Column “There and Back”: Travel and Drink

Back to nature! To the simple life in a log cabin! At least until your inner compass starts working properly again. Just as the American author Henry David Thoreau described it in "Walden" in 1854. Isn't this outlawed, dropout existence, this slowing down with no consumerism or cell phones, the dream of many vacationers? Perhaps you don't necessarily have to graze your own cow in the flowery village meadows down by the river or look after an entire herd of milk donors all day on the alpine pasture. And perhaps even a tiny bit of internet reception every few hours is allowed. But not hearing cars or noisy neighbors when you get up is something special.

It's now official that nature makes us better people. The University of Exeter in the tranquil southwest of England claims to have discovered that people in green surroundings drink and smoke less. To be precise: the risk of smoking is 13 percent lower when living in nature, and the risk of drinking alcohol every day is even reduced by almost a third. These advantages seem overwhelming, but the question remains as to what exactly is meant by nature. The English study authors define "residential greenspace" as a landscape in which the center of one's life is surrounded by gardens, meadows, and forests within a radius of about 250 meters.

Such "green" living conditions are naturally difficult to find not only in megacities, but also at many campsites, which buzz like densely populated beehives during peak season. Popular stretches of beach on the Mediterranean are also quite busy at the moment, although the expansive blue waters more than compensate for the densely packed rows of loungers. Better yet, find a free spot in the far north: vast landscapes with few inhabitants – if only it weren't for the high alcohol prices.

What people in beautiful Exeter may have overlooked: Naturally-oriented countries like Denmark and Finland rank at the absolute top for alcohol abuse. There, people get drunk on average 23.8 days a year. Highly industrialized Germany comes in a distant second in this ranking, coming in a sober 17th. However, when it comes to alcohol consumption throughout the year, Germans are rapidly catching up. This trend is being fueled by the desire to travel: As is well known, the best time to drink is during the holidays, and the Schinkenstraße (ham route) on Mallorca (an island also quite close to nature) is a prime example of this.

That was probably the fine print in Thoreau's book. Whatever people say, very few people really long for weeks of solitude in a log cabin somewhere on a mosquito-infested lakeshore. Not everyone is some kind of Saint Francis, able to communicate with birds and everything else that crawls and flies in the wild. Well, what do we actually want from nature other than an all-inclusive hotel or an RV park near the beach? So, familiar surroundings in the middle of nowhere, a bit of outdoor decor, and friendly people with whom you can really let loose? Well, cheers!