Even though Americans and their British cousins share many cultural similarities, they also have their differences. Of these differences, one includes how the time taken off work is spent. Americans call this a vacation, while the Brits use the term holiday.
These two words have very different origins as well. According to Merriam-Webster, vacation has its roots in the Latin word vacare, meaning “to be empty” or “free from.” Holiday, on the other hand can be traced back to the Old English hāligdæg, meaning “holy day.” This difference in meaning may influence how the words are used by the different people. Perhaps Americans wanted a different word to describe this time taken off work instead of keeping with the holiday that already applied to other celebrations that allow for time off work.
Americans and Britons seem to have different ideas of what makes for a relaxing time. For the most part, Americans tend to stay in their own country, due to its large size which provides a variety of climates available year round. For warm weather in the middle of winter, many Americans head south to Florida and the other states that border the Gulf of Mexico. If they’re looking for a relaxing escape, others tend to seek out the Smoky Mountains. Or those in search of a beach destination find Myrtle Beach to be what they want. This means that Americans are more inclined to find any type of weather they want within the borders of their own country, and are less inclined to take that plane ride across the Atlantic or elsewhere to find these places.
The British, however, are more inclined to reach for their passports as they head off to warmer destinations. Since the United Kingdom is an island, in order to find the same range of places Britons have to travel farther outside their own borders. Some of the most popular destinations include Spain, Greece and the Mediterranean area. Most likely because of their proximity to other countries, Britons are probably more comfortable with traveling to other countries, where there are also resorts with other Britons.
Air travel for Brits is also cheaper. Because of their closeness to the European continent, airfares are cheaper, and when budget airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair are used this can make flights ridiculously cheap compared to American prices to fly across borders. This leads to many more Americans getting in their own cars and driving between states instead to their intended destination. The price of fuel is, however, cheaper for Americans, leading to many more getting behind the wheel and driving themselves on vacation.
Amongst all the differences, there are a few similarities in vacations and holidays between Americans and Brits. Both will take campers (or caravans) to go camping during the warmer summer months. There are also plenty of places on both sides of the Atlantic to put boats in water and spend time away from the hustle and bustle of work life.
Although Americans and Brits may disagree about the name or the destination, the end goal is the same: a respite from work or school for a short amount of time.
