I am an American residing in Denmark, and for the primary time I’m having to play by the cultural and authorized guidelines of Danish summer season trip. Let me clarify.
My oldest little one simply turned 6, which is if you begin faculty in Denmark, versus 5 years outdated within the US. In case you have preschool-age children there may be at all times a variation of “summer season day care” the place establishments be a part of collectively, and you may be versatile with the weeks you’re taking. When your little one begins attending public faculty, colleges shut down in the course of the summer season interval. Whereas it is as much as the person colleges to resolve their vacation interval, many Danish households take the identical three to 4 weeks of trip in mid-July into early August.
In Denmark, having fun with a protracted summer season trip is not only a perk — it is a proper beneath the Danish Vacation Act, referred to as Ferieloven. It embodies Denmark’s philosophy towards work-life steadiness and ensures that each worker, whatever the nature of employment (everlasting, momentary, full-time, or part-time), will get ample break day to unwind. An extended summer season trip is an important a part of Danish tradition, and Denmark persistently ranks among the many greatest on the planet for worker satisfaction and work-life steadiness, however as somebody coming from the US, the place the common worker will get two weeks of trip a 12 months, it takes some getting used to.
In case you have a full-time job in Denmark like I do, you get 5 or 6 weeks paid vacation a 12 months. Whereas The Vacation Act permits flexibility in when it may be taken, it attributes a “foremost vacation” interval between Could 1st and September thirtieth, the place workers are inspired, however not mandated, to take three consecutive weeks of their accrued go away. I’ve not been used to taking trip time, and likewise nonetheless have a little bit of American work ethic combined with a concern of being away too lengthy. I have been so treasured about parsing out my trip days in Denmark, that it is really backfired and I’ve misplaced the time I did not take.
Many places of work shut down in August
For these on a crew, you will want to plan your break day nicely upfront as a result of your Danish colleagues might be. The Vacation Act says that workers ought to ideally inform their employers about their go away plans three months upfront for the principle vacation interval. If you’re one of many folks working by way of the summer season, as I’ve performed the previous two years, it is a very quiet time, which might be good, however it’s troublesome to get something performed that requires co-dependencies.
Danes don’t reply to calls or texts throughout this era, a work-life steadiness high quality I admire however discovered stunning after I first skilled it. For this reason some Danish firms not solely urge everybody to take these weeks however even shut down throughout these summer season months. At first, I struggled to grasp how Nordic firms can run successfully, given how lengthy the summer season holidays are, however they do.
Touring in the course of the excessive season might be costly
Whereas there are a lot of upsides to the summer season trip “excessive season” interval, one of many downsides is that many vacation actions and locations in Denmark, resembling amusement parks or tub lodges, are packed and value gouged throughout this time. Flights out of Denmark are additionally double the value. Many Danes select as an alternative to go tenting or head off to their summer season homes, that are normally inside an hour or two drive from residence.
Rising up within the US, I spent a full eight weeks at summer season in a single day camp in Wisconsin yearly from age 4. I liked the abilities I used to be capable of purchase, like horseback driving, crusing, and water snowboarding, however I used to be starved for mother or father visiting weekends. In Denmark, there are a lot of free and paid day camp choices, however no actual equal of an in a single day camp aside from a weeklong scout camp, seemingly as a result of households favor spending their holidays collectively.
Now that I am a working mother or father in Denmark, I am very grateful for attending to expertise a brand new method of spending the summer season holidays along with household. I simply have to discover ways to take the break day and actually unplug.
