12.01pm on a Monday afternoon is the time when most of us book our annual holiday, research has revealed. Data released by the UK's leading holiday home lettings company show more people go online to book their sunshine break during their lunch hour on a Monday than at any other time.
Suffering from the 'Monday blues' after a relaxing weekend, enduring a bad day at work and a lunchtime break in busy workloads is behind the trend.
It also emerged that Brits will book two holidays every year.
A spokesman for Holiday Lettings, which released the figures, said
''Everyone is familiar with that Monday feeling - the lull after a particularly good weekend made even worse by the unsettled weather that seems to be the norm for a British summertime now.
''And it seems that many are booking their next break in the sunshine to get over their blues at the start of the working week.
''This is made even easier now that booking holidays online is the way most people arrange their trips, meaning you can do it while sat at your desk in a matter of minutes.
''If you're having a bad day, getting your next holiday lined up can really help to make you feel better.
''The Monday lunchtime trend could also be attributed to jealousy. Hearing tales from colleagues who have just returned to the office after their own holiday can leave you desperate to book your own.''
Researchers, who polled 2,000 people, found that three in ten have booked a holiday during their lunch hour.
Another 28% admitted to arranging their next break during their working hours, with 24% of those getting caught out by their boss.
One in three even said they often find themselves browsing holiday sites while at work to escape from their busy, stressful or boring workloads.
And more than one in ten even book a holiday just because they had a bad day in the office.
But while 40% say they always have a holiday around that time, more than a third claim they usually decide to book a holiday because they get so fed up with the bad weather.
Friends and families going on holiday cause a quarter to book their own break in response, while another one in five are inspired after reading about a particular destination.
More than a fifth even admitted to arranging a sunshine break for no other reason that because they had seen pictures or links to where a friend, relative or colleague had just visited on social media sites like Facebook.
Once the holiday is booked, Brits then take delight in letting everyone know about it, with 22% admitting to sending links or pictures to colleagues to make them jealous.
And another 24% post pictures and links onto social network sites.
Researchers also found that three quarters of people now book their holidays online, with just 14% still going into a travel agents.
TOP FIVE REASONS FOR DECIDING TO BOOK A HOLIDAY
1. We always have a holiday around that time of year
2. Constant bad weather
3. Friends or families going on holiday
4. Reading about a destination in a magazine/on the internet
5. When I'm having a bad day at work
