The way someone spends their money should not affect you. What use is there in calling their expenses a waste, when you are unlikely to influence their life choices at best, and at worst risk being called a spoilsport or getting cancelled online? People should be free to make their own decisions, to find their own financial path, and invest in what they enjoy. Citizens who earn their money must enjoy it in whatever way they see fit, and not get harassed by jealous trolls who envy their sunny and carefree vacations. 

If anything, international travel only boosts the economy. Calling holidays a waste shows the ignorance of some who fail to understand, or even try to understand, the sheer magnitude of the tourism industry. All of the pilots, stewards, taxi drivers tour guides, museum workers, chefs, waiters, artists, musicians, hotel managers, would certainly not call the visitors who pay their wages wasteful. The beauty of the tourism industry is its circularity; the more people that arrive, curious to immerse themselves in a fresh, enticing culture, the more money tags along behind them, increasing the wealth and prosperity of the country and its citizens which in turn beckons more tourists. Travellers are a magnet- wherever they chance upon receives a bountiful reward for playing host. 

A homeland, no matter how serene or scenic, is bound to become a mundane prison with no escape without the variety and suspense a new country can bring, there is something rather thrilling, if mildly panic-inducing, about the preparation to voyage abroad. It becomes an expedition into the unknown, never-before-seen, undiscovered, and you become a daring explorer, hungry for novel sights and lush textures and unique scent, compared to the everyday commute and dull, mundane routine that is deeply engrained in your stressed mind, even an hour-long hop to Paris across the looming La Manche can make you feel like Steve Backshall trekking through the remotest of isles. 

What about educating ourselves on British culture, and visiting the numerous museums and castles and gardens? We must not forget those, and of course not look down on the majesty of our ancestors' achievements and legacies. However, we must accept that we are thieves and plagiarisers of the worst kind. Our esteemed museums are full to the brim of trophies from our wars, overflowing with artefacts from eradicated countries. We are the eradicators and pests that have stained the memories of innumerable countries. Do we not owe it to them to at least travel to witness the original masterpieces and their artists? 

One thing that Britain did not manage to steal is the Sun. Over 1 in 6 adult Brits suffer from a vitamin D deficiency, according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which can lead to weak muscles and osteoporosis (also known as brittle bones). Even if one disregards the countless mental and psychological benefits to sunlight and periodic breaks from the chaotic boredom of office or school life, including increased productivity and memory upon return, the physiological positives of travelling to warmer, tropical destinations are clear. Changes in atmospheric conditions can allow your skin to take a break from city pollutants, your cardiovascular system to improve in high altitudes, and your reduced stress can make you sleep more deeply. 

Flourishing culture, better quality of life, and a blossoming economy: it seems as if the only wasteful elements of holidays is the effort of arguing against them!