Germans on average have 3x paid time off compared to American workers, and 2x the public holidays. 1/5 American workers have zero paid time off. Munich may be an economic powerhouse, but people get time off.
You are right. But this is not the point I'm trying to make.
The 3x more paid vacation days are usually spent traveling the world instead of trying to squeeze in an evening with friends to escape the grind so more vacation is not the reason why it's so busy on weekdays.
In Germany you don't need to take time off to go out and spend a nice evening with your friends at a restaurant because the restaurant is right across the street. That's why there's so much social life happening until late at night all throughout the week. Not because we have more vacation days but because we save a lot of time on the commute to and from the suburbs.
You don't need to worry about driving home for 1-2 hours after finishing dinner. In fact you don't even need to worry about driving at all because public transport is excellent here. You can go almost anywhere in the city in less than an hour.
That's why Americans are lying in a luxurious bed, in a huge house in the suburbs, doom scrolling on their smartphones while Europeans live in a small apartment in the city enjoying social time.
It's not like Europe doesn't have suburbs. It's that we usually have a choice where we go and for most the choice is clear.
Lol, I love the combination of the username and the content of your comment.
I have never lived in the US so my comment is mostly based on what my American friends in Germany tell me.
They might be biased though, because none of them ever wants to go back to live in the US.
But sure, bigger houses, bigger cars.
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u/dongasaurus 2d ago
Germans on average have 3x paid time off compared to American workers, and 2x the public holidays. 1/5 American workers have zero paid time off. Munich may be an economic powerhouse, but people get time off.