If you asked a working-class German on topics of the Coronavirus that bother them the most.....at the near top is the subject of vacations. Germans at this point in the year, would have completed their planning phase, the agent visit, and concluded the 'purchase' of their trip or hotel. Presently, I would guess that about 90-percent have concluded that virtually no vacation will occur in 2020, and it's bothering them to some degree.
I noticed this as a major discussion item with an ARD (public TV, Channel One) this morning. It's worth a read, and gives you some of the basic background.
In a typical German mind....you work hard, and you 'earn' yourself a relaxing two to three week period each summer....to unwind. To help make this happen, with 83-million people....13,000 travel agencies/tour operators would normally fit into the picture.
There are around seven categories that you can put the typical average German into for his summer trip:
1. The Spanish isle traveler. This is the party-guy/gal who goes to Mallorca or Ibiza, and simply wants sun, cheap wine, and a party-like atmosphere. Cost is easily within reach, and the younger crowd can easily accept a 2-star hotel. Some folks will do this year after year, and admit a 10-day isle retreat loaded with alcohol....comforts their soul.
2. The exotic traveler. This is the guy or gal who goes off to Iran, Peru, or Tonga and mostly want's 'status' when they come back....letting friends, work-associates and relatives know of their achievement. This is also the crowd who occasionally comes up with Yellow Fever, weird stomach ailments which last for a year, admits being robbed by bandits in Bolivia, or gets lost in the outback of Australia for five days because of a faulty GPS unit. The trouble with this traveler is that they typically didn't learn their lesson with the first trip, and tend to repeat this a dozen times in their life.
3. The Turkish-delight traveler. This is the gal or guy who goes yearly back to Turkey, in search of this five-star hotel experience, at a reasonably cheap price, and simply want two entire weeks of sun. They usually reappear at work with a dark tan, can't remember anything of a drama from the trip, and want to show you the pictures of the magnificent buffet area for the hotel dining experience.
4. The Italy traveler. This is typically the guy or gal who drives all the way into Italy, and stays at some lakeside 'retreat', mountainous villa-hotel, or a seaside retreat. They are seven pounds heavier than when they left....talk a great deal about Italian hospitality, and admit they were lost at least once a day for the entire fourteen days. Adventuring? On a scale of one to ten....it's an absolute ten (at least in their minds).
5. The camper. This is the German who has dragged his wife or girlfriend off in an RV....seeing either Germany, or Europe itself.....who is craving the opposite of their boring work-life. In the planning process.....they procure at least 100 glass bottle of beer, and usually put 1,000 pounds of extra weight on RV beyond it's lawful means. This is usually the guy that the German cops stop....weight the vehicle, and force him to dump a good bit of weight before being allowed to proceed on.
6. The Greek isle traveler. This is the German who buys a 'package tour', and spends two weeks at some resort where every need they have....is taken care of. The kids? They are dumped with the hotel 'youth-management' and you don't see them except at breakfast or dinner. This is typically the gal or guy who gets severely sunburned, and continually chats over the lack of German TV programming at the resort. This is also the person who gets into a fit over too many Russians at the resort as well.
7. Finally, the 'ends' of the Earth traveler. This is the German who has a wish-list of places that they see on some video, and suddenly wake up.....saying two weeks in Cape Town would be a wonderful trip. Along as each year passes, they go off to Sydney, Australia, then the next year the south isle of New Zealand, and maybe end up in the Canadian Rockies the next. They don't wish for an adventure, but they don't want a dull trip either.
The necessity of the travel agents? To make all of these work in some crazy fashion.....the agents are a necessity.
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