Hotels, hostels, campsites or a loved one’s home… In 2022, 82% of French people aged 15 or over spent at least one night away from home during a trip not for professional reasons, according to a published INSEE study this Thursday .
Among the 18% of people who did not go out at least one night last year, almost half (46%) cite lack of financial means. Furthermore, almost a quarter of the total population (24.4%) say they cannot afford a one-week vacation a year. A proportion higher than that of 2021 (21.2%), in a context of inflation, but which has decreased significantly since the peak reached in 2008 (31.9%).
French people who have not traveled at all in 2022 also cite as reasons the desire to stay at home (30%), difficulties traveling for health reasons (24%), lack of time related to work or studies ( 13%) and lack of time due to family limitations (12%).
Traveling, a question of age… and means
Adults between 35 and 49 years old travel slightly more in general (86% in 2022) than young people between 15 and 24 years old (84%) and 25 to 34 years old (84%). But after the age of 50, the French leave home less and less. If 83% of people aged 50 to 64 traveled at least one night last year, this figure was 79% among those aged 65 to 74 and 64% among those aged 75 and over.
It is not surprising that the richest French leave more. The vast majority (90%) of those whose family income exceeds 3,000 euros per month spent at least one night away from home in 2022, compared to 80% of people who earn between 2,301 and 3,000 euros, 73% of those who earn between 1,501 and 2,300 euros and 62% of those who paid 1,500 euros or less.
Executives, main travelers
The statistics institute indicates that more executives travel (93%) than those in intermediate professions (90%), employees (81%), self-employed (77%), workers (76%) and retirees (74%). Thus, executives spent an average of 26 nights away from home last year, excluding professional reasons, compared to 23 for retirees, 21 for intermediate professions, 15 for employees, 13 for the self-employed and 11 for workers.
If executives have a longer weekly work time, they also have more days off than others. As a result, they divide their vacations more: almost 4 out of every 10 of their nights (38%) are spent in July and August compared to 42% among salaried employees and 45% among workers. Only retirees travel less (27% of overnight stays) than executives in the middle of the summer season. On the contrary, managers go out more in January, February, March and December (25% of overnight stays) than workers (17%), salaried employees (19%).
Other reasons encourage or discourage travel. For example, with other identical characteristics, people who do not have a driving license go out less (78%) than those who do have one (83%). Likewise, second home owners are more likely (91%) to set sail than those who don’t (81%).
Source: BFM TV
