British holiday makers are frequently left disappointed by summer holidays as ‘disasters and irritants’ such as sunburn, missed flights and ‘other British holidaymakers’ ruin what should be the best two weeks of the year, according to research from Barclays Insurance.
80% of holidaymakers have experienced at least one ‘disaster’ whilst on holiday, over half (55%) have experienced flight delays or cancellations, 39% have suffered from sunburn or sunstroke and almost one in five (19%) have fallen ill whilst away. However, one of the biggest irritants for British holidaymakers is other British holidaymakers, who annoy 39% of travellers.
Even if British tourists do not encounter a disaster they are still difficult to please with less than half (44%) feeling their holiday was better than expected and 13 per cent left disappointed by their annual break.
The biggest irritant is also the biggest disaster, delayed or cancelled flights top the list followed by fellow British holidaymakers, whilst local touts and over inflated prices are also berated. At the other end of the scale we are obviously becoming more sophisticated as only one per cent of holidaymakers moaned about the food.
“For most of us being stuck at an airport suffering from sunburn, whilst watching an empty luggage carousel with hundreds of other British holidaymakers is a vision of hell that we could all do without,”says Mark Till, marketing director for Barclays Insurance. “But although travel insurance won’t help you with irritants like other British holidaymakers, it can help with the bigger disasters like cancelled flights, getting ill or lost luggage.”
Top 10 most common holiday disasters:Flight delayed/ cancelled 55%Sunburn / sunstroke 39%Fallen ill 19%Food poisoning 18%Lost luggage 15%Victim of a theft 14%Fallen out with travel companions 10%Severe weather conditions 7%Lost money 6%Hotel / flight overbooked 6%
Top 10 biggest holiday irritants:Delayed flights 46%Brits abroad 39%Touts 28%Overcharging 24%Packing / unpacking 21%Luggage reclaim 19%Transfers 18%Bad weather 17%Tour reps 9%Language 7%