- 14 percent of couples break up while booking a romantic getaway
- Almost two thirds of women would not trust their partner to book a holiday
- Introducing the third person you need in your relationship – the travel agent
Ask any couple to name one of their most treasured memories together and they’re likely to reminisce on a romantic holiday spent in each other’s company. However, latest research from Flight Centre reveals that some couples don’t even get that far, with as many as 14 per cent breaking up over the holiday booking process.
A OnePoll study, conducted for Flight Centre, of 2,000 people in relationships, reveals that even if it doesn’t push you apart, nearly two thirds (60.2 per cent) of couples have fought or got stressed over organising a holiday. On average, 37 per cent of people in couples describe the holiday booking process negatively.
And, while only 4.5 per cent of couples currently search for help to alleviate this stress, 45 per cent of people in relationships admitted that they would rather have a third party organise their holiday for them to avoid these holiday-booking barnies, or even the dreaded break-up.
That’s why, this year, Flight Centre is playing cupid, recommending that couples wanting to save their relationship from the pre-holiday cool-off should add a third person … a trusted Travel Expert to mediate disagreements and book the perfect holiday to suit each couple.
Lucy Clifton, Flight Centre Head of Operations, said: “Couples’ escapes are for making precious memories, bringing them closer together. However, with so many stumbling blocks in the way of the perfect holiday, it’s easy to become bogged down by the details and let tempers escalate. We want to put the romance back into couples’ holidays, letting both partners speak with our expert consultants to plan their dream holiday and make the difficult decisions on their behalf.”
When it comes to couples’ arguments, deciding on when to travel and fly (24.1 per cent), budget (17.7 per cent) and destinations (15.8 per cent) proved to be the biggest causes of friction when couples book holidays together. On average, couples spend 105 minutes arguing per holiday booking session.
Even if the tiffs don’t put you off booking a holiday with your partner, 8.3 per cent of people surveyed said they argued while on holiday too thanks to poor planning and not booking extras and excursions in advance – easily fixed by the right travel agent.
And if you think it’s easier to leave booking a holiday to just one person, think again; 59 per cent of women would not trust their partner to book their holiday by themselves, with nearly one fifth (18.6 per cent) admitting that their partner doesn’t know them well enough to book a holiday they would enjoy. Men, on the other hand, seem to be a little more trusting, with 60 per cent having confidence in their partner to plan their holiday alone.
If equal decision-making is important in your relationship and you’d rather split the burden of booking your holiday in half, you’re not alone. One in 10 (10.3 per cent) people surveyed would rather divide the holiday into sections so that each partner gets equal amounts of the trip to plan.
The trend for shorter breaks may have been attributed in the past to hectic lifestyles, however, Flight Centre research claims that it could be down to couples unable to align their holiday desires. Almost one fifth (19 per cent) of couples say they are forced to book shorter breaks, as longer holidays take too much time, effort and stress on their relationship to organise.
“Flight Centre’s expert travel agents are the perfect solution to alleviate tension and put the fun back into booking,” Lucy Clifton said. “Couples can choose to speak to their agent individually or together and their dedicated agent will take the time to ensure you get a trip suited to both your desires.
“A Flight Centre Travel Expert isn’t just for Valentine’s Day, however. Our customers build genuine, lasting relationships with our consultants, as evidenced by our Trustpilot score of 9.7 out of 10. This is driven by 17,000 five star reviews and customers often make the point of praising our consultants by name”.
“And when it comes to long-distance relationships, Nathalie Adams from Flight Centre’s Clapham Northcote Road store wins hands down. As one of our most experienced consultants she is still taking care of customers who started booking with her over 13 years ago”.
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For further press information, please contact:
Hannah Carlisle/Emma Arthurs
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8924
E: [email protected]
About the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG)
The Flight Centre Travel Group (fctgl.com) is one of the world’s largest travel companies with over 18,000 staff and 2500 stores across its leisure, corporate and wholesale businesses. The company’s turnover in 2014/2015 financial year was £9 billion. After starting with one shop 30 years ago, FCTG has enjoyed remarkable growth and is one of the top 100 publicly listed companies on the Australian Securities Exchange.
All specialist brands under the FCTG Corporate banner offer 24/7 support and the benefits of a blended offline/online solution; global negotiation strength and unique and superior business travel products.
About Flight Centre
The team at Flight Centre are experts when it comes to travel and are committed to providing customers with a great experience. The company’s success comes down to its people, experienced Travel Experts who are passionate about finding their customers the holiday they want, for the price they want.
Since establishing the first Flight Centre store in 1995, the business has grown its team of Travel Experts to include over 80 stores within the United Kingdom, with new stores opening regularly. Worldwide, Flight Centre has an amazing 2,500 stores across the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United States, Canada and more, making Flight Centre one of the largest and most successful independent travel retailers in the world. With its global reach and close relationships with the world’s best travel providers, the company is able to provide competitive travel deals.
The Flight Centre team can organise anything from flights and hotels, car hire, tours, travel insurance, visas and more to tailor make the perfect holiday. They also have dedicated First and Business Class flight teams and Business Travel teams to help with any specialised travel needs.
For more information go to www.flightcentre.co.uk, www.facebook.com/FlightCentreUK, www.twitter.com/flightcentre_UK or www.instagram.com/flightcentreuk.
