“This year, the goal was to take vacations at a lower cost,” explains Alexis, 22, who therefore decided to work at the same time. With a friend, they are going to go to Normandy for two weeks where they have found a job in a restaurant. “We looked in this sector for the flexibility of schedules,” he notes. The two young people easily found an establishment at the water’s edge, “with a campsite next door” which will allow them to stay in a tent, “again to reduce costs”, while enjoying the seaside.
Like them, other French people are cunning to find tricks and reduce the bill for their holidays, especially in these times of inflation, to 5.3% over one year in June, according to INSEE. This is the case of Pauline and her husband, who discovered the DriiveMe platform five years ago. The principle is simple, against 1 euro, motorists have the possibility of taking a vehicle from one city to another in 24 hours, and thus of rendering a service to car rental companies. Fuel and tolls are the only costs to be paid by the traveler. “The price of the train is very high today, so it allows us to reduce our costs”, notes Pauline, before adding that the family was also able to “travel in cars [that] could not offer”, such as “German SUVs”.
The French will have to particularly tighten their belts during the holidays this year. According to OpinionWay’s June barometer, carried out for Atout France, “22% of [2,000 respondents] say that the budget allocated to their summer holidays will be lower than last year”. And 60% of the panel will be vigilant “to spending during the holidays”, such as catering, leisure and food. In another OpinionWay barometer, carried out for Bonial, 7% of the 1,000 respondents “will even make food purchases before leaving on vacation” to, once again, reduce their costs.
This strategy, Thomas has adopted for several years: “I limit the restaurants, I cook more and I organize picnics.” The 29-year-old man multiplies the tricks, and puts his holidays rather “in June or September” to avoid the most touristic months. As for accommodation, he does not hesitate to sleep in youth hostels, which are less expensive than hotels or Airbnbs. For transport, he favors low-cost companies, such as Ryanair, and shifts his journeys during the week if he can.
Marie was also forced to change her habits several years ago. “In 2001, I had a budget of 3,000 euros for two adults and two children, for a period of four weeks,” she explains. At this price, the family went each year to the Oasis campsite in Puget-sur-Argens, in the Var. But with the price increase, she had to reduce the number of days, from four to two weeks. “Today, we don’t go there at all, in particular because of the increase in the price of fuel and tolls”, regrets Marie.
In 2019, she then decided to buy a mobile home in the Baie de Somme, an hour’s drive from her home: “It allows me to enjoy it every vacation, without having to pay tolls.” But inflation is once again likely to change his plans and his vacation destination. Indeed, in addition to the purchase price of the mobile home, the plot on which it is located has gone from 2500 euros per year to 3700 euros this year.
Like Marie, many French people will stay in France this summer. According to Atout France, out of 73% of people who go on vacation, 73% of them will not cross French borders. “This year, a larger proportion of French people say that the summer period will be conducive to (re)discovering their regional culture”, analyzes the organization. Holidaymakers will therefore favor local products, visits to museums and blue-white-red heritage sites, which sometimes have nothing to envy to their foreign counterparts.
