Feeling all loved up? Getting all flustered with Valentine’s Day looming nigh?Actually, Brits come bottom of the non-Latin Euro table – spending the least on Valentine’s Day trips and opting for breaks at home than away. Other interesting nitty gritty love facts include:
• Belgium is named the most romantic nation (must be something in the chocolate…)
• 1 in 11 of us Brits are in a relationship with someone we met on holiday (must be something in the free cocktails…)
• When it comes to holiday flings, British men are more likely to go out with local girls than German men who tend to stick to their own
With the Latin lovers of France, Italy and Spain traditionally topping the polls at this time of year, Thomas Cook has conducted a survey of the other principal European nations to find out who’s the best of the rest when it comes to holiday romance – with us Brits preferring to keep it cheap and stay at home on February 14.
When asked how much they would spend on a Valentine’s Day trip with their partner, one in six Brits were more lethargic than lothario, saying they wouldn’t spend anything at all. The survey – which also incorporated Thomas Cook customers from the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Germany and Belgium – saw us come bottom of a table topped by the Belgians, where one in three respondents stated that they would spend €150 to €200 taking their loved one somewhere special – with the Germans and the Dutch not far behind.
While more Belgian lovebirds will make the effort to go the extra mile on Valentine’s Day, when it comes to holiday romance us Brits top the list, with one in eleven of us still in a relationship with someone we met on holiday. When it comes to the Germans, although one in six men are in a relationship with someone they met while travelling, only one in twenty women met their partner while away. Interestingly though, when asked about holiday flings, the amorous Belgians take the lead again, with the Brits again coming in last – less “love ‘em and leave ‘em” and more “never let’em go!”.
A Brit would rather their brief encounter abroad be with a local according to one in three of us, whereas more than half of all German men say they would only ever enjoy a holiday fling with one of their countrywomen – unlike 80% of German women, who find the natives far more attractive.
While we sometimes cast a disapproving eye on the youth of today and their shenanigans in the sun, it would seem we do believe in a thing called love, with only 38% of Brits aged between 16-25 saying they enjoyed holiday flings – the lowest score in this age group across Europe.
It would also seem that the Germans like to hold on to their youth, with one in four silver foxes confessing that they have continued to enjoy holiday flings well into their late fifties – while only 5% of Brits stated they do the same. Maybe our men mature quicker than we thought?
To ‘rekindle the romance’, 60% of Brits said they thought beach holidays – especially in the Caribbean – were the most romantic places to reconnect, as opposed to the Belgians who prefer a city break to woo their significant other… As long as it’s not London, which they voted as the most unromantic destination in the world – come on Boris, pull those unsexy sock up…
Top 10 most romantic holiday destinations
1,500 people were surveyed in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium.
In our defence, with weather this dismal – who can blame us for feeling less than amorous! Ditch the floods for one of the world’s most romantic destinations, the Maldives, where at least all that water is warm and meant to be there. With plenty of sunshine and temperatures currently sitting around the 30 degree mark, you’ll get your love mojo back in no time…
© Thomas Cook
