Typical destinations: Camping and holiday homes are common among the French, said Camille Chevalier Karfis, co-owner of French-language tutoring company French Today.
For international trips, Chevalier Karfis said organized trips of 10 days within the US, Asia, and elsewhere are common. Shorter trips abroad may include Spain for a beach vacation or, for younger crowds who like the cheap prices, Eastern Europe.
Amount of vacation time mandated by law: 30 days of paid annual leave and 11 public holidays, according to the International Labor Organization.
Usual months to take off: Several weeks in July or August, long weekends in May, and February, according to Chevalier Karfis.
For Chevalier Karfis, her fondest childhood travel memories involved house-sitting all around France — from northern Brittany to sunny, southern Marseille.
"Everything was so functional and modern: very, very different from my parent's apartment in Paris and "bourgeois" weekend house in the Yvelines," Chevalier Karfis told Business Insider. Going there was a real change from our routine, but since we went there every summer, it was familiar as well and this was very relaxing for everybody."
Summer homes are an important part of many French families. "The house may be a bit old, not very functional or comfortable really, but it's full of memories," Chevalier Karfis said. "We don't mind a bit of a bohemian lifestyle, and would often prefer the charm and uniqueness of older furniture to modern look-alike housing."