London,
24
July
2017
|
09:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Finding your Holiday Mode Mojo

Finding your Holiday Mode mojo

Worries about leaving our home and our pets mean we struggle to switch to holiday mode

  • Just over one in 10 of us (14%) can’t switch to holiday mode until we’ve had a sleep
  • Staying somewhere that meets or exceeds expectations, and feels like home, helps the transition
  • Booking.com partners with life coach and wellbeing expert, Sloan Sheridan-Williams, to help travellers switch off, relax and get into holiday mode quicker

Whether we’re going away on holiday for a fortnight, week or a long weekend, we want to be able to embrace our time there and enjoy it to the max. However, worries about home, work and even holiday-related concerns can get in the way. Nearly a third (29%) of travellers admit they worry about things going wrong in the first day of a holiday and think that the first 24 hours pass them by in a blur (39%). This can mean travellers struggle to switch off from their worries and switch into holiday mode.

Booking.com, the global leader in connecting people with the most incredible places to stay, conducted research across over 18,000 people from 25 countries worldwide, asked travellers how they feel when first on holiday, in order to provide tips on how people can best switch into the craved-for holiday mode.

That holiday feeling

Holidays can take longer to officially start than we’d hope, and the research revealed that it varies on how long it takes for people to feel as though they’re in holiday mode:

  • Accommodation plays a huge role here with nearly one in four (22%) saying it happens as soon as they arrive at their accommodation
  • For others, they physically need to unwind and so the transition takes place after they’ve had some sleep/a rest (14%)
  • Surrounding themselves with their clothes and essentials allows others to flick the switch with one in 10 (12%) saying it happens once they’ve unpacked their suitcase
  • And then there are some who need that little bit longer, with 8% saying once they’ve gotten through a full day’s holiday
  • Unfortunately, one in 20 (5%) say they never feel as though they are in holiday mode

The switch has broken

In the first 24 hours of a holiday, one in five (20%) say they’re not completely worry free and 13% don’t believe that the first 24 hours are about relaxing and resetting. For those who struggle to get into holiday mode, there are some key reasons as to why. One in five (21%) worry about their home – whether that’s leaving it empty or having separation anxiety from their pets – and 16% say they either get too attached to tech or stay connected with people at home via social media.

The anxiety doesn’t stop there, as 15% fret about the cost of a holiday (rising to 20% of 18-34 year olds), and 14% worry about work. Over one in 10 (11%) stress about the end of their holiday before its even begun (!) and 18% of 18-34 year olds worry they’ve not planned their holiday enough.

A warm welcome helps us on our way

However, switching to holiday mode can be done, and according to travellers across the globe there’s a lot to be said for getting Vitamin D from sunshine or some fresh alpine air. Having perfect weather was the top reason for what helps people switch to holiday mode (51%).

Where we stay plays a key role here too; accommodation that meets or exceeds expectations helps the transition to holiday mode (40%, with this rising to 47% of over 55s), as does accommodation feeling like home (29%) and an inviting and welcoming host/concierge (24%). Despite feeling stressed out due to use of technology, nearly one in four (22%) say they feel better when they have Wi-Fi access!

When it comes to travellers rating a welcoming host/concierge, the notion of a warm welcome is clearly a hot topic for many nationalities. Among the over 118 million real traveller reviews on Booking.com, the top nationalities that mention 'warm welcome' keywords are the Italians, British, French, Spanish and Chinese*.

For those looking for an accommodation with a warm welcome, five of the top places to stay from across the globe as rated by Booking.com travellers for a “warm welcome” are**:

  • Elite Guest House, Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  • Hotorinite, Yamanakako (Japan)
  • Al Piazza Marina B&B, Palermo (Italy)
  • Villa Noctis, Ravenna (Italy)
  • Kazanskoye Podvorye Hostel, Kazan (Russia)

Giving Holiday Mode a helping hand

Four in 10 (38%) say that the first 24 hours are the most memorable of a holiday, so to ensure this is the case for everyone, and to help people make the most of their trips from the very first hours, Booking.com has partnered with life coach and wellbeing expert, Sloan Sheridan-Williams, to provide travellers with easy and practical tips to switch to holiday mode that bit sooner.

  1. No one likes waiting in queues, but these are a part of travel. The majority of travellers are right-handed so head to the furthest left counter from the entrance. Fewer people choose that line as people gravitate to right hand counters to match their dominant writing hand. Soon you’ll be the first to make it through to baggage claim securing a handy front row spot.
  2. Turn off your phone and focus on the country you are in. Allow your brain to catch up to your new surroundings. As you put your phone away, promote calm by lightly running one or two fingers over your lips which promotes the "rest and digest" response that calms the body down and acts like a brake to anxiety loops, promoting a calm and quieter mind.
  3. Whether you’re staying in an apartment, hostel, boat or even a treehouse, many travellers feel more relaxed making their accommodation like home. Bring comforting items with you like your favourite mascot, night time hot drink, personalised mug, own pillowcase, bedtime journal or a family photograph.

Pepijn Rijvers, Chief Marketing Officer at Booking.com comments: “Whether long anticipated or booked more spontaneously, holidays give us experiences unlike anything else. So nothing could be more important than helping travellers dial down any stress and dial up relaxation that bit quicker, supporting them through seamless planning and booking to getting the absolute most out of their stay once arrived. We know how crucial the right accommodation is – affirmed by the fact that over one in five travellers say they switch to holiday mode when they arrive at their villa, apartment, hotel or other unique place to stay – so we leverage the best of technology and the voice of fellow travellers to empower people to find the one most suited to them. With over 1.2 million unique properties that have over 25 million bookable rooms, Booking.com offers more awesome, unique places to stay than any other travel company in the world.”

-Ends-

CONTACT DETAILS

For further information, contact the Booking.com UK Press Office;

lon-booking@ketchum.com / 020 3755 6400

NOTES TO EDITORS

Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a nationally representative sample, provided by Research Now. In total 18,496 respondents were surveyed (1,000+ from the UK, US, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, India and Russia and 500+ each from Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Thailand and Taiwan). Respondents completed an online survey between 27th April and 15th May 2017.

*Analysis of real Booking traveller review data across 42 languages, using the keyword ‘warm welcome’. The nationalities were ranked based on those who mentioned this keyword the most in their reviews.

**Analysis of Booking traveller real review data across 42 languages where the keyword ‘warm welcome’ was mentioned. The number of times this word was mentioned was then compared to how favourably people had reviewed the accommodation. The accommodation in the list represents the top five hotels that received highest customer review scores where warm welcome was mentioned.

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About Booking.com

Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com B.V. has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world. Part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), Booking.com now employs more than 15,000 employees in 199 offices in 70 countries worldwide.

With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. At Booking.com, we connect travellers with the world’s largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses and even igloos. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in over 40 languages, offer over 1.3 million properties, and cover more than 110,000 destinations in 227 countries and territories worldwide.

Each day, more than 1.4 million room nights are reserved on our platform. So whether travelling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal accommodation quickly and easily with Booking.com, without booking fees and backed up by our promise to price match. Via our customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in 43 languages, any time of the day or night.

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