Travelers

For some travelers, the journey toward the holidays can quickly turn into a source of irritation. A survey commissioned by the travel eSIM app Saily and conducted across 17 countries reveals the behaviors that French travelers tolerate the least when they travel. Between children left unsupervised, speakerphone calls, and conversations too loud, the sources of irritation are numerous. Yet the French also acknowledge adopting certain habits that could irritate their neighbors themselves.

From Unattended Children to Speakerphone Calls

In transportation, the French seem to mainly expect other travelers to respect the shared space. The behavior at the top of their annoyances is children left unsupervised, cited by 45% of respondents. Phone or video calls made on speaker follow closely, at 42%, while 39% of respondents name people who speak loudly.

Rowdy quarrels and the use of music or videos without headphones complete this ranking, with 37% of responses for each. In other words, the volume and the lack of control over children are the main irritations for the French during the journey.

Yet, the travelers surveyed are not free from behaviors that could disturb others. Thus, 40% report talking with fellow passengers they do not know. They are also 23% to take off their shoes during travel and 21% to applaud upon landing.

“We surveyed more than 16,000 people to find out which travelers push other people’s patience the most. Most people do not think they are part of the problem, but many admit to habits that could easily make a flight horrible for another traveler,” explains Vykintas Maknickas, CEO of Saily, behind the survey.

The annoying habits evolve once at the vacation destination. The most poorly perceived behavior is the littering on the beach, cited by 49% of the French. Next come talking loudly in quiet places (41%), playing music at full volume in public spaces (40%), leaving unattended children (38%), and reserving sun loungers with a towel for several hours without using them (30%).

The French are annoyed, but reluctant to intervene

The survey also reveals a paradox in French responses. If the behaviors of other travelers can exasperate them, the French show relatively little willingness to directly ask them to change their attitude.

Only 10% of those polled say they always ask someone to stop a behavior that annoys them. Conversely, 26% say they never intervene. France thus ranks among the countries where travelers are most reluctant to express their discontent directly.

The French also acknowledge some less exemplary habits during their holidays. Among them, 26% check their phone instead of enjoying the scenery, 23% admit they only speak their own language, and 19% say they have urinated in the sea, a lake, or the ocean.

These behaviors vary greatly depending on the country. In Sweden, 62% of respondents admit removing their shoes during travel and 52% say they have already urinated in the sea, a lake, or the ocean. In Japan, 52% report never asking another traveler to stop a behavior that annoys them.

Across the 17 countries studied, unattended children top the list of annoying behaviors during travel, with 52% of responses. Once at the destination, beach litter dominates, with 56%. This behavior is particularly noted in Poland (76%) and Brazil (64%).

“Travel brings together people with very different ideas of what is acceptable in a shared space. What may seem harmless to one traveler, such as chatting, removing shoes, or listening to music at full volume, can exceed the limits for someone else. The simplest rule is to avoid turning one’s own comfort into a nuisance for another traveler”, concludes Vykintas Maknickas.