Holidays: vacation, work, wellbeing

Holidays are a constant time of the year when we can plan a further trip or organize a vacation after many months of work. It should be a time of rest and yet the atmosphere around the holiday can be surprisingly intense. Why? Before a planned trip, we often have to finish numerous professional matters, complete projects and think early on what will actually make us rest. Holidays are also a symbolic break in the year; children do not go to school, students disappear from college, big cities are deserted, and everything takes on a different rhythm. The sun encourages you to focus on pleasures rather than chores. But it is easy to get lost in this - the pressure of “good rest” can be as strong as the professional one. After all, who said that summer is the best time to rest? In addition, there are budget, logistical issues, and sometimes also the need to prove to others (and to ourselves) that we have also “ticked off” the perfect vacation. But is that really the point? Sometimes it is worth thinking in peace about what we really need - taking into account our financial and professional capabilities. Not everything fashionable will be for us. And collecting impressions or things in the name of wellbeing can work the other way around if it doesn't fit our authentic needs. A good mental condition begins with an honest conversation with oneself - and since in the professional sphere we often have to compromise, maybe vacations are a space where we can bet on ourselves? Holidays of Poles

CBOS study Tourist trips of Poles in 2024 and plans for 2025 (February 2025) shows that in 2024, about 60% of adult Poles went for at least two days of vacation outside their place of residence, which is close to 2023 and the highest since 2012. This type of survey has been conducted every year since 2012 and it raises questions about the length of trips, the frequency of vacations and the destination and plans for the next year. Poles in 2024, as in 2023, most often rested in our country, but at the same time foreign tourism increased. In total, 29% of Polish adults stayed abroad with at least one night (this percentage is the highest since the CBOS began to investigate this issue, i.e. since 2010). At the beginning of 2025, 61% of adult Poles declared their desire for a holiday or tourist trip, including at least one night, which is 3 percentage points less than a year earlier.

Where do Polish tourists most often spend their holidays? According to the CBOS, in 2024, the majority of Poles still chose to rest in the country, although their percentage decreased markedly. The number of people combining domestic and foreign trips has increased - there were already 16%. As for trips around the country and the most frequently chosen voivodships for trips, for at least two days vacation are Małopolskie (25%) and Pomerania (23%) and the least chosen voivodship is Lubuskie (1%). The regions of Krakow and Gdansk seem to be attractive due to the proximity of mountains and the sea as well as numerous tourist facilities, the beauty of nature and the popularity of large cities. As for foreign trips, which returned to favor after the pandemic break; in 2024, the most chosen direction of foreign tourist trips of Poles was again Italy - it was visited by 19% of people traveling abroad. It is not surprising - it is a direction in which we are sure of the weather, beautiful monuments and popular and well-received in Poland gastronomy. Next were Greece and Turkey (4% of the total), which are also warm destinations. Less popular but still eagerly visited were Spain, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Germany; each of these countries was chosen by about 3% of adult Poles.

Interestingly, when it comes to cancelling holiday plans, among the reasons mentioned most often were age and health, but also household duties, which were indicated more often than in relation to 2023. While age and health are things that we have no influence on, household chores can be some information for us; is it a matter of bad or good organization, or maybe other priorities? Holidays and wellbeing

Rest is a reward - it is a necessity for our mind and bodies, for our well-being. It helps us to distance ourselves, look at life so far with a distance and gain strength. Studies show that vacation improves, for example, our learning ability - this indicates Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time. However, above all, a healthy rest is less stress. Vacation helps reduce stress levels, which, if sustained for too long, can lead to mental and physical problems. Research from the American Psychological Association shows that detaching yourself from everyday stressors, especially while away, is effective in reducing tension. So what type of holiday is best? Contact with nature works best - it is nature that promotes the deepest relaxation, more than intensive sightseeing of cities. However, it is worth remembering to adapt the holiday to your expectations and vision as well as thinking about how we spend time on a daily basis. If our work is physically demanding maybe it would be better to go to the spa or spend it on mild activities, and if our work is mainly done at the desk, it is good to use this time to at least minimal outdoor sports activity.

What holiday traps to watch out for?

There are several of them: other people's expectations, the aforementioned mismatch of the form of vacation to our way of life and work, choosing a direction due to trends and excessive planning. If our everyday life is quite monotonous experiments, long trips and the need for adrenaline can save us if on a daily basis we are forced to make many decisions, deal with logistics and planning - an all-inclusive holiday or one that will simply be less demanding are fully acceptable. Nowadays, we often fall into the trap of perfectly executed tasks and efficiency. And a vacation that is intended primarily for regeneration in various forms is not the place and time to achieve results. It is a private time that we devote to health and pleasure. If we take care of these priorities - ourselves - our comfort and well-being will improve and our body will thank you for it. On the occasion of the holiday Jobs Door wishes you pleasure, rest and of course well-being;) Sources:

1. https://www.cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2025/K_014_25.PDF
2. https://nursing.com.pl/artykul/psychologia-odpoczynku-jak-wakacje-wplywaja-na-mozg-6499391d3f98d9e47d0dc18a?
3. https://www.pot.gov.pl/pl/nowosci/wiadomosci-z-pot/plany-wakacyjne-polakow-wyniki-badan-polskiej-organizacji-turystycznej?