Even though most vacationers recognize the gap between dream and reality, holidays are still perceived as an invitation to paradise. In a study on the psychology of vacation behavior, Hamburg-based leisure researcher Prof. Dr. Opaschowski from the BAT Leisure Research Institute found that vacations are seen as "an island of relaxation and happiness, removed from everyday life.".

On vacation, people want to escape everyday life, they need to get out of their familiar surroundings, they crave variety and a change of scenery. However, very few vacationers actually manage to break free. Professor Opaschowski: "New things are rarely tried. In tourist centers, people demand German food. Vacationers meet up on the beach or for lunch according to a strict schedule."„

A vacation doesn't change people's outlook on life. While vacationers travel the world, they always find themselves again, their weaknesses, their strengths, and their shared ideals about life. However, a vacation can help them become more aware of these ideals. It's easier to discover oneself in unfamiliar surroundings, especially for those who plan their own vacations. But few do this. Most vacationers play it safe, even on holiday. Adventures are welcome, but experiments are not. Most people desire a balanced approach between security and freedom.

Note: The original text can be found in full on the following pages.

A Psychology of Holiday Behavior
by Horst W. Opaschowski, BAT Leisure Research Institute

The vacation feels like an invitation to paradise.

In people's holiday expectations and longings, paradise lives on – as in any positive utopia – as an island. The holiday has an island-like character, acting like an oasis of relaxation and happiness, removed from everyday life. This is what makes holidays so attractive and explains the growing desire for "more" and "more" of vacation time.

The holiday promises a natural life

Holiday life is meant to unfold far removed from the ordinary and the everyday. Anti-civilizational tendencies dominate these aspirations. Consciously and unconsciously, a symbiosis of humanity, nature, and the environment is sought. This includes natural elements such as water, light, air, and earth; sun, summer, sand, and beach; as well as narcissistic holiday images of physicality, nudity, and natural sexuality.

On vacation, you want to escape from everyday life.

After eleven months of work and daily routine, many people feel cooped up. They can no longer sit quietly in their rooms. They need to get out, they need a change of scenery and a change of scenery. Thousands of kilometers of scenic routes await them, beckoning with the promise of "free passage." A change of scenery and location is the result. From the workbench to the car seat, from the office chair to the deck chair: the holiday mood is instantly there. A life without exercise and escape would be miserable. A holiday is like a valve, allowing you to both breathe and let off steam. You can't forget everyday life, but you can at least run away from it temporarily.

Everyday life always travels with you.

Everyday life catches up with everyone eventually. A quartz watch and German coffee are packed in vacation luggage ("Even on vacation, coffee just like at home"). People meet up on the beach or for lunch according to a precise schedule. The vacation atmosphere relaxes, but doesn't truly liberate: New things are rarely tried. One feels freer, without actually taking advantage of it. No one can escape their own nature. Even vacation has its everyday routine.

On vacation, you get a little closer to your ideal lifestyle.

The vacationer travels the world and always finds only himself again – his weaknesses, his strengths, and his ideal vision of his own life. Discovering oneself under ideal conditions, coming a little closer to one's own ideal, is what makes traveling to foreign environments so appealing. The vacation becomes the "key" – it opens the door to one's own ideal life a crack – wide enough to rekindle hope, narrow enough to avoid getting lost.

Nobody wants to forgo the attractive facade of the brochure world.

If holiday advertising didn't exist, it would have to be invented. It conjures up the beautiful illusion of a glittering brochure world, which is perceived as personally pleasant. It relieves us of everyday stresses, spreads anticipation, awakens hopes, but no illusions! There is no identification with this brochure world. For balance, relaxation, and distraction, one probably also needs the idea of a happy world to get through another 11 months of daily work.

The gap between cliché and reality is exposed.

Nobody's fooled. Everyone knows what to expect. And clichés don't reflect reality. The world of brochures is one thing, the actual holiday experience another. Advertising doesn't hold illusory promises of happiness against it. Only when it comes down to the nitty-gritty does the holidaymaker react rationally and critically: when the facts don't add up! But the beautiful facade must remain for one's own enjoyment and motivation – knowing full well that the magic is part of the scenery.

Money appears as a bridge to the holiday trip.

Money is always a necessity; everything depends on it. Vacations are the very last thing anyone cuts back on. The last of their savings have to be used, because vacations cost money. The "most precious weeks of the year" come at a price – both material and immaterial. Vacation experiences pay off; their effects linger, sometimes for a whole year. That's why people are willing to spend a bit on fun, and if necessary – "on credit." For many, a missed vacation feels like a missed opportunity. And who can afford that – especially before everyone else? So the motto is: "Save and book!" The savings account becomes the vacation check.

The holiday world should be at the guest's feet.

Who wants to count every penny, especially on vacation? Vacation is a kind of second life. It's a time to live beyond one's means and be pampered around the clock. The service has to be impeccable, and of course, so does the quality. Perfection and professionalism are expected. The customer should be king – at least in our ideal world. Expectations are high, and so are the disappointments.

Definitely more freedom on vacation

In their daily work lives, people are firmly embedded in a security system. Freedom is kept at a distance. Vacations suddenly offer both: freedom and security. A tension exists between these two poles, which is invigorating and stimulating. However, this tension is kept tolerable, carefully measured, and time-limited. The "all-inclusive packages" offered by vacation organizers still allow sufficient leeway for calculated risk. Freedom and adventure, yes, but no experiments. Nothing trumps security; vacations must be no exception.

Holiday experiences between a flood of contacts and a lack of relationships

The flood of contact amidst gleaming human bodies feels good. Everywhere you look, the same groups of people. They offer security and closeness; the unfamiliar stays out. Casual interactions are possible. You can initiate them and end them at any time. Holding hands, physical contact, and tenderness remain rare. Relationships are kept at a distance. Those who are lonely in everyday life remain so on vacation.

Holidays should be enjoyable; everyday life is hard enough.

The word "vacation" evokes images of living life to the fullest, an escape from the deprivations of everyday life. The pleasures of vacation seem as essential as the achievements at work. Being cheerful and in good spirits becomes the primary duty of a vacation. Fun is part of it, as are entertainment and socializing. Things happen on vacation; things have to happen. The best part is the surprise, the event, and the enjoyment of the serendipitous experience. No one is allowed to spoil your vacation, not even the weather.

Every vacation has its low points.

Nothing is harder to bear than a string of beautiful days. Action all day long is tiring and causes headaches. Intense sunbathing and partying late into the night have consequences. Eventually, even the cheerfulness of others loses its contagiousness. Empty glasses and inner emptiness become monotonous. Independent travel requires skill and tolerance. The subtle constraints of family and vacation friends in close quarters and limited time take their toll. Vacation mood and bliss are noticeably dampened by vacation blues and stress.

They all create holiday trash

Where people consume en masse, waste is never far behind. What others do, one can do too, as long as there's still a way to get around amidst the soda cans and picnic leftovers. "Ecology of vacation" must remain a foreign concept. Tourist taxes and paid beach cleaning already ensure that. All-inclusive price, pollution included – for how much longer?

A holiday is traveling without arriving.

People naturally want to get to know the country and its people if the opportunity arises. Alternative vacationers are no different. Whether under the Spanish sun or dog-sledding towards the Northern Lights, whether in a hotel bed or a hammock, the vacation landscape is firmly in German hands. "You must change your mind, not your position," said Seneca. "Just set off"—you'll never arrive. Because even at the ends of the earth, the world isn't over: The vacationer is at home everywhere and nowhere. Every trip is a hope for them, a chance to escape everyday life while on the move. A hope that grows stronger with each journey. What remains is the lasting memory, the anticipation of the next trip, and sometimes simply the heeding of the advertising slogan: "You can now swim in Nice every morning."„