Maybe they do, but they’re not the ones we’ve been sold. When August arrives, social media fills up with paradise beaches, hotels with infinity pools, and dinners by the sea. Rest has become a consumer goal, almost a silent competition. But, in the middle of this race to experience the perfect summer, perhaps we should ask ourselves a much simpler question: are the best holidays really the most expensive ones?

From the right to rest to the business of leisure time

Holidays were born as a social achievement. They were a time to recover our strength, spend time with family, and break away from routine. For decades, many families spent the summer in their hometown, at the nearest beach, or simply enjoying the long days without major expenses.

Today, however, rest has become a global industry. The tourism sector competes to capture our attention long before summer arrives. Offers, algorithms and the images we consume every day create a very specific idea of what a real holiday should be: travelling far away, discovering new places, trying exclusive restaurants and returning home with a phone full of photographs.

Without even realising it, we have gone from planning a few days of rest to organising an experience that, quite often, seems designed more to be told than to be lived.

When the brain goes on holiday too

This change in mindset has consequences for our wallets. During the summer, we spend money differently. Not necessarily because we become less responsible, but because we change the way we value money.

Behavioural economics explains that, when we associate an expense with an emotional reward, we tend to downplay its cost. Expressions such as “since we’re already here”, “it’s only twenty euros”, or “holidays only come once a year” allow us to relax a budget that, during the rest of the year, we would manage much more carefully.

The imbalance usually does not come from a single extraordinary expense. It comes from the accumulation of many small purchases: having breakfast out every morning, an ice cream in the afternoon, an impromptu dinner, or an activity that was not originally planned.

Individually, they seem like insignificant amounts. Added up over two or three weeks, they can become a considerable bill.

Memories don’t come with a price tag

Curiously, when we remember a great holiday, we rarely think about what cost us the most money.

We tend to remember a conversation that lasted until the early hours of the morning, an impromptu excursion, a swim when there was still nobody on the beach, or a sunset shared with the people we love.

These are simple experiences that will hardly ever appear in an advertisement, yet they are the ones that tend to stay with us the longest. Their value does not depend on the budget, but on the time and attention we devote to them.

This also explains why more and more people are choosing a slower, closer and less consumption-driven way of travelling. It is not about giving up discovering the world, but about preventing the obsession with making the most of every minute from stopping us from truly resting.

The summer’s invisible bill

Holidays last a few weeks. Their financial consequences, however, sometimes last much longer.

September brings together expenses that many households know all too well: school supplies, extracurricular activities, postponed bills and the return to everyday life. If, on top of all this, we have spent beyond our means during the summer, the feeling of having rested quickly disappears.

Planning a little before leaving is still one of the best financial decisions we can make. It is not about imposing strict limits or turning holidays into an accounting exercise. It is about knowing how much we can afford to spend and setting aside part of our money for the return home.

This kind of planning does not reduce our freedom. On the contrary, it allows us to enjoy ourselves without the constant worry about what will happen when the next bank statement arrives.

The real luxury

We live surrounded by messages that equate happiness with consumption. During the summer as well. But rest cannot be bought, nor is it measured by the number of kilometres travelled or the price of a hotel.

The real luxury is being able to disconnect without pressure, spend time with the people we love and return home feeling that we have regained our energy. Doing so without compromising the balance of our finances turns holidays into a truly restorative experience.

Because summer passes quickly. Financial peace of mind, on the other hand, is a form of well-being that stays with us throughout the year.

11Onze is Catalonia’s fintech community. Open an account by downloading the El Canut app for Android or iOS. Join the revolution.