KAYAK.co.uk has lifted the lid on Brits’ holiday drinking habits and found that we love a morning drink, trying local tipples, and many of us have spent more on alcohol during a holiday than on the actual holiday itself  

• A quarter of Brits couldn’t enjoy their holiday without a drink
• 16% start drinking before lunch when on holiday
• KAYAK creates limited edition Beach Brews – beers inspired by Brits’ favourite beaches

London, 6 September 2017: For many Brits, holidays and an alcoholic drink go hand in hand. Indeed, 28% of Brits (rising to 32% for men) say they would find it impossible to enjoy a holiday without alcohol, and two-thirds of drinkers (67%) say they drink more on holiday than usual.

But why do we up the alcohol intake when we’re on our holidays? Well, amongst those who say they drink more on holiday:

• 60% say drinking helps them to relax
• 58% say it is simply part of going on holiday
• 33% say they have more fun when they have a drink

It’s not just how much we drink, but what we drink which changes whilst we are away, with over half (54%) of Brits changing up their habits. A third (33%) say they like to try the local tipples whilst away instead of their normal drink, and one in seven of us (13%) even have a special ‘holiday drink’ – something we only have when we are away.

When we drink also changes once we are out of the usual nine to five grind. When we go away, nearly a quarter of us (22%) have our first alcoholic drink of the holiday before we get on the plane, with nine out of ten (91%) of drinkers having a drink at some point during their first day on holiday. When it comes to daily drinking whilst away, 16% admit they usually start drinking before lunchtime (1pm).

So how does this all impact our bank balance? Whilst many will opt for all-inclusive breaks so they don’t have to worry about the bar bill racking up, one in ten (10%) say they have previously spent more on alcohol whilst on holiday than on the actual holiday itself, most of which (7%) have done so on more than one occasion.

Alcohol has also lead to Brits getting themselves into some potentially problematic situations whilst on holiday including:

• Having sex (10%)
• Hurting themselves (7%)
• Forgetting where the hotel is (6%)
• Skinny dipping (6%)
• Losing phone, wallet, or room key (5%)
• Throwing up on themselves (5%)

To celebrate Brits’ love of trying foreign tipples, KAYAK.co.uk has created a range of five bespoke ‘Beach Brew’ beers. Each flavour is inspired by the top five beaches around the world, as voted for by Brits. The brews will be available to some lucky participants through a  competition on KAYAK’s Facebook page – check below for more details on how to win the limited-edition brews. The flavours are:

• Waikiki Beach– pale ale with notes of mango, a fruit grown extensively in Hawaii
• Bondi Beach – smoky flavours to reflect Australian’s love of a BBQ
• Pink Sand Beach – rose-coloured pale ale
• Capri Beach – pale ale with notes of lemon to celebrate Italy’s famous Limoncello liqueur
• Copacabana Beach – pale ale with notes of watermelon, a fruit grown across Brazil  

John-Lee Saez, KAYAK Travel Expert, says: “It’s perhaps not a huge surprise that Brits enjoy a drink or two whilst on holiday. It is our time to relax and in many cases, a week or two where we don’t have to worry about our day-to-day responsibilities like our job or housework. But as the research shows, it is all too easy to get carried away when under the influence so I’d advise Brits to take care not to get carried away with their drinking on holiday – especially those at all-inclusive destinations. You may not pay for the alcohol in cash, but you could end up paying for it by doing something silly or at the least, ruining the day after with an awful hangover.”

KAYAK.co.uk Beach Brews Social Competition Rules

1. This competition is run by KAYAK Europe GmbH, Fraumünsterstrasse 16, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland.
2. Participants must be legal residents of Britain and at least 18 years of age.
3. Participants must not be affiliated to KAYAK or 3 Monkeys Zeno.
4. Only one entry per person is permitted. Participants may not use any automated or manual tools such as bots or click-farms to make entries or generate likes for their entries.
5. Participation requirements are: Share in a short sentence your favorite holiday moment, along with tagging 4 people that they want to have a beer with and that are at least over 18 years old.
6. Participation is free of charge. No purchase or payment is necessary to participate in this competition.
7. The competition will start on 6th September 2017 at 9:00 CET and will end on 13th September 2017 at 23:59 CET. 10 winners will be selected. The winners will be selected on a random basis from amongst all entries received. The winners will be chosen by an internal KAYAK Jury. The prize that the winners will receive is a crate of 5 different beer flavours that have been created as part of KAYAK’s Beach Brew campaign. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable. No cash alternative is available for any prize. Prizes are supplied “as is” and “as available” with no express guarantee as to their suitability.
8. The winner will be notified publicly by KAYAK or by its PR agency 3 Monkeys Zeno through a comment or by private message through the winners Facebook Account. The winners must confirm acceptance of the prize within fourteen (14) days of notification, and provide/complete any necessary documentation,  otherwise, KAYAK reserves the right to award the prize to an alternative winner from the remaining eligible entries at its sole discretion;the exercising of this right shall be final and will not be explained. The Winner is solely responsible for all expenses and fees associated with acceptance of the prize, including without limitation, any federal, state, or local taxes. KAYAK’s PR Agency will ship the brews to the winners (UK addresses only)  and no costs are incurring here for the winners. Actual delivery of the brews shall only occur upon verification by carrier of recipient’s identification documents and signature. In the event of failure to comply with the age requirement, delivery of the brews shall not occur.
9. By entering this competition, you are permitting KAYAK and its appointed agents to use your personal details for the purposes of administering the competition. KAYAK’s privacy policy will apply (http://www.kayak.co.uk/privacy)
10. KAYAK reserves the right to disqualify any participant that it believes, in its sole discretion, to be in breach of these terms and conditions or to act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or to tamper with the competition. This includes the submission of pictures that are obscene, hate-mongering, libellous, defamatory, discriminatory or otherwise offensive. Disqualification shall be final and will not be explained.
11. To the fullest extent permissible by law, KAYAK disclaims all responsibility for and shall not be liable for any failure to notify, damage suffered, loss, costs, unexpected events, accidents and/or injuries which may occur to any participant in the course of running this contest, however caused. Participation in this contest is at the participant’s’ own risk and cost.
12. KAYAK reserves the right to make changes to the competition arrangements and details at any time, including the right to declare this competition null and void or cancel it.  All issues, construction, interpretation, and enforceability of these rules will be governed by the laws of England and Wales.
13. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. By participating in this contest, you completely release Facebook in relation to any injury, damage or loss that may occur, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from your participation.
14. Entry into this competition constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions which shall constitute the entire agreement between you and KAYAK as regards this competition. There shall be no legal recourse.

Note to editors:

Research conducted by Opinium Research for KAYAK between 28 March – 3 April. 2017 amongst 2,001 UK adults who had been on holiday in the past two years (online interviews), 1,613 of which drink on holiday. Research not previously released