City breaks are overrated 🙄
Unraveling city breaks and the hype behind them
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Living within a hustle culture exacts a toll. Limited time, the endless pursuit of wealth, burnout, and overtime work form part of our status quo. It's clear why we seek ways to escape, with city breaks once considered the simplest option. They seemed, at first glance, to be a perfect balance between our immediate needs and what they could offer.
But is the situation really so straightforward?
To better comprehend this, we'll delve into some insights that could guide us.
💸 Is it actually cheap to go on city breaks?
Remember when we could book flights for only 10 Euro or easily find accommodation with 20 or 30 Euro per night? That's when city breaks began to build momentum, slowly but surely growing in popularity.
In recent years, the travel industry has surged, and even though accessibility has improved, we no longer live in the era of 'firsts,' such as when low-cost options started to emerge and the craze for city breaks began to take shape. Nowadays, traveling for most people is a commodity, something attainable and easy to achieve. This increase in demand naturally leads to an increase in supply, and as consumers place a higher value on each unit, retailers ensure the price bar continues to rise each season.
To understand the evolution of the market, let's compare the cost of city breaks in 2016 to current prices.
Based on this data, we observe that prices have essentially doubled for the same destinations, with the average two-night city break now costing around 350 Euros for accommodation alone compared with the 180 Euros average in 2016. Indeed, the global economic context, which includes price changes and inflation, must be addressed.
However, the assumption that city breaks are the least expensive form of travel or that embarking on a city break will cost less than a seven-day holiday or a month-long stay is debatable. To shed more light on this, I examined the average cost per night for accommodation in September 2023 at the most popular destinations for both city breaks and one-month stays.
The results are presented in the following chart ⬇️
According to this data, it's definitely cheaper to book long-term accommodation than a short stay. Your next thought might be:
“Yes, but won't I end up spending a significant amount of money to live for a month in a new city, resulting in a total cost that's ten times higher?”
I had the same thought, but the difference lies in mindset and budgeting.
During a city break, the overall mentality is often, “You only live once.” Therefore, you might treat yourself to that special meal, buy that ice cream, or dine in restaurants two or three times a day—in essence, you do whatever brings you joy because your time is limited, and you want to experience it all. There's no time for boredom, so you live in the moment.
On the other hand, during a long-term stay, you have the luxury of time from the outset. There's no rush or haste—you have ample time to try, explore, and discover. You could divide your month into two weeks of holiday and two weeks of remote work, or you could work full-time and enjoy your afternoons and weekends as you please. You have the flexibility to eat out or cook at home, saving a significant amount of money by doing so.
Another critical aspect to consider is that city breaks often require extra budgeting, either from savings or other sources of income. In contrast, long stays can be easily integrated into your regular monthly budget if you balance work and leisure. If you choose a city with the cost of living similar to your home country, you can quickly adapt and maintain your lifestyle without dipping into your savings.
🔑 The 'Why' Behind It All?
There are numerous reasons why city breaks have gained popularity, but one of the primary ones is certainly the notion that they offer an escape or a respite from daily life in a new, unexplored city. The chance to unwind, discover new things, and explore new places are some of the benefits we tell ourselves when we decide to book the next city break.
But the question arises:
“Do we truly achieve relaxation, gain more clarity, or find more peace of mind to face life again with renewed vigor?”
After three or four days of ticking off a long list of sights, rushing from one location to another, and dealing with crowds and long queues of people seeking to visit the same attractions, can we honestly say we feel relaxed?
I suppose it depends. Ultimately, we need to understand our own needs and tailor our experiences accordingly. For example, if true relaxation is our goal, we might need to forgo visiting Venice in peak season and instead choose Copenhagen in August or any other destination that suits us better.
Somehow, city breaks have turned into such a commercial parade that it's sometimes easy to forget what we actually want and need, and instead, we take the default path of choosing a location based on budget constraints or Instagram-worthy photos.
The last thing travel should resemble is a two-day party hangover. So, if you find yourself feeling this way after your next city break, it might be helpful to revisit the reasons behind your decision to embark on it in the first place.
As we dip deeper into the summer, drowning up the sun and enduring some of the hottest days in human history, we strive to seize the season's offerings. In this newsletter, I've curated some destinations for those still undecided about where to spend the tail end of summer—late August and September.
I genuinely believe that these months offer an optimal time for long-term travelers. The bustling tourist season begins to wind down, allowing for a more leisurely pace.
In this edition, I’ll feature listings from Croatia🇭🇷, Montenegro🇲🇪, Greece🇬🇷, and Hungary 🇭🇺.
⭐ Nomad Listing's recommendations:
If you want to check the criteria used for making the recommendations, you can check out our latest article.
Location: Athens, Greece
📌Holiday House Grandpa's Dream - One-Bedroom Home
Location: Novigrad, Croatia
📌Paloma: super central, modern Nomads apartment
Location: Budapest, Hungary
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