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Survey finds this is what Brits are missing most about travelling right now
2020 saw travel restrictions in place around the world in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and meant that most people didn’t manage to get away on holiday at all last year.
As providers of unforgettable travel experiences, we know how much those well-deserved trips mean to our guests and we felt for those who missed out on the chance to travel in 2020, among all the many challenges we all faced.
As we move into 2021 we are looking ahead hopefully to a resurgence of international holidays again later this year, and we know that you are all as excited to get travelling once more as we are to send you off on the trip of a lifetime.
In the meantime, we conducted some research to find out what people are missing most about travelling right now.
We surveyed over 1,000 people asking what they have missed most about holidaying abroad this year, and here’s what they said.
1. Switching Off
- The opportunity to ‘switch off completely from work and home life’, was the most missed element of travelling
- Almost 25% of respondents said ‘switching off’ is what they missed most about going on holiday
- Business owners are the professionals who have missed the chance to switch off most
- People who take just one holiday per year were most likely to say ‘switching off’ is what they have missed out on most
- ‘Switching off’ was the most missed element of travel for women, with 25.59% of women saying this compared to 19.68% of men
- Respondents aged 65+ are the only group who didn’t say the chance to switch off is what they missed most about holidays
2. Seeing New Places
- ‘Seeing new places’ was the second most missed element of travelling, with 20% of respondents saying this
- Those who take on average four holidays per year said that ‘seeing new places’ is what they had missed most in 2020
- Respondents aged 65+ said ‘seeing new places’ is what they missed most about travel, with 20% of aged 65+ respondents choosing this
- ‘Seeing new places’ was the most missed element of travel among male respondents
3. Hot Weather
- The sunshine was another sorely missed element of holidaying, with just under 10% of respondents saying ‘the hot weather’ was what they had missed most about their holidays last year
- Respondents in Greater London were the most likely to report having missed ‘sunbathing on the beach’
- Scots were the most likely to have most missed ‘swimming in the sea’
4. Cultural Experiences
- Men were more likely to report ‘missing art galleries and museums’ than female respondents
- The number of women who said they had ‘missed visiting historical sites’ was more than double the number of men who said the same
- East of England was the region with the highest level of respondents saying they had missed ‘visiting historic sites’
5. Hotels and Cruises
- Wales had the highest number of respondents who had missed ‘going on cruises’
- Northern Ireland was home to the highest level of respondents who had missed ‘staying in hotels’
- More women than men reported missing ‘staying in a hotel’
6. Adventure and Wildlife
- Northern Ireland is the region where respondents were most likely to say they have missed adventure holidays
- The youngest respondents, aged 18-24, were the group who had most missed adventure activities and wildlife experiences
7. Nightlife
- Those aged 25-34 reported higher figures of missing the holiday nightlife than the younger 18-24 respondents
- Male respondents were twice as likely to say they missed ‘bars and nightlife’ than female respondents
- South West England had the highest number of respondents who had missed the ‘bars and nightlife’ of their travels
8. Meeting New People
- Respondents aged 55-64 were the most likely to say they missed the opportunity to ‘meet new people’ while travelling, with over 5% saying this
9. But, the airport hasn't been missed
- Only 0.66% of those questioned saying they had missed the airport experience in 2020
Our research has provided some comprehensive insight into what we all love and miss most about travelling, and has made us even eager to get back out there seeing the world again in 2021, and we can’t wait to get you back travelling again too.
Full data and details of our survey are available upon request. [email protected]ravel.com
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