- 1 in 10 mature holidaymakers have had a holiday romance since turning 50
- Sizeable minority planning holidays with love in mind
- But 61% wouldn’t mention a holiday liaison to other
Romance is in the air as the summer holiday season gets underway, with research from specialist over 50s insurer Staysure revealing a new trend emerging among the more mature holidaymakers who are using their travel plans to look for love.
While holiday romances may have traditionally been seen as the preserve of the young and reckless, data released today found a fifth of people aged over 50 say they’re actually more likely to have a holiday romance now than when they were younger, with one in ten admitting to having had a holiday romance since turning 50. A sizeable minority even admit they’ve planned a holiday with a single friend with the specific intention of trying to find love while away.
Alongside this new trend for romantic getaways, there’s a distinct air of discretion emerging, with few over 50s keen to shout about their escapades. Half of those questioned felt a holiday romance was just harmless fun, but 61% said they wouldn’t mention it to anybody else, with a quarter saying they’d be too embarrassed to discuss it. One reason for this reticence may be their less than favourable prospects for the relationship to become long-term. While half of mature holidaymakers said the relationships continued after they had returned home, the vast majority put the maximum length as only a few weeks.
It seems getting out of the UK is the best recipe to romantic success: over 60% of over 50s travellers had their holiday relationships overseas, although ironically their most popular choice of partner (41%) was another UK holidaymaker, with only a quarter of those questioned having had a fling with a local resident. Of those who felt it was easier to meet somebody on holiday than at home, 85% said a lack of inhibitions on holiday was the most likely reason.
Ryan Howsam, Chief Executive at Staysure, commented: “The conversations we have with our customers on a daily basis tell us that the ‘coach trips to the south coast’ stereotype of over 50s holidays is long gone. As well as engaging in more daring activities like bungee jumping, scuba diving and trekking, our new research finds romance is increasingly on the cards for these adventurous holidaymakers.
As ever we want people to enjoy and have fun on their holiday, but recommend that all holidaymakers err on the side of caution and take extra care when meeting new people and spending time with them. Their own personal safety should be the number one priority. Before going they need to be properly insured, declaring all medical conditions to their insurer at the time of taking out the policy.”
Not all holiday romances are doomed however. While many relationships may end a few weeks after returning home, nearly a quarter of the over 50s questioned said they knew somebody who had met their husband or wife on holiday.
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