Holidaymakers miss home

British holidaymakers start to miss home four days and fourteen hours into their sunshine break, a study revealed yesterday.

Researchers found a yearning for popular television shows, home cooking and, crucially, the perfect cup of tea leads our thoughts drifting back to what’s going on in Britain.

Just being able to drink the tap water without worrying was a huge miss for 40 per cent of the survey, while a fifth long for a dose of news from their local paper.

And a dedicated one in ten Brits misses their job while on holiday and even admits to sneaking a call to work while away.

The study of 2,200 people showed a fifth of Brits regularly moan when abroad – with the swimming pool most likely to trigger the grumps, followed by mosquitoes, bad food and other infuriating tourists.

The research, commissioned by Gloucester Quays supporting a city-wide “Believe in Gloucester” campaign found it takes precisely 4 days, 14 hours and 38 minutes before the average Brit misses home properly.

More than half the study will avoid cooking in a foreign culture, while 45 per cent bring their own tea bags but still miss that ‘perfect’ cuppa.

Tellingly, more than half of Brits said they are unable to detach from their home life while away on a break.

Alison Tennant of Gloucester Quays for “Believe in Gloucester” said: “We’re a nation that appreciates our home comforts and revolve our lives around our family and having things the way we’re used to.

“It’s great to experience new cultures and surroundings and broaden our horizons, but it’s only natural to miss home and want to stay connected – there’s nothing wrong with being happy with where you live.

“It’s no surprise that the thing we miss most is the perfect cup of tea – it’s a big part of our culture and no one makes tea quite like us Brits.”

Over a fifth of Brits make at least four calls home when on a break, while a third ring home on the first day.

A caring one in ten people phone just to find out what’s going on in their local area or to make sure friends and neighbours are ok.

Over a quarter ‘just like to stay in touch’ while many are desperate to check their pets are alright.

Half of the study said they search foreign channels for the shows they’re used to watching, with seven in ten Brits taking comfort in finding something familiar on the box in another country.

Many can’t bear to be without their usual screen fix and 44 per cent of people set their televisions to record all the shows they’ll miss – ready to catch up properly when returning home.

And we can sometimes be a soft nation - one in ten Brits takes a cuddly toy with them when going on holiday.

Three in ten homesick Brits say they miss the U.K. because they don’t feel any sense of belonging in the places they go abroad, while a hefty six in ten say expensive holidays are overrated.

In fact, even when holidaying in the U.K. home is always where the heart is – forty per cent of Brits hanker for their own bed, while missing friends and family was common.

As well as an eagerness to hear the gossip from their local pub, over a quarter check the internet for news from their hometown - while some Brits even confessed to missing their milkman and postie.

Chris Oldershaw of Marketing Gloucester Ltd leading the “Believe in Gloucester” campaign continued: “We’re all proud of where we came from and spent our youth - the feeling we belong to a place is important.

“Marketing Gloucester Ltd is launching a brand new 'Believe in Gloucester' campaign which celebrates all that is great about Gloucester. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of Gloucester's strengths and to create a sense of belief in the city by residents."

Many Brits just miss hearing the regional accent they’re used to, while three in ten are more likely to bond with strangers who have the same accent or hometown.

While nearly half of all Brits said they loved the town or city they live and the most positive things about their hometown were the friendly people and the surrounding countryside.

TOP 20 THINGS BRITS MISS WHEN AWAY

1. The right cup of tea
2. Drinking tap water without worrying
3. My own bed
4. My pet
5. My own toilet
6. Watching the programmes I’m used to
7. My own shower
8. Eating salads without worrying
9. My usual newspaper
10. My family
11. British supermarkets
12. English money
13. Listening to radio/familiar stations
14. My TV set
15. My car
16. The UK’s smoke free policy
17. My friends
18. Coffee the way I like it
19. My parents
20. British manners