Are you surprised? I mean, data would show 25% of us had platonic roommate sex in lockdown while 71% of singles did not have sex with another person at all, but close to 100% of us have not travelled in 400 days, and apparently, that’s a dry spell we’d rather break.
New findings from Booking.com reveal Australians would sooner take a holiday than find true love (71% of us), and that’s not all we’d give up for the chance to take a trip somewhere new.
According to the findings, 71% would choose a holiday over the chance to buy a new car, 72% would opt for a holiday over a promotion at work, and 57% would pick a trip away over dinner with extended family (that one’s not all that surprising).
We’re aware of our intense passion for travel, and it’s no secret just about all of us will be ready to hit that ‘Book Now’ button as soon as vaccines are rolled out and borders are opened, but we never expected travel would trump a promotion at work, or the chance at a true romantic connection.
Then again, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. A recent study concluded travellers onboard a plane have a one in 50 chance of finding love on a flight, so perhaps the key to finding love actually lies in booking that first trip once international travel resumes.
But before anyone fastens their seatbelts, Australians want to be reassured that travel is safe once more. Booking.com’s data finds two-thirds of us would not travel internationally until they have been vaccinated, while 64% of us want a ‘no mask, no travel’ policy in place.
Then there’s the small matter of finding our passports… apparently, one in five of us cannot remember where we left it last, while 65% say they bear no resemblance to their passport photos after such a long time grounded.
“Our research shows our exploratory appetite and desire to get back into the wider world remains strong,” Luke Wilson, Area Manager Australia at Booking.com, said in a release. “It’s reassuring to see that after a year of unpredictable events, we’re able to head across the ditch once again, and that Aussies have high hopes to return to other international travel soon.
“As we start to see a light at the end of the tunnel, Booking.com remains committed to supporting everyone on their journey to getting back to travel, as it becomes safe to do so, working together with all those in the travel industry to ensure its recovery for a better, brighter future.”
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