Do you become depressed faster if you don't go on vacation for a year?

It's a crazy summer: vacation is no longer a given for anyone. Because you never know: who knows, your destination might suddenly be in lockdown.

The coronavirus has not disappeared and we all still have to adapt quite a bit. One country after another is tightening the measures again: having breakfast in a hotel while wearing gloves and wearing face masks wherever you go. Is that really fun? Wouldn't it be better to just enjoy a staycation? And then I thought: a lot of people are not going on vacation. Not for a year. Maybe not for two years. What does that do to your mental health? Do you become more depressed if you don't go on vacation?

The answer is simple: no. A vacation makes you happy, of course. I mean: with a warm sun on your body, white sand around you, and the sound of the sea, it's hard to be grumpy. But it doesn't matter for a depression, because going on vacation also causes a lot of stress for people who feel unstable. According to a study, it turns out that people have a worse mood in the week before they go on vacation. You become irritable, stressed. This is mainly due to the rush at work and wanting to leave everything in order and finish on time. The start of a vacation is actually not much fun either: many people have to adjust, feel rushed, and don't have a relaxed feeling yet. A new bed, unpacking eight suitcases, a new environment, homesickness, a disappointing location, panic about costs: it's all a lot. And then it's actually soon time to go back and the feeling of stress starts again. You worry about what you have to do when you get home and what you might have missed at home and what you need to catch up on. In short, vacation sounds nice, and it is for many – but not for everyone. So it's really not that bad if you skip a year, experts think.

Of course, there are also advantages to vacation, psychologists say. Sunlight, being outdoors a lot, spending time with family and friends: it will ultimately be a boost for many people. That's why I'm not surprised that 50 percent of the Dutch are still going on vacation this year despite corona.

Why do people still take the plane to a sunny destination, even this year?

• The government says, supported by experts, that it is possible and allowed. I trust that judgment: 29 percent
• I really need to get away, I need a vacation: 24 percent
• I don't take more risk of getting infected with the coronavirus on vacation than at home: 22 percent
• And then there are the people who just do it because otherwise they would lose their money and those who are not so afraid of getting the coronavirus.

Everyone can decide for themselves. The only thing we should remember in these corona times, I think, is that it's perfectly fine without a vacation. That you can also be very happy just sitting in your own garden. Pour a glass of rosé, put on a sun hat, and hop, imagine yourself with a bit of fantasy on the Côte d’Azur. No need for a face mask.