What Does Happiness Mean To British Holiday-Makers?
When it comes to holiday what makes you happy?
For me, it would be somewhere hot where I can relax and lay about. It seems that I am very much like most British holiday makers. They say the happiest holiday destination of all is the Caribbean – and almost all say that relaxation is the main goal of any beak away.
I am lucky to travel a lot for my Tips For Travellers blog and video channel, but there is a real difference between trips that I see as “work” and trips that are for “holiday”. I do see them as different. The “holiday” trips are about getting me to relax and unwind for my job (which also happens to be travelling). It seems I am no different from most Brits then, according to study of 2,000 travellers done by Travelbag, a UK-based travel company.
There were three things that stood out for me when to comes to British attitudes to happiness and travelling based on that Travelbag study:
- Happiest holiday destinations: The Caribbean tops the list, with over a third naming it. Next is Australia and New Zealand (30%) and the USA (26.6%).
- Relaxation: A huge 81% of travellers in the study say that relaxation is the main goal of their holiday breaks. It seems British travellers like the idea of laying by the pool or beach doing very little over partying the night away while on vacation. This makes sense as a large third of travellers say taking a holiday is one way they hope to escape and reduce stress in their life. Count me in for all of this!
- Activities: If they are going to do activities on holiday, “exploring” is the main thing that makes British traveller happiest on holiday, as 51% have it top of their list. There is though an enthusiastic 24% who prefer “adventure”. I too agree with this. On holiday I like to spend most of the day relaxing but do one activity each day, which involves some sort of exploration of the destination. Some days it is just a short outing, but I like to see some of the sights, markets or attractions of where I am visiting.
What makes you happy when it comes to your holiday? Does all this sound familiar to you too?
Primarily, I enjoy talking to people from other countries, and I try to make at least one new, continuing friendship with someone in another country on every trip. Pubs, bars, and small restaurants are great for that. Of course, I also enjoy getting out and about, seeing the sights … touristy and not touristy … everywhere I go. I’m not so much on physical adventures.
Great point about taking time and effort to meet locals and people from other countries. I have been on holidays to resorts and some people never leave the resort compound to see, let alone meet locals and others!
As an American, my efforts are greatly assisted by the widespread understanding of English across Europe, where I’ve primarily traveled. I’m continually surprised about that, even in former Communist countries.