As the economy soured, Europeans went into the wild

HOLIDAYS spent camping and caravanning are inexpensive once the initial outlay on equipment has been made. Likewise, staying within national borders tends to keep costs low. So it seems as if there is a rough correlation between the health of the economy and the likelihood that Europeans affected by the financial crisis would go camping domestically. Taking the sweltering summer of 2005 as a starting point, people were less inclined to brave the elements at home the following year. But in 2009, when the euro crisis hit in full force, citizens of many European Union countries became more likely to take a cheap camping holiday. Generally, northern Europeans head into the wild the most, despite a more changeable climate, whereas sun-blessed southerners are less enamoured of life under canvas. The Swedes are the European Union’s most enthusiastic campers, with over 3.5m trips made last year in a nation of 9.5m.