Right ahead, you’ll spot a cluster of rustic stone and wood mountain houses clinging to a green hillside-look up the slope just behind the railing to see the unmistakable Swiss style of the Swiss travel fund site.
Now, let’s step into the story-imagine the year is 1939, and the air in Switzerland is thick with uncertainty as the world lurches toward chaos. Life is hard, but hidden inside mountains like these, a revolutionary idea is quietly growing: everyone deserves a holiday. Picture a factory worker with sore hands, daydreaming by a noisy river, longing for a rest in nature.
Back in the mid-1800s, taking a vacation was a wild dream for most Swiss families, especially for those sweating through long days in workshops and factories. The wealthy might stroll by the lake, but for ordinary folks, holidays were as rare as a purple cow. Thankfully, a movement called “Naturliebhaber”-the Friends of Nature-sprang up in Zurich in 1905, inspired by Austrian pioneers, to bring fresh mountain air and hiking fun within everyone’s reach.
Think of it like this: social reformers were busy shaking up every rulebook-cures from herbs, new diets, outdoor schools, even early vegetarian restaurants. But affordable holidays? Still pie in the sky! Then along came Gottlieb Duttweiler, the headstrong founder of Migros. In 1935, he started “Hotelplan,” dreaming of cheap, cheerful travel for all Swiss, turbo-charging tourism and offering a bright escape from everyday drudgery. It was like handing out golden tickets when the world could use a chocolate bar or two.
Let’s jump to June 22, 1939, just before war clouds rolled over Europe. That’s when Swiss unions and the tourism board cooked up something wonderful: the Swiss travel fund-known as “Reka.” Not a greedy company, but a big-hearted cooperative designed to sprinkle holiday magic on families whose budgets barely stretched to the weekly bread. Their mission: make holidays a right, not a luxury.
How did they pull it off? With a little sleight of hand and some clever “Reka-Checks”-kind of like Swiss chocolate coins, but for vacations! Families paid less, but still stayed in beautiful mountain villages, like the one before you. Not only that, the money Reka made was plowed straight back into helping the next wave of holiday-hungry kids and parents. Can you hear the clatter of luggage wheels and the bubbling laughter up the mountain lanes?
As the decades wore on, Reka became the biggest nonprofit social tourism force in the country, running hundreds of holiday apartments, cozy little resorts, and friendly hotels scattered from the Berner Oberland to Ticino, all the way to sun-drenched Tuscany in Italy. They built whole “holiday villages”-tiny worlds for adventure and fun, with friendly faces, hearty food, and views that would make anyone’s daydreams jealous.
What’s wild is how Reka’s social heart never skipped a beat. In recent years, they’ve spent millions quietly supporting families who need it most-single parents, kids with disabilities, and anyone feeling left behind. Even in 2023, nearly 800 families and their kids took real, sun-filled breaks thanks to the Reka Foundation. They’ve helped host summer camps for children and teens with extra challenges-think laughter around a campfire, hiking boots on gravel, and new friends sharing stories after a long hike.
If you’re wondering how this machine of good runs, here’s a secret: Reka’s special “travel money” isn’t just a coupon-it’s accepted almost everywhere, from ski lifts to gas stations. Workers can get Reka-Pay as a little tax-free bonus just for being awesome, and every Swiss boss still skips profit just to make holidays possible for the next in line. The numbers are staggering: in 2023 alone, they made over CHF 489 million in holiday money flow, helping thousands of people step out of their daily grind and into alpine adventures.
Have a look at the wood and stone-imagine every log and stone whispering stories of the people Reka helped. And if you fancy a really quirky detail: their Lugano holiday village was completely rebuilt in 2022 with 49 glimmering new apartments-where mountain breezes mix with the scent of pizza. So next time you hear boots crunching on gravel or a family’s happy shout echo off the rocks, remember that a small cooperative in Switzerland made it possible for nearly everyone to answer the call of the wild-at least for a week.
Ready to delve deeper into the social conditions, foundation or the activity and holiday help? Join me in the chat section for an enriching discussion.
