Holiday rows ‘bigger concern than credit crunch’

More than three quarters of Britons are not prepared to forgo their summer holiday despite the credit crunch.

A poll of more than 2,000 people found that 80% of Britons are not willing to give up their summer break at a time of widespread fears over the adverse impact UK fuel and price rises will have on holiday trends,

Family arguments will prove to be a bigger holiday challenge than rising prices for many, the American Express Travellers Cheques poll found.

Around two in three holidaymakers (65%) have fallen out with their family or companions before their aircraft even takes off – and it is young travellers that have the most arguments before reaching the airport.

Most families and couples have had more than three arguments, according to the survey. Young travellers are the most argument prone (average of four arguments), whereas the over 55 traveller is the most chilled out (average of 3.1 arguments).

Whilst men are most likely to lose their temper about the amount their partner tries to cram into their suitcase (53%), there were a range of common causes of holiday friction:

*How much is being packed into suitcases  48%

*Getting to the airport on time                  40%

*Whether we can afford to go on holiday     29%

*What dates we’re booking for the break      17%

*The quality and type of accommodation booked  17%

In addition to planning their holiday, most families then added to their argument tally at the airport with the five key causes of friction including:

*Needing the toilet on the way to the airport   17%

*Finding a place to park                                13%

*Finding the right check-in desk                      13%

*Getting into the wrong check-in queue            10%

*Losing a family member/ holiday companion at the airport    4%

People from the North East proved to be the most argumentative during the holiday countdown, having more than four arguments before taking off for their holiday, whereas people in the West Country were much calmer, suffering an average of just over two arguments in comparison.

Those who live in Yorkshire are most likely to bicker about having to turn back to pick something up, with one in five (21%) forgetting something back home on the way to the airport. This is the case for just 4% of those who live in the South.

Londoners are those most likely to argue about the dates booked for their holiday with 19% getting irate about it, compared to just eight per cent of those in the South West.

by Phil Davies