At this time of year quite a large part of the European population is busy thinking about their summer vacations. In Europe a four or even five week vacation period is quite common. It doesn’t happen at the same time all over Europe though, which is a bit of a problem in international companies. The Scandinavians tend to go off on early vacations around their Midsummer period (June 21 is the year’s longest day in case you did not know). People further south take their vacations later.
Another aspect of taking vacations is the financial impact it has on your family. A fair amount of families are financing their travel and other consumption with borrowed money. The quick loan industry is booming (for an example see snabblån, a Swedish site) and money is now no further away than a text message from your cell phone.
The flip side of these quick loans is the cost of taking one. They’re convenient but very expensive.
