This Is How Much Time We Waste On Holiday Trying (And Failing) To Relax

69% of Brits go on holiday to take a break to rest and relax but new research has found that, well, I’m not sure how to say this politely but… we are really quite bad at relaxing. Yep. Sorry to say it but according to research from OnePoll for the Hilton, 47% of us take two or more days to truly relax and unwind on holiday. 

Really, this makes sense because while being on holiday is great, the travelling part is often quite stressful and adjusting to your surroundings must take some time but for a lot of people, it goes a little deeper than that. 

39% of people said that they couldn’t relax abroad because they were still distracted by their lives at home. With a further 30% worrying about the work that they’ve left behind and 29% worrying about the work that they’ll go back to. 

11% of us even suffer from pet separation anxiety when we’re sunning ourselves on our annual holidays. 

How To Activate Holiday Mode 

Of course, spending precious days of your holiday not fully enjoying the trip isn’t ideal and shifting into holiday mode sooner means that you can make the most of your trip and leave the home life worries behind, at least for a short while.

30% of travellers have said that they can switch into holiday mode once they’ve landed at their destination but for others, it can be a little sooner with 16% of people feeling it once they put on their “out of office” notifications and 12% feeling it when they finish packing their holiday clothes. 

The Hilton has paired with psychologist and ASMR expert Dr Giulia Poerio to provide a solution: an ASMR track that brings you right to your favourite holiday sounds. Such as the first splash into the pool, unzipping a suitcase, and walking through sand. 
ASMR researcher, Dr Giulia Poerio, who advised on the track, commented, “The impact of everyday sounds on our levels of relaxation and wellbeing is something of increasing research interest, especially over the past few years. It makes sense then that sounds we commonly associate with holidays might help bring people closer to those sought after feelings of rest and relaxation even before people arrive at their getaway destinations.”

Dr Poemiro recommends listening to the free ASMR-inspired track while lying down with the sun on your skin to facilitate your holiday daydreams.