In the years immediately after the war, traveling remained a dream for most West Germans. There were more urgent needs - good and nourishing food, perhaps something nice to wear, a refrigerator, a car. Then came the "vacation wave." At first people traveled to the Black Forest, Bavaria or the North Sea for recreation. These were destinations they could reach by bus and rail.
By the 1960s, almost every family owned a car. Food was taken along from home and people had to make do with tents and camping units, but this didn't detract from the fun. Austria and Italy became the favorite vacation countries for Germans. The Federal Vacation Act of 1963 extended the minimum vacation ensured by law, and one year later vacation pay was introduced. |  | The radius of vacation destinations widened steadily. In the 1970s the percentage of package tours increased. Germans wanted to travel directly to the sun - the hotter, the better. Today trips are available to every continent, at every time of year. Travel is a top priority for Germans.
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