[Aaargh20318]

To clarify: I live in the Netherlands and I was disagreeing with the fact that everyone takes off 4-6 weeks to travel around the world each summer.

Most people only get 5 weeks of holiday a year total (4 weeks is the legal minimum) and they usually spread out those days over the year. If you can travel the world for 6 weeks every summer then you have an above-average number of free days and probably an above-average income to be able to afford that much travel.

We do get vacation money (8% of your gross salary, usually paid in may) but that's not nearly enough for 6 weeks of travel unless you saved up a lot.

[hellofunk]

I said 4 - 6 weeks; you are focusing on the "6" but I know many, many Dutch (my neighbors, actually) who are gone a full month every summer, like clockwork. Nearly everyone on my street. It's always either July or August.

You say people "only" get 5 weeks of holiday, but that only supports my main point about the huge difference between that and what Americans are used to.

[Aaargh20318]

It could be that it depends on the kind of job you do. A lot of people go skiing in winter so they take 1 or 2 weeks then, but that probably won't be true for the lower-income groups.