Aren’t the summer holidays just great? It’s the time of year when you can leave all the woes of your day-to-day life behind, forget about work worries or school stresses, and pack your bags to go and relax on a sandy beach in the sunshine. Doesn’t that sound like the dream? 

Well, one Swiss travel expert has asked the people of Switzerland to reconsider their dreams, advising them to ditch the sunny skies of Greece, Italy or Spain for the Netherlands. 

Holidaymakers asked to reconsider their summer destinations

Schools across the Netherlands - indeed across Europe - are closing their doors for the summer holidays, and families across the continent are getting ready to jet off on their holidays. Typically popular destinations at this time of year include the warm and sunny southern European coastline, with many hoping to catch a tan and dip their toes in the Mediterranean while they’re away. 

The latest advice from Franco Muff, the official travel ombudsman for Switzerland, asks families and holidaymakers to scrap that idea though. Speaking to local newspaper Blick, he called on Swiss travellers to “avoid crowded destinations as much as possible,” especially destinations such as the Balearic Islands, Egypt, Greece, and Puglia in southern Italy. “You better not go there,” he emphasised. 

Why bother trekking to Greece when you can go to Groningen!?

Avoiding busy towns and coastlines in southern Europe might sound pretty appealing. So where does Muff advise people to travel to instead? Sweden or Norway perhaps, where travellers can enjoy long days and gorgeous scenery? Not quite: “Why not take a trip to Belgium or the Netherlands instead of Majorca?”

Anyone living in the Netherlands will know how busy Amsterdam can be during the summer, but Muff would likely rather see tourists flock to other lesser-known Dutch cities. Why go to Greece when you can go to Groningen? Swap your flights to Bari for a train ticket from Zurich to Breda - how much difference could it possibly make?

Thumb: ODIN Daniel via Shutterstock.com.