Summertime is holiday time. Many Germans are currently travelling between coasts and mountains, the Mediterranean and long-haul destinations or are planning to go on holiday soon. But what do Germans do during the best weeks of the year?
Travellers most often go out to eat (79%), take a trip to the surrounding area (70%) and swim in the sea or lake (69%). But for the majority of travellers, going for a walk (62%), sleeping in (58%) or lazing around (58%) are also part of a holiday. These are the findings of the latest study by the BAT Foundation for Future Studies, for which a representative sample of over 4,000 German citizens aged 14 and over were asked about their holiday activities in personal interviews. 
"Travellers want to experience something on holiday as well as relax and be pampered," says Professor Dr Ulrich Reinhardt, Scientific Director of the BAT Foundation for Future Studies. It is therefore not surprising that, on the one hand, regenerative activities such as sleeping longer, doing nothing or even taking a nap are mentioned by many holidaymakers. On the other hand, many also want to gain new impressions and experiences while travelling that they can report back home.
On holiday, people watch TV (27%), make phone calls (22%) or surf the internet (9%) much less frequently than in everyday life. But even the holiday activities that might be expected, such as playing sports (22%), going on cultural excursions (28%), going dancing (21%) or using wellness facilities (25%), are only actually practised by a minority of holidaymakers.
Reinhardt: "For most Germans, holidays are more about the possibilities than the actual use of offers. They want to be able to choose from a wide range of activities as spontaneously as possible at any time. What is actually done in the end is another matter."

Women go shopping, men do sport

There are numerous differences in holiday behaviour within the population. For example, the under-34s go dancing (+32 percentage points) and swimming (+22 PP) much more often than the over-55s. They also make more phone calls (+22 PP) and say they have more sex on holiday (+23 PP). In contrast, the older generation goes on more walks (+28 PP) and more hikes (25 PP), reads more, makes more use of cultural activities (+12 PP each) and goes on more excursions (+11 PP).
Some expected differences between the sexes were confirmed. Women are generally more active on holiday than men. They go shopping significantly more often and read more (17 PP / 22 PP). They are also usually responsible for the holiday post and write more postcards (12 PP). In contrast, men are only more active in a few areas, with the exception of sporting activities (+10 PP). 
A comparison between East and West shows that West Germans generally favour more regenerative activities: e.g. doing nothing (+13 PP), sleeping in (+7 PP) or taking an afternoon nap (+6 PP). In contrast, East Germans want to experience something more often on holiday, so they go hiking more often (+7 PP) and cycle more (+3 PP). They also write more postcards and take more photos (+4 PP each) to document their experiences.

Cycling in Germany, enjoying the sun in Spain

There are also significant differences within the individual holiday regions: 

• Italy impresses with its excursion destinations and its numerous gastronomic options.
• Spain, on the other hand, is ahead when it comes to swimming, sleeping in and relaxing in the sun.
• Nowhere is shopping, dancing and wellness more popular than in Turkey.
• In Germany, people go for walks and cycle the most, but also watch television the most.
• People who go on long-distance trips take the most photos, undertake the most cultural activities and meet lots of new friends.

Professor Reinhardt concludes: "Holidays are and remain sacred to Germans. They do things on holiday that are often neglected in everyday life or for which they don't make time. The activities and things to do vary depending on their interests and thus influence their choice of holiday destination. It is important to meet your own requirements without ignoring or disappointing the expectations of your fellow travellers - otherwise holiday stress and arguments are inevitable.

1. Anticipation is the greatest joy, so find out about the highlights and insider tips in advance - it's fun and saves time on site.
2. Forgetting something can spoil your holiday enjoyment. Have you packed everything? Cancelled the newspaper and organised someone to take out the post and water the flowers?
3. The journey is also part of the holiday. You should therefore not work until the last day and avoid a stressful journey. It's better to set off half a day later.
4. Take a relaxed approach to your holiday. Your body first has to get used to the temperature differences and the new rhythm.
5. Try to keep relaxation and experience in balance. Only one of the two is rarely satisfying.
6. You often experience more and have more fun in company. So be sociable - shared joy is double the joy.
7. Also plan time for yourself and to relax. You don't have to do everything together and go on every excursion.
8. On the return journey, you should realistically plan for traffic jams and relaxation breaks. If you come back from your holiday stressed out, you will quickly lose your sense of relaxation. 
9. Let the holiday sink in and don't start work again the next morning - the holiday also needs to be processed. 
10. Organise a "post-holiday evening". Print out photos, cook a holiday meal and start planning your next trip.

Technical data of the investigation

Number and representation of respondents: 4,000 German citizens aged 14 and over
Method: Face-to-face interviews