Now that the corona is in the background, the Dutch are going on vacation once again en masse. But this is not an option for many families due to lack of money.

This is also reflected in the Weekje Weg Foundation, which organizes free vacations for families who cannot afford them themselves. “We notice that the demand for our holidays is increasing,” says director Sasha Engelsmann. “People are coming to us through food banks, social workers and youth care. I hear from those agencies that they are busier now with people with higher prices. Food banks are getting more clients, so there are also more people who might use to make Weekje Weg. “

Through the foundation, families can stay for a week in the recreational areas of Veluwe or Ommen. According to Engelschman, most of them haven’t had enough money for a vacation for years. “But with inflation soaring, it’s also about people who have had a hard time keeping their heads above water lately.”

Priscilla Rward and her children on vacation through the Wikipedia:

We spoke to two other people for whom taking time off each year is not an option:

39-year-old Danielle (her last name is known to editors) only went on vacation for the first time in her life last year. I did it at a Salvation Army hotel, which offers heavily discounted vacations. “My son could enjoy going to the woods with the other kids there, and there were also all kinds of activities like a boat trip. Really relaxing.”

The Salvation Army offers a week’s all-inclusive stay in the woods near Ede for a fee of €125 for adults and €40 for children.

“I didn’t have enough money for a vacation,” Danielle says. “I’ve worked in Action for fourteen years, but for a year now I’ve been in welfare. Taking care of my son, who has ADHD and Gilles de la Tourette, is no longer combinable with work. I also wasn’t raised in welfare, so You can really enjoy the rod and a bit of fishing.” But next month they can go on vacation again, this time through another organisation, De Vakantiebank. “We’re going to Bakkeveen in Friesland. This will really be another week to enjoy.”

Also for 56-year-old Marjan (last name known to editors), annual leave is not a normal thing. She has no plans this year. “My partner and I have low incomes, so we look very carefully at what we’re spending, so holidays are the first to go down.”

She says high inflation is definitely a factor now. “I’ve really noticed, I just did my weekly shopping and when you see how expensive everything has become, it’s shocking. Fortunately we are economical with energy ie we don’t have a dryer, turn off the lights as much as possible and the heating doesn’t go out. Top of 18 degrees.”

Last year, Marjane and her partner went on vacation to Crete, after not being apart for three years. “We saved some money again and got an address tip in an area that wasn’t very expensive, also because of the Corona case. We are really experiencing such a holiday as something exceptional, like this treatment. On the plane, people said they were going to Ibiza the following weekend Well, that’s not one of them for us.”

She doesn’t mind that she can’t go on vacation every year. “We live near the beach, and sometimes we go there for sunset or go biking. These kinds of experiences are beautiful too.”