Travel is the new hobby for everyone – it's also cheap: With 60 euros you can fly to Greece – there and back. Holidays abroad have become so cheap that many have now overlooked what is literally on their doorstep.
And a trip to Paleokastritsa in Corfu sounds a lot better than a trip to Lake Störmthal in Saxony. Not that you would see a difference on the vacation photos – but still.
Travel abroad before exploring the country
My grandma recently cleared her anger and asked what this "whole circus" is actually about. People wouldn't care about the beautiful places in their own country at all.
One would speak for environmental protection, would only eat vegan and choose the greens. Then you still book the cheap flights to all destinations in the world.
Since one vacation per year is not enough, a total of four to eight flights come together. The environment thanks.
Disinterest in new federal states
Statistics from the "travel analysis" confirm the assumption. Of the holiday destinations in 2019, 74 percent went abroad. That corresponds to about 52 million trips.
I also noticed that many Germans display an astonishing lack of travel when it comes to inland vacations – especially in the new federal states.
"Is Jena abroad?"
I was born in the East myself and am amazed at how little people are interested in the numerous cities and natural spectacles.
Quite often I was asked by young people from the old federal states when I mentioned my hometown Jena whether it was abroad. Hi!? The wall fell over 30 years ago.
"What am I supposed to do over there?"
But many older people are also of little interest in what lies in the east. The distance does not matter either: In the ARD series "On three wheels from Bavaria to the Baltic Sea" Michael Kessler meets an old man in the Franconian town of Coburg (on the border with Thuringia).
The latter himself claims that he has never gone east. "I didn't care," he said with a shrug. When asked why that was, he replied: "What should I do over there?"
More domestic travel through Corona
Ouch. Perhaps I am not entirely objective, but I do not think that the part of the country in which I grew up is worse than the rest – on the contrary: there is a lot to discover in my opinion.
Kilometers of untouched nature in the Thuringian Forest, fairytale architecture in Dresden, modern art in Leipzig, steep cliffs surrounded by thick forest in the Harz Mountains and the spectacular Elbe Sandstone Mountains on the upper reaches of the Elbe.
I could list so much more …
In general, I am of the opinion that besides the standard travel destinations Berlin and the Baltic Sea there are still many places that are worth seeing in (Eastern) Germany.
Perhaps it is a good thing that Corona is forcing us to move this year's holidays more inland. This gives us the chance to see something new in our own home.