There are certain type of people that most wouldn’t dream of holidaying with; with ex partners and the boss seemingly being the obvious choices. However, a UK online travel agency has actually shown that there is another group who are even worse to jet off with – the in-laws.
That’s right; sunshine.co.uk conducted a study which asked correspondents who would be the worst type of person to go on holiday with. It focussed on the views of 1,668 Britons, all over 18 years of age, with the results showing that a staggering 54% would rank their in-laws as being the worst companion to go away with.
Surprisingly, the other companions didn’t come anywhere close. For example, 38% of participants rated their boss as the worst person to holiday with, while the ex-partner was placed in 3rd with 37%. 25% said parents, with the remaining 19% saying that going away with their own children was their worst imaginable companion. In other words, family members made up the bulk of the list, which is quite surprising in itself.
One of the reasons why respondents might be so set-against holidaying with their in-laws is because of past experiences that may not have been looked upon favourably. It was found that 67% who had chosen this companion as the worst to go away with, had in fact been with them before.
The Managing Director of sunshine.co.uk, Chris Clarkson, passed the following judgement after the study:
“We all know what it might be like to go on holiday with people who we think could be annoying; after all, there is little opportunity for escape and you need to enjoy your holiday, especially if you don’t have the opportunity to get away very often and have spent hard-earned money on your vacation. Saying that, the results do make for tough reading for those with sons or daughters in-law, as it appears that the old-fashioned jokes about the in-laws still ring true today.”
The online travel agency then delved further into the results, attempting to find out just why respondents had given their choice. 45% said that they just didn’t “see eye-to-eye” with them – suggesting that the stereotypical relationship with in-laws does in fact exist. 31% believed that they wouldn’t be able to embark on their preferred holiday activities, while 22% said they just wouldn’t be able to relax if the in-laws were with them during their holiday.
The study then went one step further, aiming to find out just what type of holiday would be the worst if they had to go away with their undesirable companions. On this occasion it was cruises that lost out, with 56% stating that this would be the worst type of holiday if they were forced to jet away with their undesired people of choice. Next on the list was camping with 27%, while 17% thought that a holiday in a villa or cottage would be the type to avoid.
Speaking about the second segment of results, Chris Clarkson continued:
“It’s not surprising that holidays spent in close confinement are the least favoured, so there is still hope for having a holiday with the in-laws and enjoying it so long as you each have your own space. As with anything, if you’re planning a holiday with others, make sure you take into account everyone’s tastes so no one feels they’ve missed out on having a great holiday.”
