We are in the height of summer, which for most people is synonymous with vacation. How we love that word, how we love dreaming about it for months, looking at the calendar with longing and rushing out of the office like crazy the day it begins. Yes, we are vacation lovers through and through. Spaniards have them tattooed in our DNA, they are part of our culture and it is hard for us to survive without that well-deserved rest.
So at this point in the summer, either you have already enjoyed them and are submerged in post-vacation depression, or you are about to pack your suitcase to head off. But, have you stopped to think what kind of tourist you are during your vacation? Do you think you are original or will you have more or less the same behavior as most people? To find out, you just have to look at the results of a major survey conducted by Autoeurope to find out how Spaniards spend their vacations abroad. Take a look and then tell me whether or not you are a typical Spaniard when it comes to traveling. First of all, it should be clarified that the study is based on a two-week vacation abroad. With this in mind, the results from the 1,000 people surveyed state that on vacation the average budget we spend is €1,892 including flights, hotels, meals, shopping, gifts… How do you see it? Does it seem like a lot or a little? And remember that we are talking about a trip abroad, so the most used transport is the plane, but do we go very far? Well, according to the Autoeurope survey, it seems that we do go quite far. The data says that we travel an average of 2,783 kilometers to reach our destination. Certainly, it is quite striking because it would be more or less the approximate distance from Seville to the German city of Hamburg, for example.
And what do we do once we arrive at that distant foreign destination? Well, besides visiting and getting to know the place, we spend quite a lot of time on entertainment which, naturally in this day and age, seems to be linked to the online world. According to the survey, we spend about three hours on average a day glued to our mobile phones and, honestly, that seems like a little to me, although if you multiply it, it comes to 42 hours in total; that is, almost two full days of the vacation… Of course, social media accompanies us and we spend an average of two hours a day updating or checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram… But pay attention, because this survey also leaves pleasant surprises, such as the fact that during those 14 days of vacation, Spaniards read an average of two books. Personally, it seems like a surprisingly pleasant figure to me, but I don’t know why I think someone might have exaggerated a bit when answering the survey.
But we don’t only occupy our vacations with technology, because another thing that most people like is to enjoy the sun like lizards to return to the office with a good tan. This “arduous” work requires effort, such as “getting up early” to avoid arriving too late at the beach. According to the data collected by Autoeurope, 11 in the morning is the most common time when we are already exposed to the sun. And once settled under its rays, Spaniards spend an average of three hours a day sunbathing. If we do that, imagine the tourists from northern Europe who come to our coasts…
And following the Spanish philosophy of life, obviously gastronomy could not be missing. More than one person spends weeks on a diet with the intention of showing off their figure in summer but, once they arrive at the destination, it is difficult to stick to salad and ignore the local delicacies of the vacation spot. Although many of us indulge (myself included) in summer gluttony, the figures are not as catastrophic as it might seem, since only one in four eats more than 500 calories above their usual intake. The survey also reveals that four out of 10 lose control over what they eat or what is the same, during those days, they don’t care about calories and care more about enjoying every dish. Which side of the statistics are you on? Oh, and they haven’t forgotten to take into account the beers, the glass of white wine, or the refreshing mojito at the beach bar. The total number of alcoholic beverages consumed on average during those two weeks of vacation abroad is 41 drinks in total, almost three a day. Do you exceed that average?
Don’t worry, the survey organizers didn’t forget to ask about that classic summer romance that would leave us dazed for a while, or was that just during adolescence? For the record, the survey was conducted with 1,000 Spaniards over 18 years old. But watch out for some of the answers to the question of whether you have the opportunity during your vacation to enjoy “intimate moments” because it is surprising that 25% claim they are unable to keep track of the number of times they have had relations because they are too many… There seems to be many professional flirts in the room.
Finally, another holiday classic is that time when some mishap makes us lose our nerves for a moment. There is always someone in the family or the group of friends who is a bit more grumpy than the rest, but relax, let’s take a deep breath and remember that we go abroad to enjoy ourselves and not to get angry. The survey says that on average we argue three times during the vacation with a travel companion and that one of the most common causes of tension is getting lost (what would we have done before without Google Maps in our lives, I ask). It is also surprising that, despite coming from our warm Mediterranean climate, we complain a lot about the heat.
What do you think about the habits of Spaniards during the holidays? Do you see yourself reflected in these results or are you much more original than the rest?
