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 > When Do They Go On Vacation? > Weather Permitting > Find Out on the Internet
dijous, 28 d'agost de 2003
Year after year in our country, the latter part of August is witness to what is commonly known as 'operation return', when the bulk of the population heads home after their vacations. Over a number of days usually falling in the last weekend of August, many people return to their regular places of residence using a wide variety of modes of transportation: by car, train, plane, boat…The obvious hustle and bustle is enormous, particularly when reaching the outskirts of the larger conurbations.
In recent years, it has become apparent that things have started to somewhat stagger out when it comes time for people to return home at the end of vacation time. More than a few people prefer to get a head start on the trip in order to avoid the intense traffic and heat as well as allow themselves a couple of extra days at home before returning to the daily grind. Nevertheless, the vast majority still opt to stick around until the last minute and simply accept the inconveniences. Or at least that's what occurs in our country. In many other places, people obviously go on vacation. And yet, many people more commonly choose to simply stay at home and not to go anywhere at all, except for the occasional excursion. In fact, the concept of taking a vacation is something that was 'invented' in the latter half of the 20th century. It was following the Second World War, after millions of people had suffered one of the worst wars in our common history that they began to demand to be able to live in peace and with a minimum of guaranteed social rights. Health and public education, pensions, unemployment compensation and…paid vacations were some of the benefits obtained by workers. However, these benefits would not reach our country until later, as a result of Franco's dictatorship. And yet it must be said that not everyone opts for vacations in August. As we will read ahead, it's quite remarkable to note the differences in how people organize their vacation time, and the various ways that different countries prepare for 'operation return'.
 
When Do They Go On Vacation?
+ In Mediterranean area it's customary for people to keep their vacation time for the August.
When it comes time for a vacation, there is a great deal of variety to be found. If we take a look at what goes on in the western world where the standard of living is higher, and therefore a greater number of people have the right to enjoying a few days rest, the differences are quite clear. In Mediterranean states, such as Spain and Italy, it's customary for people to keep their vacation time for the summer months. One of the reasons for this, though not the only one, is due to the record high temperatures. The heat makes daily work more tedious, and people choose to go on vacation sometime during the months of July and August. During the hottest part of August, bigger cities appear to be completely deserted and all the regular hustle and bustle disappears. This situation occurs similarly in France, or at least in a more general way. In other places, however, things are a bit different. In Britain, for example, it's common to break up vacation time and spread it out over the entire year. Many Brits only keep one week for the summer months, and it's common to hear upper-class Brits use such expressions as spending 'a week in Tuscany' or going 'down to France'.
Weather Permitting)
+ The weather determines the way in which people plan their subsequent return trips home.
And yet, the weather is not the only factor that comes into play when it comes time to plan one's vacation. It very often also determines the way in which people plan their subsequent return trips home. The weather is quite variable at the end of August and frequent downpours and thunderstorms keep people from planning outdoor activities. Oftentimes, as a result, many people on vacation away from home opt to cut them short and return home sooner than planned. This was exactly what occurred last summer in our country, when many vacationers who were frustrated with the bad weather, decided to spend the remaining days of their vacations at home in their home towns and cities. This would obviously explain why there was no record of the typical traffic jams noted on any of the highways, airports or train stations.
Find Out on the Internet
+ Internet is a very useful tool to avoid the traffic jams.
One way of avoiding headaches and troubles is to cut one's vacation short by a few days and reach home before the rest of the population. And yet it's not an easy decision to make, even more so when the summer is just coming to an end. One way to take advantage of all one's days off as well as avoid the traffic jams is to be well-informed. In that respect, the Internet is a very useful tool to achieve this, particularly for anyone traveling on highways. There are a whole pile of webs that can help you find out what the situation is like on local highways, and help you choose the best route as well as most appropriate time to set out for home. Some of these webs include: Mobilitat.org; the Catalan Transit Service (Servei Català de Trànsit); Barcelona Metropolitan Area's Webcam; the Webcams of Valencian Country and Andorra; and the General Transit Authority (Direcció General de Trànsit), with up-to-date information on the state of all the highways in Spain; and Barcelona City Hall's 'Infotrànsit' and 'L'Estat de les Autopistes' highway information sites.
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