In France, where vacations are a "right" guaranteed by the government, more people are staying home because they cannot afford it.

Nearly 4 out of every 10 French people don't go on vacation at any time of the year - nearly half of them because they can't afford it, according to a 2004 study by the Tourism Ministry.

The study defined a vacation as spending four or more nights away from home.

All European nations guarantee employees between four and five weeks of paid vacation a year. The United States and Australia are the only industrialized countries without national minimums on the length of vacations, according to the International Labor Organization.

The French average seven weeks of paid vacation a year - two more than the country's labor laws stipulate. They work an average of 1,441 hours per year, compared with 1,661 hours for the British, and 1,824 for Americans, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports.

Rising travel costs and 10% unemployment rate are being blamed. But just because they aren't leaving town, doesn't mean the French are doing any work.

Despite the downward trend in vacations, France still all but shuts down in August. In Paris, so many shops, restaurants and pharmacies close that those staying open often put up signs: "We're here in August."