20 habits that make you stand out as a ‘Brit abroad’ on holiday

Taking tea bags on holiday and knowing only the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in your mother tongue are signs you’re ‘British abroad’, according to a new study. Researchers from Lyca Mobile surveyed the nation and revealed a number of very British holiday traits, including arriving at the airport four hours before your flight just to be on the safe side.

Queuing is a classic British thing while texting a family member to let them know you’ve “landed safely” is the order of the day. As a result of boarding passes on phones, looking up the local weather and looking for directions to local attractions and restaurants, a third ran up a huge holiday phone bill, costing an average of £118.

James McQuillan, UK and Ireland Country Manager at Lyca Mobile, said: “When it comes to the nation’s holiday habits, it is perhaps unsurprising that our research defines traits such as arriving at the airport early, queuing at the gate and texting home to say I’ve landed safely as a British classic.

“But it’s outrageous that at £118 our very British holiday phone bills could now cost as much as our flights. Tourists should not have to worry that connectivity will come at a cost.”

94% agree that there are certain traits that are quintessentially British on holiday. When it comes to the things Brits miss most about the UK when they’re away, their own pillow (44 per cent), proper tea (41 per cent), TV shows (35 per cent), bacon (24 per cent ) and cheddar cheese (16 percent) are the items for which the nation pines the most.

TOP 20 Traits of British Holiday Makers, According to Brits:

1. Arriving at the airport four hours before the flight, just to be safe – 56%
2. Pack your own tea bags – 53%
3. Text a family member to let them know you’ve “landed safely” – 48%
4. Being able to say just “please” and “thank you” in the local language – 43%
5. Patient queues at the gate – 39%
6. Having a special wallet for holiday documents – 38%
7. Feeling nervous going through security – 33%
8. Packing two weeks before travel – 32%
9. Profusely apologizing to the passenger next to you when you need the toilet – 30%
10. Enjoy full English at the airport – 27%
11. Loudly declaring “feel the heat” as soon as you get off the plane – 27%
12. Despite wear factor 50, you still have a burnt forehead – 25%
13. Checking that everyone has been to the toilet before boarding the plane – 25%
14. Organizing a dedicated holiday WhatsApp group – 19%
15. The need to get off the plane as quickly as possible – 19%
16. Struggling to find the best place to pick up your luggage from the baggage belt – 18%
17. Taking selfies by the pool with the caption “Never at home” – 14%
18. Packing a jar of Marmite – 12%
19. Obsessed with positioning the umbrella above the deckchair – 12%
20. End up running to goal every time – 11%