As Brits rush to book their summer holidays and beat the blues, Holiday Extras’ latest research shows that organising the annual family holiday can be one of the most stressful undertakings of the year.
From booking the holiday itself, to organising insurance and currency, to getting to the airport and moving through the airport’s check in and security processes - a whopping three quarters (74%) of Brits admit to being stressed to some degree by the holiday process.
The research of 2,000 British holidaymakers, released during World Travel Week, revealed that the unreliability of public transport is a key cause of ‘holiday anxiety’ for almost 19% of Brits with 10% saying that they have nearly missed a flight due to transport problems – this figure increases to 18% for 25-34 year-olds.
Half (47%) of those polled also admitted that worries about getting to the airport and possible transport delays push them to allow more time than necessary for the journey.
It’s easy to blame airport inefficiencies for the stresses, 20% of those polled did, but it seems that we’re not really very good at organising those things that are within our control. Getting time off work, organising visas, booking airport parking, buying travel insurance and sorting out our foreign currency are ‘challenges’ many people leave until the very last minute; 16% left arranging their travel insurance until just before they left and 18% made a late dash to sort their foreign exchange. 14% of holidaymakers leave it right until they get to the airport before buying their foreign currency, with nearly two thirds (62%) of men admitting that they never even bother to compare exchange rates! Alarmingly, 15% of those surveyed admitted that they go on holiday without any travel insurance, and 8% of 25-34 year-olds confessed that they had been on holiday without getting the recommended inoculations.
Only 26% of holiday travellers are really organised ahead of time with just 20% being savvy enough to book an airport hotel the night before the flight thus avoiding potential dramas and delays before an early morning flight.
Ant Clarke Cowell, Communications Director at Holiday Extras, said: “Holidays are meant to be a stress-reliever! It’s disturbing that so many people find the holiday process so overwhelming. A holiday should begin the second you leave your home however it seems that the journey to the airport, airport parking, foreign currency and the time spent at airport are often overlooked.
“There are some great tools and clever apps available that can make the process pain free for those who want to get their holiday off to the best possible start, and these can even be money savers too. Small things like booking your travel insurance, airport parking and foreign currency in advance are sure to ease holiday stresses. For a truly relaxing start to your holiday rest-up in a comfortable airport hotel the night before you fly or treat yourself to a luxurious airport lounge. Give your holiday the start it deserves.”
