More than half of Americans admit to behaving badly on vacation
From canoodling on the Great Pyramid to stealing hotel hangers and smuggling buffet breakfasts, new research reveals the extent of holiday misbehaviour. Olivia Palamountain reports
New research from Radical Storage reveals that more than half of holidaymakers (56.5%) admit to acting out of character while travelling, with younger generations particularly prone to what researchers have dubbed "tourist syndrome".
The study of 1,231 Americans found that 42.5% confess to breaking laws while abroad, with men more likely than women to flout local regulations.
The top three most common travel-related no-no's people admit to are becoming more territorial on holiday (34.7%) (e.g. putting towels down to mark their place by the pool), posing inappropriately with a statue (32.3%), and picking plants in a nature reserve, public garden, or plants on someone's private property without permission (30.2%).
Nearly nine in ten (85.7%) have taken items from hotels and third of people (32.3%) have posed inappropriately with a statue
TV and movies glamourise the idea of a holiday romance, and the survey found that one-third of people feel more flirty on holiday (34.9%).
Troublingly, four in ten (41.3%) admit to infidelity during their travels, while one-third of people (35.7%) also said they were more likely to go to a strip club on vacation, and 12.9% said they would be more likely to hire a sex worker. One in ten (12.4%) were also more likely to catcall someone.
The research reveals a concerning pattern of justification, with 40.6% of respondents claiming holidays are "a time to let your hair down and have some fun".
Half would play the "tourist card" - claiming ignorance of local customs - to escape trouble, though this tendency decreases significantly with age (Gen-Z were most likely to use this excuse at 65.9%, dropping with each age group to just 17% of baby boomers).
But bad behaviour does come with remorse and self-awareness. Three in five (62.1%) have been embarrassed by someone they were travelling with, and half (50%) have been embarrassed by their own behaviour.
Social media appears to be exacerbating the problem, with 49.1% of respondents believing it encourages worse behaviour abroad.
Despite their own admissions, most participants (61.4%) support harsher punishments for tourist misconduct, suggesting a disconnect between personal actions and broader social responsibility.
The findings come as destinations such as Copenhagen implement reward schemes for good tourist behaviour, while others, such as Spain, face growing anti-tourist protests. Amsterdam has recently announced plans to relocate its red-light district outside the city centre in a bid to combat disruptive tourism.