A New Study Finds That Germans Travel Increasingly Often, With More Than Half Planning a Second Holiday Break This Year

Almost half of the German population has decided to take an extra break in addition to their main annual holiday, according to the findings from a survey carried out by ADAC Reisemonitor and presented at ITB Berlin. Approximately 45.1 percent of respondents said that they were planning to go on an extra break that was five days or longer.

The survey also showed that as people age, they travel more. Of those surveyed that were over 60, 52.7 percent said they planned to take more holidays, with only 40.9 percent of people under age 29 and 43.6 percent of those ages 30 to 39 responding the same.

Germany was a popular destination among respondents, with 37.1 percent of the German's interviewed saying it was their main holiday destination and 41.3 percent saying they planned to go somewhere in the country for their extra holiday.

For their annual holiday, 13 percent of respondents went to Spain, 11.9 percent went to Italy and 7.9 percent went to Austria. For the second holiday, it was the opposite, with Italy and Austria more popular destinations than Spain.

Only a small number of respondents planned to take a long-haul trip for their second break, with 9.1 percent. For the long-haul trips, the U.S. was the destination 2.2 percent of respondents were planning to go to.

The respondents said that their main annual holiday averaged 14 days, while second holidays generally took eight days less. The peak months for travel for a second holiday were April and May, as well as September and October.

"Short breaks are gaining in popularity," Dr. Martin Buck, the director of Travel & Logistics at Messe Berlin, told BreakingtravelNews.com. "Instead of taking a single annual holiday, people are increasingly going on several trips.

"How often people take short breaks is dictated by fluctuations in the economy," Buck continued. "Despite this, the prospects for a stable market for short breaks are good."

The ADAC Reisemonitor takes an annual survey in Germany and provides information on trends and travel patterns.