Wish you were here with us on holiday

Over one in ten (14%) put in eight hours or more overtime to compensate for going on holiday, according to swiftcover.com.

Holidays were once regarded as sacred ‘me time’ – away from the trials and tribulations of everyday working life. With mobiles and Blackberries now enabling us to always be in touch - and fighting with flip flops and sun cream for luggage space - nearly two thirds of Brits (64%) say they usually need another holiday to properly relax after time away!

Research by swiftcover.com, the online insurer reveals:

Fourteen per cent of Brits need to work eight hours or more overtime either before or after a holiday to make up for being away

Nearly one in two (47%) Brits spend at least an hour over the course of a week on their mobile while on holiday

Four in ten Brits – (40%) taking a mobile phone or Blackberry on holiday is a means of keeping up to date with their friends and family’s latest news

One in seven (14%) people spend an hour a day watching DVDs on a portable DVD player whilst the majority of those who take their laptop computer spend an hour or more every day logged on

Rather than relaxing by the pool, six in ten (57%) Brits text, check emails, watch DVDs and listen to music on portable devices on the beach or by the pool

Craig Staniland, Director of Underwriting at swiftcover.com comments: “It seems we can’t face missing out on the latest office or social gossip, probably fuelled by the advent of smarter and slicker technology. Millions of Brits are now taking hundreds of pounds worth of technology on holiday with them in a move away from the traditional ‘relax and unwind’ holiday activities. Whatever happened to holidays being restful?”

Pester Power

Pester power is also winning through as the YouTube generation of children and teenagers persuade their parents to take hundreds-of-pounds-worth of techy ‘toys’ away with them. More than one in four parents give in to their kids’ requests to take a mobile phone (27%) and portable video gamer (26%) on holiday and one in twenty even agree to taking a laptop away just for the children’s entertainment! It appears to be increasingly common for families to carry three, four, five or even six technological items in their holiday luggage. More than one in ten families (11%) take three mobile phones away with them, indicating Brits simply don’t like the idea of completely switching-off.

Stressed-out City Workers

Over one in twenty (6%) workaholic Londoners admit to taking their Blackberry or a wireless device [computer or blackberry] away with them to keep up to speed with emails from their holiday destination. Nearly one in ten Londoners cited keeping up to date with work as the main reason they always carried a communications gadget with them whilst on holiday.

Mobile Offices by the Pool

The most popular gadget to take on holiday is a mobile phone (88%), followed by an iPod or MP3 player (43%). However, nearly one in six (14%) Brits even pack up their laptop computer to take on holiday with them, risking sandy keyboards and the wrath of their partners for not leaving the office at home.

But does staying in touch cause Brits to be more stressed after holidays? Nearly a quarter of us (23%) feel it now takes longer to completely de-stress on holiday than in the past and a further 23% feel they are never fully de-stressed as a result of having a break.