Young UK Tourists: Cultured But Boring

Britons between 18 and 25 years are choosing to learn new cultures over relaxing during this summer’s travels and have been found to be among the least adventurous in Europe—with 40% choosing cultural activities over outdoor/extreme sports (28%) and partying (17%), according to a study by Uniplaces. 

When the young adults do feel the need to push the envelope, their adventures primarily focus on eating weird food (70%) compared to just 30% who are willing to hook up with someone from a different country and 12% who may find themselves getting a tattoo this summer, Traveldailynews.com reported.

New research from Uniplaces, the leading online marketplace for student accommodation, also found that Britons love the comforts of a hotel and its guest services, with a third preferring that over an AirBnB or youth hostel. This is significantly higher than their European counterparts where only one in five prefers a hotel. 

Across Europe, young adults are choosing to stay in youth hostels (31%) or AirBnBs (30%), which helps make their average daily budget of less than €30 stretch further.

The out of sight, out of mind mindset also sits comfortably with young Brits when travelling. Only 15% manage to call their family while on holiday compared to young Italians, who live up to the stereotype of close-knit families, with a quarter (25%) calling everyday to check-in.

Finding the money to pay for the summer holiday, young adults in Britain are not relying on the bank of mum and dad to fund their travel. While more than 10% of Europeans are leaning on family to fund their travels, a mere 2% of British 18-25-year olds do so. Instead, almost 70% of Brits surveyed have jobs to fund their travels while an additional 17% use their savings.