Brits committed to holiday but struggling to switch off, reveals Expedia.co.uk

Brits committed to holiday but struggling to switch off, reveals Expedia.co.uk

The majority of Britons have no plans to sacrifice their holidays despite increasing economic pressures.

The majority of Britons have no plans to sacrifice their holidays despite increasing economic pressures.

But British travellers will often take work with them when they are away due to pressures on their jobs, according to a new global study.

Nations are feeling the pressure of work with 54% of Spaniards, 43% of Italians and 44% of French having cancelled or postponed holidays due to work compared to just 22% in Holland. To date 30% of Britons and 33% of Germans have been similarly affected.

The ‘Vacation Deprivation’ poll by Expedia found that 41% of Italians and 31% of Spaniards claim they cannot plan their holiday in advance because it depends on the economy, compared to 18% of Britons, 10% of Germans and just 8% of Dutch.

The UK showed one of the highest percentages of those planning to take more holidays, with 13% aiming to take more, 70% about the same and only 10% planning to take less.

Across Europe, most people plan to take the same amount with the highest proportion of those planning to take less being in Italy and Ireland, but even in these nations less than 1 in 5 plan to take less, according to the study of 7,000 people across 20 countries.

But half of British holidaymakers remain available for work matters when on holiday. And Brits were more concerned by the pressure of work, with 1 in 4 citing work pressures as a reason not to use their full holiday allowance.

Whether it’s checking in a couple of times, or updating the office daily, people are finding it hard to switch off and men lead the way with 57% checking their work emails on holiday, compared to 44% of women.

With 25 days annual holiday granted on average by British employers, Brits receive almost twice the number of holiday days as other nations such as Japan and South Korea – with 11 days and 10 days respectively – while the US and Singapore receive only 14 on average.

In stark contrast to other global regions, in general, Europeans have no plans to give up their holiday. The notable exception is Italy, where people are sacrificing 7 days holiday. Globally, Italy ranks third in the percentage of holiday they sacrifice (25%), following Japan (55%) and South Korea (30%), the research found.

Expedia.co.uk managing director Andy Washington said: “We believe that holidays are an essential part of a healthy work life. Our role in providing great travel to people around the world has taught us that attitudes towards holidays can vary enormously.

“In America, holidays tend to be viewed as a guilty pleasure, while workers in Asia tend to take only a handful of days off every year and spend them secretly checking emails.”

He added: “Holidays should be there to give you a chance to relax and recharge, helping to boost our productivity when we return to work, but it seems it is increasingly hard to leave work behind.

“Planning ahead is not only a good way to manage your workload and take a complete break, but it also ensures you get better value and more choice when booking your break.”