Grey Skies and Glum Spirits: TripAdvisor Reveals the Trials of “Post-Holiday Blues”

LONDON - As summer holidays fast become a distant memory, Britons have plunged in to a state of melancholy, reveals a new survey by TripAdvisor(R), the world’s most popular and largest travel community.

The survey of 600 British travellers reveals that a staggering 85 percent maintain that their stress-levels return to pre-holiday highs within one month or less of returning home from their summer trips, whilst almost half of these - 41 percent - find that their stresses return within just one week of being back.

BRITONS COME BACK TO EARTH WITH A BUMP

Meanwhile, 44 percent of Britons claim they always suffer from the “Post-Holiday Blues”, whilst a further 44 percent experience them on occasion. As a result, 42 percent feel depressed, whilst almost one in three (32 percent) feel tired and 15 percent sleep badly.

The impact on employees’ productivity is also significant, with 12 percent of holiday makers admitting to having feigned illness within their first month back from a trip. Meanwhile, one in ten holiday makers (10 percent) contemplate seeking a new job, while six percent regularly arrive late for work.

LIFTING BRITS’ SPIRITS: PLANNING TRIPS AND HITTING THE BOTTLE (OF FAKE TAN)

In order to combat the gloom, 90 percent of holiday makers start planning their next trip as soon as they get home, whilst 14 percent defy plummeting temperatures by wearing flip flops or other summer footwear and four percent disregard the autumn skies and wear sunglasses.

Britons also seek solace in food, with 29 percent trying to cook the local cuisine they enjoyed on their recent trip and 19 percent comfort eating to cheer themselves up. Meanwhile, six percent hit the bottle - of fake tan, whilst one percent turn on their heating and wear their swimwear at home.

“Despite the claim that ‘There’s no place like home’, the reality is that nine out of ten Britons start planning their next trip as soon as they’re back on home ground,” said Amelie Hurst, TripAdvisor spokesperson. “The Post-Holiday Blues are particularly rife at this time of year, as millions of Britons struggle to returning to the daily grind following a summer break.”

Notes to editors

600 Britons took part in the TripAdvisor survey (September 2009).

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TripAdvisor(R) Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts more than 33 million monthly visitors* across 14 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor(R), www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.frequentflier.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, 10 million registered members and 25 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travellers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover more than one million destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions and operate in the U.S. (www.tripadvisor.com), the U.K. (www.tripadvisor.co.uk ), Ireland (www.tripadvisor.ie), France (www.tripadvisor.fr), Germany (www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (www.tripadvisor.it), Spain (www.tripadvisor.es), India (www.tripadvisor.in), Japan (www.tripadvisor.jp), Portugal and Brazil ( www.tripadvisor.com.br), Sweden (www.tripadvisor.se), and The Netherlands (nl.tripadvisor.com). TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brand daodao.com (www.daodao.com). TripAdvisor(R) Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE).

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Source: TripAdvisor

For Further Information, Please Contact: Amelie Hurst, +44(0)20-3320-3244 / +44(0)7791-605-888 / ahurst at tripadvisor.com