Poles have looong vacations

[Jaga]

My friend from Poland asked me about vacation season in America. She still have twenty days of vacations from the last year (since she had a paid sick year) and a month from this year.
I have to tell her that Americans have much less vacations than Europeans.

I do not have any paid vacations at all, since I work part-time.

Majority of Americans would take only one week of vacation during the year, so American towns look the same in summer and winter.

In Poland, the opposite, the towns are half-empty during summer. Many stores are closed, even the libraries are closed. My parents did not like long weekends or vacations because they just felt lonely since nobody was around, especially when they retired.

[scatts]

Summer is a mixed blessing here in Poland. The good news is the weather is great and the city, Warsaw, is quiet. Not as quiet as it used to be, but certainly better than at other times. The bad news is that for those still working it is very hard to get anything done as almost everyone you want is on holiday.

The Poles still have this "thing" that the only proper time to have a holiday is July or August. At other times it is not a holiday but a 'break'.

I had some holiday left over from last year and I'm using the whole 32 days this year!

[rdywenur]

Jaga when I was working our employees got paid holidays if they were part time but only 1/2 the time as the ful time employees. Time was accrued based on the number of hours you worked. I guess it depends where and whom you work for.

[zooba]

Jaga, this holiday is just on paper. Actually if you want to take it, you must ask the permission from your boss and this is not always easy to get (I'm lucky - I got 12 days this year!).
Scatts - July and August are most favourite because of school holidays (teachers are reluctant to let a child miss classes) and because of the price barrier when it comes to holidays abroad = in reasonably good weather guaranteed.

When my children were younger we always went in May, June and September, but now I have limited choice.


I have just spent all Sunday preparing and planning my holidays - just a week away - we're going camping to Slovenia and Croatia :-)

[Pawian]

Yes, vacation has started. In my case it is going to last till 3 September.
I have great plans....

[rdywenur]

One thing you Poles and Europeans do bettr than we do is when you take a vacation you go someplace. To the country to the mountains...here we sometimes just take the time off and go no wheres. Boring!!!!! I think I'll move to Poland. ;D

[Pawian]

rdywenur said:

One thing you Poles and Europeans do bettr than we do is when you take a vacation you go someplace. To the country to the mountains...here we sometimes just take the time off and go no wheres. Boring!!!!! I think I'll move to Poland. ;D

This year we are going to the mountains as usual, the whole family for two weeks in August.

Also, I am planning to take my two older sons to the seaside, either in July or August. We just need to take a tent (I still have to buy it) and sleeping bags and off we go.

Add to this a trip to some lake.

[Jaga]

Chris,

I wish I had at least a half-part paid holidays. This is one of the reasons I would like to have a different job. But, what I can do?

My husband is not used to take long vacations, many Americans do not take long vacations. Children do not have that many camps like in Poland. I guess, we have money but no time.

[scatts]

One could say the lack of personal time makes the USA one of the most backward nations on earth. Some may disagree.

[rdywenur]

When I can't get a way for a vacation I am priviledged enough to live 10 minutes from Lake Ontario. As a matter of fact I will be spending most of the day there since the temp will be hitting the 90,s and there is a weather warning. At Durand Beach we can just pull up off the road and go down the slope. Easily accessed with no hassles. (other beaches have more formal parking and you are hunting for a space and wasting time )

[scatts]

Looks great, rdy! Who's the beach babe?

[rdywenur]

The beach babe is my friend Mary and she is truly a beach babe. She moved to Florida so she could enjoy it 24/7, 365. Comes back home for the summer each year as she is a teacher. The best of both worlds.

[justjohn]

rdywenur,

Is that photo at the lake or in Florida?


Something is missing, - - - - oh yes!!! A fish pole.

[suzanne]

scatts said:

One could say the lack of personal time makes the USA one of the most backward nations on earth. Some may disagree.

I won't disagree. I think that, overall, we do a rather poor job as a society of creating and using leisure time, vacation time and just "recharging batteries." We don't really have much leisure time, and we also don't give ourselves permission to use it or create it.

[zooba]

I have just come back from my 10-day holidays in Croatia.

Now we are having a redecoration at home and this made me think of a typical Polish holidays activity - redecorating. But not with the use of professional companies but self-made labor-cost-free weeks of sheer horror living in the flats smelling of paint, with dust everywhere, not mentioning MESS.
Jaga, won't you agree?

On cultural differences regarding holidays - we spent ours camping at a big campsite on the Adriatic. We were one of few people with tents only - 98% stayed in caravans (trailers). They were from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Italy. People of all ages, especially the sight of relaxed elderly people riding bikes fro pleasure was very common, unlike in Poland.
The funny thing for us was that they took with themselves even pot plants, satellite dishes, plastic decorations and real kitchen cupboards.