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Holidays on home soil are becoming increasingly popular among Germans, according to ADAC, Germany's version of AAA. Of those surveyed, 41.1 percent chose Germany as their destination of choice this year, up 1.3 points from the previous year. Italy came in second place (16 percent), followed by France, Austria, Croatia and Switzerland.

Specifically, the Baltic Sea coast and Mecklenburg Lake District were voted the most popular holiday regions. After years of crowding the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea, the hot summers in recent years have apparently reminded Germans that they have their own seaside, too.

Booked out beach chairs

Several weeks before the summer holidays officially began, many spots along the Baltic and North Sea coasts were already fully booked, according to a DPA news service report. Hotel occupancy is also higher than in the previous year.

Those who haven't planned ahead may be out of luck. On Wangerooge island, many of the 1,300 beach chairs that adorn the main beach were reserved long ago, and on the island of Borkum there are only single rooms left in hotels and guesthouses. The same is true of the Baltic Sea islands as well.

However, judging by the current "summer weather" conditions -- a capricious mixture of clouds and rain -- it remains to be seen how many Germans actually make the trip to the coast. Maybe next year will see a reverse trend of vacationers sitting in their beach chairs with warm socks on, ruefully thinking of their last summer holiday in sunny Spain or Italy.