Do you tend to avoid making new friends on holiday? Are you eager to experience your trip alongside new acquaintances? Or are you indifferent to holiday friendships and everything they involve? Whether you struggle to get on board with making friends during your getaway or love seizing any opportunity throughout your holiday to morph into a social butterfly, this topic can be divisive. But here at Cruise Nation, we love a debate – especially when it comes to holidays. So, we decided to delve deeper and see how Brits feel about their holiday friends.
But first, how did we gather all this information on the culture of British holidaymaker friendships? It’s simple, really. We surveyed over 800 British holidaymakers and asked all kinds of questions on the topic, including whether they prefer making friends by the bar or the pool, whether their holiday friendships have stood the test of time, and often distance, after their return flight, and if holidaymakers plan their trips intending to make friends from the get-go. Why? We wanted to uncover the real opinions of Brits on this divisive matter. So, without further ado, read on to find out what we discovered about the friendliness of British tourists.
Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest percentage.
Do Brits like to make friends on holiday?
So, do Brits truly enjoy making friends on holiday? We broke it down to find out just how many have formed holiday friendships, the amount of time they spend with new-found friends and the likelihood that they’d pick a holiday where it might be easier to meet new people.
The first thing we found is that most Brits have made friends during their holidays, with 6 in 10 responding ‘yes’ when asked about it. Of those who admitted to forming holiday friendships, we also wanted to know how much of their getaway was spent with their new pals. Just over 2 in 5 said they spent more than one day of the holiday with the friends that they made, while almost a quarter of those surveyed said they ended up sharing the rest of their holiday with their new-found friends. Around 1 in 5 said they didn’t spend any extra time with their new friends on holiday after first meeting, suggesting that it’s more of a momentary thing for some.
We also wanted to know whether British holidaymakers tend to choose holidays with a higher likelihood of being able to make friends, or if they prefer holidays with total seclusion from other people. On this matter, it seems that Brits are mostly indifferent since just over half said they didn’t mind either way. Only 12% of people said they actively look for holidays they’re more likely to meet other people on, while 36% said they look for holidays they will be left alone on. So, while most Brits are sociable once they’ve settled into their holiday, it seems that this isn’t something they tend to think about during the planning stages.
Making friends on holiday: Are Brits sociable?
Whether you’re soaking up the sun, sea and relaxation at the nearest beach bar or sipping cocktails in the city as you dance the night away, bars abroad have perfected their mixture of good vibes, tasty drinks and bubbly atmosphere. This creates the perfect opportunity to chat with new people. But with the ‘Brit abroad’ reputation suggesting that all Brits love to drink, dance and chatter, we’re interested in finding out how Brits really feel about socialising in bars.
Nearly 3 in 10 (28%) Brits said that if they head to a bar, they’re ‘likely’ to make new friends. However, almost the same number said they’d be ‘unlikely’ to spark up a friendship at a bar on holiday. This might depend on the types of bars holidaymakers are going to and the destinations they’re choosing, alongside the number of people they’re already travelling with. Interestingly, nearly 1 in 5 (18%) of Brits said they don’t go to bars on holiday at all. This could be because they prefer other holiday activities, but it could also have something to do with wanting to avoid making friends on holiday, as so many do this in bars.
How do habits and opinions on socialising change when it comes to sunbathing and poolside chats? Over 3 in 5 Brits said they’d be happy to talk to the people next to them while sunbathing by the poolside, making them the majority. Of these, nearly 3 in 10 said it was because they like making new friends, and over a quarter said they like asking how their holiday is going. Meanwhile, the least popular reason was not wanting to sunbathe in silence.
Fewer respondents (39%) said they wouldn’t speak to the people next to them while sunbathing. Of these, more than 2 in 5 said it was because they prefer relaxing in peace and quiet, while more than 1 in 5 said it was because they didn’t want to bother anyone. Only 13% said they avoided it because they don’t like talking to new people, which suggests that most Brits actually enjoy sparking new conversations with people.
Are Brits just as sociable with local people abroad? The answer seems to be a resounding yes since 63% of Brits said they would try to spark up conversation with locals during their holiday. But what about taking it a step further and learning the local language? It also seems that the majority are happy to brush up on their foreign language skills since only 32% of Brits said they wouldn’t try to learn some of the local language when going on holiday.
Holiday romances: How romantic are Brits abroad?
Have you ever been swept off your feet by a holiday romance? If so, you might find it surprising that only a minority of Brits (24%) admit to finding romance abroad. This leaves over three-quarters who say they’ve never had a holiday romance.
But what about holidaymakers from different regions? We found that the most romantic region is the North East of England with more than 3 in 10 saying they’ve had a holiday romance. This fits with the stereotype that northerners are friendly! Meanwhile, London was the second most romantic region with 28% of Londoners saying they’ve had a holiday romance. The South East of England took third place with over a quarter saying they’ve had a holiday romance. Northern Ireland is by far the least romantic with none of our Northern Irish respondents saying they’ve found love on holiday.
Do Brits keep in touch with their holiday friends?
Sadly, it appears that most Brits don’t keep in touch with their holiday friends, with over half of respondents admitting to not keeping in touch with holiday friends, and 3 in 5 saying they never met up with the friends they made after their flight home.
The top reason for not keeping in touch after a holiday was ‘I’m too busy’ (41%). Meanwhile, 3 in 10 (31%) said that they didn’t keep in touch simply because they didn’t want to and only 5% of respondents said they lost touch because ‘they didn’t actually like them’. 23% of respondents said that they simply ‘forgot’ to keep in touch, so if this has reminded you of a holiday friendship you’ve forgotten about, maybe it’s time to reach out and meet up!
Which UK Region is the Friendliest on Holiday?
Which region takes the crown for being the friendliest on holiday? Although they might not be lucky in love abroad, Northern Ireland takes the top spot as the friendliest region in the UK with a whopping 93% admitting to making holiday friends. The North East (76%) and Yorkshire & The Humber (73%) were the second and third most friendly areas, which further supports the stereotype that northerners are the friendliest. Meanwhile, East Midlands appeared to be the least friendly with only 46% of people saying they have made friends on holiday.
What about when Brits are researching their holiday plans? Overall, it appears people across the UK would be unlikely to look for a holiday they will meet other people on (12%). However, there is generally a higher trend of Brits not minding either way (51%), which is likely to be because they’re not thinking about friend-making at this stage.
Northern Ireland had the highest percentage of people who said they would be ‘very likely’ to make friends at a bar on holiday (14%). It also had the lowest percentage of people who said they’d be ‘very unlikely’ to form friendships at a bar on holiday. Areas in the North, such as Yorkshire & The Humber (12%) and the North East (11%), had many more respondents who were ‘very likely’ to make new friends at a bar. This could suggest that the stereotypes around Londoners not being as ‘friendly’ as Northern towns may be true! The East Midlands had the highest percentage of people who said they were ‘very unlikely’ to make friends at a bar on holiday (22%), which makes sense since this region had the fewest people who have formed friendships abroad.
When it comes to sunbathing, most people across the UK said they would speak to the people next to them at the pool (61%). Nearly 4 in 5 from Northern Ireland said they would speak to people next to them while sunbathing. This was followed by the South West of England where 68% of respondents said they would speak to the people next to them while sunbathing. Only 37% of people from the North East of England said they would talk to the people next to them while sunbathing, which makes them the region with the lowest percentage. This is interesting since they had the second highest number of people who answered that they’ve made friends on holiday with around 76% of people answering ‘Yes’.
Finally, when we asked about chatting with locals, we found that the majority of people across the UK said that they would try to do this on holiday (63%). Northern Ireland had the highest percentage of people who would try to chat to locals on holiday (79%), which was closely followed by The North East of England, where 77% of people said they would try to chat with locals on holiday.
Over 80% of respondents from the West Midlands said they then try to learn some of the local language of where they’re going on holiday. This was closely followed by the North East where 4 in 5 said they would try to learn the local language. Meanwhile, only 55% of respondents from Wales said they would try to learn some of the local language. Interestingly, while only 53% of respondents from the East of England said they would try to chat with locals on holiday, over 71% of respondents from the East of England said they would try to learn the local language which shows commitment.
Making Friends on Holiday: Generational Differences
Across all the generations, most respondents (62%) said they had made friends while on holiday. But which generation is the friendliest? We found that Gen Z appeared to be the friendliest, with 66% saying they’ve formed new friendships on holiday. The least social group seem to be Gen X since this was our lowest percentage (60%), although this is still relatively high.
Gen Z continues to be the most social generation, as nearly a quarter (23%) said they would choose a holiday they will meet other people on. Millennials were the second most social generation with 14% of respondents saying they would choose a holiday they would meet other people on. Again, Gen X appeared to be the least social with 42% of respondents preferring a holiday where they’ll be left alone.
In fact, the generations mostly agreed that they would prefer enjoying a holiday they’ll be left alone on. However, the most common trend was that across the generations, around half of respondents don’t mind whether they will meet other people or be left alone. This leaves them open to starting friendships with other holidaymakers.
What did the different generations say about socialising by the poolside? Nearly 7 in 10 Baby Boomers said they would speak to people next to them when sunbathing on holiday, which was the highest percentage of all the generations. The Silent Generation had the second-highest percentage of respondents who would speak to people while sunbathing (63%), and only 52% of the otherwise social Gen Zers said they would talk to the people next to them while sunbathing. Overall, respondents from all generations were more likely to speak to the people next to them while sunbathing.
Overall, most respondents from each generation said they would try chatting with locals while on holiday. The Silent Generation had the greatest percentage of people who would try to chat with locals on holiday (69%). Gen X (67%) and Baby Boomers (68%) were close behind, while 61% of Gen Z respondents said they would try to speak to locals during a holiday. Three-quarters of respondents from the Silent Generation said they try to learn some of the local language, which was the highest percentage across the generations. Baby Boomers had the second-highest percentage of respondents who said they would try to learn the local language (70%). This might be because they have more time to learn a new language since they’re likely to be retired. Meanwhile, Gen Z was least likely, which could be down to having less free time.
We hope you’ve enjoyed these insights into whether Brits enjoy making friends on holiday. All this talk of holidays got you dreaming of your next vay-cay? At Cruise Nation, we have plenty of deals suited to all different types of holidaymakers, whether you prefer spending it with new friends or in solitude. Check out our favourite cruise deals right here.