Sofinscope – The French and summer holidays: travel plans held back by a declining budget

As summer approaches, the Sofinscope conducted in April 2025 focused on the summer vacation plans of the French. While just over one in two French people still expect to leave this summer (55%), this is 3 points less than in 2024, confirming a downward trend that began in 2021. The length of the holiday is also being reduced, with the norm gradually becoming to leave for only one or two weeks. Despite a declining average budget, expected to reach 1,598 euros in 2025, the French are keen on travel, even if it means reducing other expenses (50%) and finding other tips to leave. They also fail to take into account the environmental impact of holidays, with 52% saying they are not willing to leave at the expense of environmental considerations.

• Among the French who plan to go on holiday this summer, 40% will leave for a week and 33% will leave for two weeks.

• The average budget for summer holidays per household will be 1598 euros, a decrease of 6% (-99 euros) compared to 2024.

• 73% of the French still say that going on holiday requires a financial effort.

For the third year in a row, vacation intentions for this summer are down

Asked about their summer vacation plans, the French are reporting for the third consecutive year a decline in departure intentions. 55% intend to leave this summer, 3 points less than in 2024 and 7 points less than in 2021. Indeed, despite the slowdown in inflation, summer holidays are a luxury that the French are still struggling to afford. Three out of four still say that going on holiday requires a financial effort (73%).

As last year, this effort forces them to review their plans, both in terms of budget and the length of the planned stays.

For those who will leave, their summer budget decreases by 6% and falls below the 1600 euro mark (1598%, -99€). This decline is in line with the intentions of the French, who, for the first time since March 2022, would primarily choose to save if their purchasing power were to increase (39%), rather than make fun purchases (22%)1.

They will also favor short stays of one week (40%, +3 points).

The pressure of the budget is also felt by those who will not leave: two thirds of them say they give up the summer holidays because they cannot afford them (64%, +3 points).

 
The French leave less in the summer, but do not give up travel

However, travel is not a pleasure that the French sacrifice with good grace: one in two admits to being willing to reduce their other expenses to go on vacation (50%). They prefer to travel differently so as not to give up on it.

• They anticipate their expenses: more than a third of French people (38%) say they save every month for their trips, and a quarter have even set up an account dedicated to these holidays (23%).
• They avoid the unexpected: 6 out of 10 French people systematically anticipate a budget for their expenses on the spot (60%), in particular by inquiring about the cost of living in their destination (48%).
• They are broadening their travel horizons: if the French are less likely to leave this summer, it is partly because half of them prefer off-season (50%) – particularly popular with May bridges. To reduce their holiday budget, a quarter of French people would also choose to act on the destination of their trip to favor countries with a lower cost of living (28%), or even on the duration, by reducing the length of stay (25%).
• They use payment facilities: for those who do not leave this summer, 1 in 5 could consider it through payment facility solutions (19%).
  
  In summer or the rest of the year, environmental concerns are taken into account in travel
  
  A Frenchman out of 2 claims not to be willing to leave at any cost at the expense of environmental considerations (52%). More than a quarter of them even say they are willing to increase their holiday budget to travel in greener ways (29%). In particular, they would be encouraged in these efforts by means of payment facilities : 28% could organize eco-responsible holidays.
  More than half of the French would agree to use eco-responsible solutions for their holiday, whether it be their destination (63% would consider favoring a green holiday in a rural area), their mode of transport (57% would choose the train rather than the place in France or Europe) or their equipment (52% would prefer the purchase of second-hand).
  

This year again, Sofinscope highlights the importance of summer holidays for the French, despite a decrease in the budget they can devote to it. Many of them are adapting their projects to preserve this essential moment of relaxation and we support them with financing solutions that allow them to achieve them.

Franck ONIGA

Directeur général de Sofinco

[1] Opinionway for Bonial, “Consumption Barometer – wave 13”, March 2025. https://landing.bonial.com/fr/survey-pouvoir-dachat-au-vouloir-dachat-vague-13

Sofinscope – OpinionWay Barometer for Sofinco

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About Sofinscope

Sofinscope is the barometer of Sofinco, a Crédit Agricole Personal Finance & Mobility brand. Intended to survey the French on their consumption habits and to better understand them, this barometer which is part of the daily lives of the French is carried out by OpinionWay for Sofinco, with representative samples of the French population.

This study was conducted on a sample of 1,013 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over. The sample was selected according to the quota method, taking into account the criteria of sex, age, socio-occupational category, agglomeration category and region of residence. The interviews were conducted from 16 to 17 April 2025 by self-administered online questionnaire on a CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) system.

All the results are available online on the Sofinscope website: the barometer that gives you a head start on consumption

About Sofinco
In France, Sofinco is the trademark of Crédit Agricole Personal Finance & Mobility, which distributes a wide range of loans to individuals and associated services across all distribution channels: direct sales, point-of-sale financing (home equipment) and partnerships. Sofinco offers flexible, responsible solutions tailored to the needs of its customers and partners (major retail, specialized and institutional retailers). Google’s UX Finance 2023 Benchmark has awarded Sofinco.fr the title of “Best Mobile Customer Journey”. For more information: www.sofinco.fr