaign to finance the war in Ukraine.
A country’s budget is complex and compromises have to be made. You have to deal with more than one issue. The security of Europe is important as well as the purchasing power of nationals.
the current priorities are messed up because of past messed up priorities
How are people too poor to own a home but rich enough to finance a smartphone?
Incorrect analogy
Ok, how much does France’s Ukraine war contributions cost per person, how much does travel cost, how much does a home cost, and how much does a smartphone cost?
I am sure it could be calculated
Ukraine aid is a few dollars per year per person, vacations cost thousands. Homes are hundreds of thousands and smart phones are hundreds. The analogy is exactly correct.
Not in its matching ratio, but its callousness.
