With solo travel trending and capturing the imagination of millions, you might think it’s the twenty-somethings leading the charge but think again. New research from Paddy Power Games reveals it’s the over-55s who are ditching the suitcase wheels – and the company – to travel the world solo.
To mark the launch of Paddy’s Big Summer Spin – where more than 40,000 prizes are up for grabs every week, including a bumper £5k travel voucher, Paddy Power Games quizzed the nation on their travel savviness and geography knowledge. The results? Less ‘travel expert’, more ‘passport panic’.
Boomers Go Solo
It turns out the older generation are the real adventurers, with 9% of those aged 55+ saying they would prefer to travel solo. That’s three times as many as the younger 25-34s, where only 3% are brave enough to go it alone.
Disasters in the Departure Lounge
The research uncovered some truly traffic travel tales. A staggering 14% of Brits admitted they’ve had to fork out for a brand-new flight after messing up their original booking.
And it doesn’t stop there – 9% have had to spend hours on the phone with customer service after messing up a holiday booking, with 7% of travellers confessing they ended up spending the night in the airport, having not booking a hotel.
Wish You Were Here (Even If You Have No Idea Where ‘Here’ Is)
If you thought Brits were bad at packing, wait until you hear about their geography. Over half – 51%, to be exact – didn’t know Santorini is in Greece. 22% thought it was in Italy, while 14% just gave up and admitted they hadn’t a clue.
Porto didn’t fare much better, with 7% believing it’s in Spain. And around four million thought San Diego is in Spain too – which is only 5,800 miles off. Close, but no sangria.
Berlin, Florence, Miami… Or Wherever
The confusion continues. A rather worrying 13% of Brits don’t know Berlin is in Germany, despite it being the capital city. Florence got lost too, with 6% assuming it was in France.
But the real head-scratcher? More than *536,000 (1%) claimed that Miami is in Türkiye.
Millennials Lead the Way in Holiday Howlers
While the older generation might be globe-trotting solo, millennials are topping the charts for airport chaos. A hefty 23% of 25-34-year-olds admitted they’ve been slapped with unexpected baggage fees.
Not to be outdone, one-in-five (20%) of the 45-60 age group confessed to sneaking restricted items into their hand luggage.
What Paddy Power Games Has to Say
Commenting on the data, a spokesperson for Paddy Power Games, said: “It’s official – the over-55s are living their best lives while the rest of us are still arguing over who’s printing the boarding passes. Who knew it’d be the boomers leading the solo travel revolution? They’re out there racking up passport stamps while the younger lot can barely make it through airport security without being charged for an extra bag.”
“We launched Paddy’s Big Summer Spin to give punters a chance to bag the getaway of their dreams – and based on our findings, it looks like half the country could use it just to figure out where they’re going. Whether you’re a globetrotting guru or someone who thinks Miami’s in Türkiye, we’ve got your back… just maybe double-check the map before you go.”
Paddy’s giving away over 40,000 prizes every Friday this summer for the Big Summer Spin – including a bumper £5k holiday voucher.
Author: Adam Greenham
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