Holiday Etiquette

Will you keep your selfie stick under control on holiday this summer? And how long will you be able to resist the urge to make a phone call after you land? If this is you, you demonstrate the holiday habits that really tick Brits off, according to new research.

 

New research from TeletextHolidays.co.uk, which surveyed 2,000 Brits to take a light-hearted look at how we behave abroad, has also revealed that at the start of the summer vacation season, 30% of us are yet to book our holiday!

 

The Top 10 modern holiday faux-pas according to Brits are: 

1.       Relentless Instagramming of every meal or drink consumed – ‘Insane Instagrammers’ (32%)

2.       Kids playing games on tablets at high volume – ‘App Brats’ (31%)

3.       Over the top, anti-social use of selfie sticks – ‘Selfie-Stickers’ (28%)

4.       Using Bluetooth/wireless speakers in public – ‘Speaker Smashers’ (25%)

5.       People who are back on their mobile as soon as the plane lands, before they even leave their seat – ‘Touch-down Talkers’ (21%)

6.       Face-timing in front of tourist attractions making it difficult for others to see – ‘Face-time Fanatics’ (12%)

7.      Unwanted Facebook friend requests from someone you met for 2 minutes at the hotel bar – ‘Social Stalkers’ (11%)

8.       Using an iPad/tablet to take photos at monuments and tourist attractions, blocking the view of those behind – ‘Tablet Tourists’ (10%)

9.       People who take pictures underwater on Go-Pro's while in the hotel swimming pool – ‘Scuba Snappers’ (7%)

10.   Inexperienced users of flying camera devices for aerial shots on the beach, especially at sunset – ‘Droneys’ (6%)

But modern misconducts are not the only things to leave Brits exasperated. The the top 5 classic holiday bugbears;

 

1.       Getting up hours before everyone else to reserve a set of sun loungers with your towel for friends – ‘Sun lounger Savers’ (48%)

2.       Wearing a pair of Speedos that haven’t fit since the 1980s – ‘Speedo Veterans’ (28%)

3.       Bombing into the pool next to strangers who are trying to sunbathe – ‘Pool-bombers’ (26%)

4.       Clapping or cheering as the plane hits the tarmac on the outbound flight - ‘Landing-clappers’ (22%)

5.       People who plunder the buffet – ‘Buffet Slayers’ (21%)

Late booking

With 30% of Brits still to book their summer break, the study also revealed that 10% leave it as late as 2 weeks or less before departure to book their holiday so as to ensure they get the best deals!

And this habit of hunting late-deals is no surprise as 41% of participants admit that price is the most important factor when it comes to booking a trip.

However, even though we’re a nation of deal-hunters, the average Brit will spend £1,080 on their summer holiday; £804 of that just on flights and accommodation. Although a savvy 19% of participants revealed that the most important factor of a holiday for them was that it was all-inclusive.

The average Brit spends 11 days of annual leave on their summer holiday, which ideally departs on 13th August, with a lucky 2% managing to take a whopping 4 weeks off.  And it seems Brits use these precious days to spend quality time with family, as 59% of participants stated they’d rather go on holiday with their family than their friends (31%), although an independent 8% admitted they’d prefer to go alone or with an organised tour group.

On average, we’re willing to spend 10 hours travelling to get to a desired destination, with a third (34%) of us choosing the destination because it’s a place we have never visited before.  However, 46% of Brits say they like returning to the same destination as they enjoy the comfort of holidaying in a location they know well.

What annoys you on holiday?