BRITS’ ideal beach is a constant 25C, bans salesmen flogging local crafts, comes with free Wi-Fi, has parasols fitted with phone chargers and MUST be a location that looks good on Instagram.
New research shows nearly 60% of Brits take a beach holiday abroad once a year with more blokes (70%) loving a beach holiday than women (54%) - and when a quarter of Millennials hit the beach they spend over FIVE HOURS a day updating their social media profiles.
But the reality of a holiday by the sea means Brits have a whole range of beach bugbears, including sand getting in your food and phone, other people invading your territory and having nowhere to store your valuables.
So Travel Republic has provided a guide to combating Brits’ beach nightmares that shows why you should never head to the sea without a nappy, talcum powder and a fitted bedsheet.
The survey shows that 18-24-year-olds spend an average of 1.9 hours per day updating social media on the beach while those aged 35-44 are glued to their phones for 1.6 hours – and a third (35%) of Millennials say free Wi-Fi makes the perfect beach
Men on average spend twice as long as women on social media when on the beach, with blokes spending two hours updating their profile compared to one hour for women.
When comparing men and women’s reasons for going to the beach, more men like that it is family friendly (28%), there are lots of sports activities (27%) and enjoy the atmosphere of people around them (18%). More women like the chance to relax and being able to dip in the cool water (60%) and the guaranteed sun (42%).
Women had more gripes about the beach than men, with the top five complaints being: Litter (61%); nowhere safe to leave belongings (46%); people shaking sandy towels over you (40%); other people sitting right next to you even though there is loads of room (40%) and sand in your food (38%).
Whilst a sandy beach is the ideal location for Brits, the sand is also their biggest pet peeve, with 25% grumbling about sand getting stuck on you when you apply sun cream, sand getting too hot to walk on (27%), people shaking their sandy towels at you (29%) and sand going in their food (33%) as their biggest beach annoyances.
Travel Republic’s beach hacks include storing valuables in a nappy – as nobody would think to look in one - removing excess sand from your feet with talcum powder and staking out your territory on the beach using a fitted bed sheet as well as more tips to make your beach holiday as relaxed as possible
Travel expert Frank Brehany said: “The Travel Republic survey certainly rings a lot of bells, in particular people parking themselves next to you when there are so many spaces nearby, to being able to enjoy different zones on the beach to suit your mood! When I go to the beach I also enjoy being able to log-in to a resort’s wi-fi, but for many people, that either only feeds the addiction of being online, or worse, not being able to disconnect from the office.
“My recent trip to a beach certainly delivered many of the bonuses but also some downsides. I was particularly struck by groups of young people in their 20’s, unable to prise their mobile device from their hands, even when they are in the sea!
“Whilst we were surrounded by sand dunes, an azure sea and acres of pine forests, the silent tapping and squinting was all too evident, which led to me to ask; why?
“Whilst it’s great to be connected, my advice is simple; people at home don’t want to be updated every 10 minutes, break the habit and go digital-free for 4/5 hours because your holiday experience will be all the richer for engaging in those delicious surroundings! Who knows, you might be able to strike off something from that holiday bucket list; then you’ll have something interesting to talk about?”
Brits said that, on average, 25C is the perfect temperature at the beach with a quarter saying traditional fish ‘n’ chips is the ideal beach picnic.
When asked to pick an item that they could not go to the beach without, 26% said a hat and glasses, with 17% going for water or snacks – but seven per cent of Millennials said they would forsake all those for a selfie stick.
Brits are most likely to spend their beach time reading (43%) snoozing (43%), people watching (37%), paddling in the waves (34%) and listening to music (23%).