Living Trends
Here at Wimdu we are fascinated by living trends around the world and how what is normal in one country can be unusual in another. We thought it would be interesting to conduct a study of 150,000 of our apartments around the globe to see what patterns would emerge. The results were intriguing – read on to find out what we discovered.
A Holiday in the Sun with the Kids? It’s a Turkish Delight!
Although you might expect Italy and Spain to come out on top in terms of child friendliness, it is in fact Turkey that is most welcoming to families. Over 72% of hosts rent family-friendly apartments. What else did we discover? Hosts offering extra beds for children are most likely to live in Austria. Perhaps it’s because the birth rate in Austria averages out to 1.4 children per woman?
Scandinavian- Where Everyone is Toasty Warm
With average Winter temperatures of between -6°C and 4°C in the Nordic countries, keeping warm is unsurprisingly a common concern! Not only do many homes come complete with a bathtub (42% of properties in Denmark, to be exact), but a many come complete with saunas and open log fires. The concept of ‘hygge‘ is a good example of how the people of Denmark deal with the hard climate culturally. Roughly meaning ‘togetherness’ or ‘well-being’, hygge is hard to translate perfectly. It can refer to a pleasant feeling or something more specific, such as an evening in front of the fire with a good book. It is often used socially to describe a convivial atmosphere between friends or family. Hygge clearly works for the Danes – Denmark frequently tops the United Nation’s World Happiness Report.
Doing The Dishes? It Doesn’t Wash with the Danes!
It seems that people in Denmark and Austria shy away from household chores the most! In Denmark, 78% of properties feature a dishwasher. This stands in stark contrast with Italy, where only a quarter of Wimdu apartments feature the appliance.
Home Fitness – The American Dream?
Americans enjoy keeping fit at home, apparently. One explanation for this is that American homes are often larger than their European counterparts and consequently more space can be allocated to home gyms.
Denmark is an Animal Kingdom
Few hosts are excited about hosting animals alongside their owners. Only 11 percent of Britons allow four-legged friends to tag along. With 14 percent and 17 percent, respectively, the Americans and the Dutch are not exactly crazy about having have pets as guests either. It appears only the Danes have opened their hearts – and homes – to animals. Almost half (48%) of Danish hosts allow pets.
No smoking in the USA, UK and Germany, but the Danes are more relaxed
Nowadays, smoking indoors is often seen as old fashioned. Over the past decade it has been outlawed in many public places in western Europe and it is gradually becoming less common for people to smoke at home. Despite the smoking ban being introduced in 2007, 90% of Danish hosts still allow their guests to light up inside the apartment. Surprisingly, the normally liberal Dutch are rather strict when it comes to indoor smoking – only 26% of our hosts allow their guests to smoke in their homes.
Go Dutch and Stay Connected to the World
Nearly all hosts in Western Europe offer an internet connection at their Wimdu apartments. Turkey also boasts excellent connectivity with 84% of hosts offering internet at their properties. In southern Europe, an internet connection in properties is also widely available: 63% of Spanish hosts offer such a service, which is almost on par with Germany.
It certainly was an interesting study. Returning to this topic in several years time might reveal some intriguing changes in lifestyle. Let’s see!
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