To Make Amends 'Guilt Trips' Rising in Popularity

Posted by Sue Anderson, 18th Feb 2014

Holidays can be booked for all kinds of reasons: a short and romantic anniversary getaway, a summer escape from the daily grind or just a chance to spend some time with family and friends. However, our latest poll has revealed a new type of holiday... the 'guilt trip'.

We polled 2,149 people aged 18 and over from around the UK and asked them questions about the holidays and trips they had been on and if they ever had an ulterior motive for booking a break.

1 in 7 people have booked a 'guilt trip' when feeling bad



When we asked, 'Have you ever booked a trip somewhere for someone else purely out of guilt?' 14% of the people taking part in the study said 'yes'. When asked who the person (or people) in question who they felt guilt towards was, the most common answer was 'partner', with 51% admitting that they had taken their other half on a 'guilt trip'. 22% said it was a friend they had previously taken on a 'guilt trip', whilst 13% said it was one or both of their parents.



Keen to find out what prompted Britons to take someone away on a trip because they felt guilty, we questioned the relevant respondents further. According to our research, the most likely reasons for a 'guilt trip' to be booked are as follows:

1. I was unfaithful to my partner - 37%

2. I forgot a special occasion - 28%

3. I wasn't spending enough time with the person - 13%

4. I wasn't very nice to the person - 9%

5. I broke a promise to the person/let them down - 5%

Paris most likely destination for a 'guilt trip' to be spent



When asked where their 'guilt trip' had been spent, the most common destination named was 'Paris' (16%), closely followed by 'Venice' (11%) and 'Cornwall' (8%). When we asked if the person or people they had taken on a 'guilt trip' had suspected anything about their motives, 67% said 'no', but we're not so sure! Men were shown to be three times more likely to book a 'guilt trip' than women too, so clearly a fair few of our male respondents had something to be sorry for.

These trips that are being taken to ease a guilty conscience are pretty awful. There's no use making someone feel great by taking them away somewhere special when actually that's not enough to make up for whatever it is you have done wrong. Honesty is always the best policy!
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