Limited Holidays Lead Workers to Choose Mudik Travel Close to Eid

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – A number of people travelling home for Eid (pemudik) have begun crowding Terminal Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta ahead of Eid al-Fitr. Many among them chose to depart close to Eid or H-3 due to limited work holiday time.

One of the travellers, Roni (46), admitted that he could only make the journey after his wife received confirmation of her holiday schedule. He arrived at the terminal with his wife and children to return to their hometown by bus.

“Because my wife only got her holiday yesterday, so we can only mudik today,” he said when met at the location.

“Earlier at half past eight, afraid of traffic jams on the road,” he added.

Besides time factors, the choice of transport mode was also an important consideration for Roni. He considered the bus the most practical option because it could deliver passengers closer to their hometowns without needing to switch transport modes.

“Yes, because where I live, there are no other alternatives. If taking the train or plane or whatever, they all end up in Semarang. Meanwhile, from Semarang to the village is still quite far, about two to three hours,” he said.

“For example, if taking something else, after Semarang have to switch modes again, it’s troublesome carrying luggage. So it’s better with the bus, directly close to the house,” he continued.

Roni also admitted he was not too worried about bringing a baby on this mudik journey. According to him, the bus facilities used were quite supportive for travelling with children.

“No, coincidentally the bus is a sleeper one, safer when bringing children,” he said.

Another traveller, Dedi (38), revealed a similar situation. He could only depart close to Eid because he still had to finish work and did not have leave time earlier.

According to Dedi, limited holiday time causes many workers to choose mudik at the last moments before the holiday.

Nevertheless, he admitted to having prepared far in advance, especially because mudik with family.

“As for preparations, actually from far ahead, maybe about two weeks before departure, already starting to prepare bit by bit. Especially since I’m mudik with child and wife, so also thinking about their needs,” he said.