A third of British holidaymakers go abroad knowing nothing about their destination, according to a survey published today. According to the Holiday Habits survey commissioned by Norwich Union, much of the problem is that many of us travel at very short notice, leaving little time to read up about the country we are visiting – and that some 89% of UK travellers have had a holiday spoiled by factors “that could have been avoided with more planning”. The study revealed that:
- A quarter of people spend less than two hours deciding where to go on holiday
- One in ten book with no knowledge of the country they will be visiting
- A third of people do not know how to say hello, please, thank you or goodbye in the non-English speaking countries they visit
- “Experiencing another culture” is the least important consideration when booking a holiday
- 42% say their holidays would be better if they spend more time planning
Norwich Union, which carried out the survey by questioning 2255 adults on their holiday habits, reports several cases of travellers heading for the Caribbean during hurricane season and skiers heading to snow-less resorts – purely because they had not done their homework.
