Head out on holiday at the right time and without stress

Prague, 26 June 2019 – You surely know this: it’s Saturday morning, your luggage is packed, all members of the family are looking forward to the trip and just as you hit the road – traffic jam! This too can be the beginning of your holiday during the first summer holiday weekend. An analysis of anonymised data from T-Mobile’s mobile network performed last year reveals that a similar scenario will undoubtedly occur again this year and that, again, most of us will go on holiday during this week.

The last Saturday in June is the day when the largest number of people set out on holiday abroad. Forty-two percent of people leave for their holiday on this day of the weekend, with 26% of people choosing Friday and 32% Sunday as their travel day. During the first summer holiday weekend, 57% more Czechs hit the road than on a normal weekend. The most popular destinations traditionally are Slovakia, Croatia and Italy.

Generally, the number of people on the road increases during summer weekends. “Specifically, 23% more people travel on Friday, whereas on Saturday and Sunday, people must be prepared for that fact that roads are shared by 65% and 87% more people than usual for these days, respectively,” explains Lukáš Kovárník, ICT Solutions Development Manager at T-Mobile, adding: “In this case, the mobility analysis based on anonymised data from the mobile network comes in really handy, as its results will not only save people time but, in this case, also a lot of unpleasant moments behind the steering wheel.”

Big differences are also to be expected in departure times – it is typical for Friday that people most often head out after work, between 3:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., with the peak being between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. It is best not to hit the road during that time at all. The same applies for the whole of Saturday, when heavy traffic is to be expected from early morning, with the absolute peak being around noon. Heavy traffic eases only around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday will follow a very similar pattern, with the peak between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

This summer will be very demanding for all drivers. The road administration is planning repairs of a number of sections of first-class roads and lower-class roads. Refurbishment of the D1 motorway will also continue, with a record 70 kilometres undergoing repairs this year. Long lines of slow-moving traffic can be expected in these sections in constricted lanes. The ideal solution for avoiding them and travelling without stress is to take a half day off on Friday and hit the road in the morning or by 2:30 p.m. at the latest. Another alternative is to wake up early on Saturday and set out around 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. Or, conversely, have a good sleep and head out on holiday after 7:00 p.m. or possibly wait and leave on Sunday morning.

T-Mobile obtained the data from a detailed survey of Czechs’ travel abroad conducted last year during the first summer holiday weekend.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.