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differences between european and american vacations?

I was on vacation last summer and met an English guy about 20 yrs old. We went to the same club every night and chilled and we started talking about how long we where staying. i told him my family was there for a week and he said he was on a cruise for a week then in cancunn (where i was ) for a week and then on another cruise home- total 3 weeks. I was like amazed and asked him if he was like insanely rich and he had no idea what i met. Then 2 months ago i learn disneyworld almost bombed in france because the hotel rates were too expensive and europeans couldnt afford a hotel at those rates for 3 weeks. After realizing is European culture to take longer vacations up to 3 weeks i was shocked. My question is Do they know thats long, do they realize americans vacation like one week a year:? Do our vacations shock them?

Public Comments

1. Europeans work to live while people in the States live to work. It's as simple as that.

2. I wouldn't say it shocks them. Americans are known the world over for being workaholics. The general trend in Europe in the last fifty years has been fewer working hours, more vacation time. But actually, in some countries, that's beginning to reverse because of flagging economies.

There's also the matter of expense. Europeans who come all the way to the US spend most of their money on the flight; therefore, they tend to stay longer than Europeans who vacation closer to home. The same is true for Americans abroad, of course; the more expense involved in transportation, the longer the trip tends to be.

There's also the fact that the British pound is worth something like three times as much as the American dollar right now. That helps the European abroad!

3. In the Netherlands we commonly have 25 vacation days, which we have to take or loose, and almost nobody is going to let go of those days. On top of that, we often work 36 hours or 38 hours on average but 40 hours per week, those hours are also used as days. Partly planned by the employer, partly to take when you want.

This year my holiday is just over 3 weeks, but I take about a month off, and nobody is amazed about it. It is when you get to more than 6 weeks that it is rare.

We do it now the Euro is $1.50 but we also did it when the Euro was $0.75. Now you will find more Europeans around the world, but we always travel, all over.
Even in communist time the people in then Czechoslovakia did travel to other countries for a few weeks in summer.

Most people will not stay at Euro Disney for 3 weeks, but that is because it is considered boring for more than a few days.
And also that in Euro Disney you can only stay at those outrageous prices and you have to buy your food there at the same high rates.
Most people prefer more modest accommodation during holidays.
Camping in luxery tents or caravans (trailorhomes?)on luxery campsites with pools, play areas and entertainment for all ages is the top for most.
But hosteling for a month is also not uncommon. Or an appartment hotel near the beach and bars.

We think the people in the USA are crazy to take that little time off, if our employer does not let us take decent holidays we will look out for an other, who will.

In the Dutch law we have to take two weeks off on one go, and have equal to one more working week of in days, taken when the employee wants them within certain restrictions.
But commonly contracts makes that equal to 5 weeks work in total.
And that is the same in several other European countries.

We 'pay' for it by having smaller houses than the average person in the USA.
On the other hand, we do not have as many extremely rich, but we also have many less extremely poor people, and when you do loose your job you get unemployment benefit on which you can actually live, in many countries enough that you can keep up payments to your house without difficulties, in the first two years.
Different way of life, it suits us.

4. Hi there,
here in northern Europe (in Finland) school children are used to have long summer vacations about from the beginning of June to the mid August....
Then when growing older still about same in high school level and university but then people tend to work during "summer vacation" and earn something for living... so is that a vacation hmm?
Then when in work life, after you have been working about a whole year from April onwards 1 year, you're qualified to earn 2.5 days holidays every month you have been working 14 days... means that there is then coming after that 1 year period 4 weeks summer holiday and 1 week winter vacation.... and that's normal here.
Yep, kinda long time when comparing to US or Asia.
And then local people just go out to summer cottages, foreign countries if they just have saved enough money..
We live for the max at that summer time ;-)

Well how ever we respect your short holidays and understand that you are used to that. We just envy your cheap cars and gasoline in US area...
We also respect Japanese people who can not leave the office before their boss leaves it...
What the heck, always nice to return back home when seeing the world. Here we have pure air, clean water, good vegetables & food, ah so lovely tender meat beef.. which just can not buy with the money elsewhere in the world :)