Is body confidence affecting holiday choices?

Posted by Sue Anderson, 17th Sep 2013

When most people book a holiday, they look forward to relaxing on the beach or having a few too many cocktails in the hotel bar. For some though, the idea of going on holiday sparks mild panic attacks at the thought of having to strip off and slip into a swimsuit or pair or speedos (or whatever your swimwear of choice may be).

We wanted to find out if anyone actively avoids beach holidays due to how they feel about their 'beach body'. The idea of body confidence getting in the way of holiday plans is a very sad one, so we wanted to find out more about it. We polled 2,182 women aged 18 and over from around the UK and asked questions about where they liked to go on holiday and about their recent holiday experiences.



A fifth of women rule out beach holidays due to the way they look



When we asked the women taking part when the last time they went on a beach holiday abroad was, the most common answer was 'within the last 2 years' which 42% of the ladies we asked said. However, 5% said they'd never been on a beach holiday abroad and 13% hadn't been overseas on a hot holiday for '10 or more years'. What a shame!

When the subject of body confidence came up and we asked those polled if they'd ever ruled out a beach holiday due to not feeling great about the way they looked in swimwear, 21% admitted that they had. When looking at the age groups most likely to avoid beach holidays due to body confidence issues, those aged 18-25 were the most likely, making up 41% of those that had, followed by those aged 40-50, making up 35% of those that had.

69% of women begin diet or fitness regime in run up to a holiday



Our poll also revealed that 69% of women either diet or begin a fitness regime in the run up to a holiday; with the average time this begins before an overseas trip being '2 months' before travelling. When asked if they felt good in swimwear, just 17% of those taking part said a firm 'yes'. We're sure you all look lovely!

The poll also revealed that 55% of women admitted to checking out other women in swimwear whilst on holiday, more so than they did men. Oh la la! Now, let's get something clear; holidays are not about how good you look in your new cut out swimsuit, they are purely about getting away from it all and spending time with friends and family. Who cares if you aren't the next Kate Moss? Besides, it's unlikely you'll bump into anyone you know on your trip, so there's really no need to worry.
  • Inspire Me!
  • Compare Selected

Search the sunshine.co.uk website:

×