travel
With the warmer weather finally here and millions of us jetting away this month according to recent figures, holidays should be a time for relaxation and rest. However, over two in five British holidaymakers (43%) suffer from holiday related stress.
Women seem to be bearing the brunt of the problem – nearly half (49%) said that pre-holiday stress is a major issue for them, compared to only a third of men (31%). And it doesn’t stop when the holiday starts – 50% say that they waste the first few days of the holiday trying to unwind and 3% say they never relax at all according to a new survey by Butlins.
The reasons behind these anxieties won’t surprise any women – things like whether the weather will be good (51%), or the accommodation up to scratch (45%) are behind the pre-holiday stress.
On arrival, the principle factor is the unfamiliarity of the surroundings – cited by a third of women (30%), although 3 respondents said that it was their husbands that stopped them from being able to unwind.
Says Richard Bates, Managing Director of Butlins: “Holidays should be a time when everyone can unwind and feel instantly at home. We enjoy a 65 per cent repeat bookings rate because our guests know they can do just that. Our weather-proof Skyline Pavilions at each Resort house a wealth of live entertainment, facilities, bars and restaurants whilst Splash Waterworld’s sub-tropical temperature means you could easily be on the Med. Our guests – and particularly Mums - know that the kids will be kept busy and happy which means the adults can relax and join in the fun.”
More than half of British holidaymakers (58%) like to return to a favourite holiday destination, and for women the major factors are where they know all the best places to go (60%), can instantly relax (53%) and didn’t need to fear disappointment (50%).
A higher proportion of women (27%) felt that knowing the kids love a particular destination is a good reason to return – compared to only 17 percent of men for whom it was important. However, one in five women (21%) felt under pressure to try somewhere new even though they know a familiar destination will be more relaxing.