Brits rudest travellers in Europe

Brits rudest travellers in Europe

By Darren Cronian on Friday, August 8th, 2008

Interesting to read that according to a survey undertaken by Lastminute.com that us Brits are the rudest travellers in Europe. From what I have seen on my travels in recent years I’d agree, and what annoys me is that some British travellers expect to be treated the same as they would be back home.

Brits rudest travellers in Europe

Let me explain.

We head off to the Costa’s in Spain, eat our English breakfast in an English run café, expect everyone to speak English, and if they don’t, well tough. We take over a city get drunken, make fools out of ourselves and spoil a romantic and historic destination like Prague.

It annoys me no end but the tourist destinations themselves are partly guilty because they see Euro’s in their eyes when the Brits come and invade. It’s those types of tourists which give British travellers a bad reputation, and unfortunately, it means, that everyone expects us all to act in this way.

Do you agree with this survey?

Editorial addition:

Here are some interesting links to show you the media attention that drunken Brits are currently getting abroad. I think this probably backs up the survey in this blog post but it doesn’t take a scientist to work out that you combine Brits, with sunshine and cheap alcohol that it leads to disaster.

» Shame of binge drink Britons abroad as number arrested on holiday soars 15%
» Malia’s image as a holiday destination is already tarnished
» Malia mayhem

Arrests abroad are up 15%, and you know what annoys me, the Foreign, Commonwealth Office and their Know Before You Go campaign is supposed to educate British travellers of the dangers abroad, including getting arrested.

Yet, they did nothing to promote safe travel prior to the summer holidays.

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25 responses to “Brits rudest travellers in Europe”

Lee Harrison | 8 August, 2008 at 2:37 pm

On GMTV this week they have shown some of the worse scenes from Malia in Crete. Unfortunatly resorts such as this are cashing in on the Brits whilst secretly hoping that October 31st can’t come soon enough and some sense of normality returns.

Tomorrow I head off for the delights of Kalkan in Turkey ( Again) for a week and am delighted to say that evenings out in Kalkan are a delight and the resort has a wealth of great restaurants and hopefully not a lager lout in site.

Carol Ferndale | 8 August, 2008 at 4:14 pm

I think the survey is referring to a certain genre of Brit, sometimes found on the Costas. By no means everyone from the UK behaves like that.

However, I do think Britain does have a bit of a “booze culture” – so perhaps it’s time to get that sorted out?

Darren Cronian | 8 August, 2008 at 4:29 pm

@ Carol

What used to be a boozy culture just on the Costa’s has spread over the years to other destinations, which I think is what’s worrying. I’m not saying people shouldn’t drink and have fun on holiday, but the problem is some people do not know when to stop. You are right that the booze culture needs to be looked at because this leads to higher crime.

@ Lee

Good to see you back Have a great holiday in Kalkan. I would love to go there, the scenary looks breathtaking. Your right about the resorts taking advantage and making money off drunken Brits abroad.

Carol Ferndale | 8 August, 2008 at 7:14 pm

@ Darren

Yes, I think unfortunately there is a bit of a booze culture, and yob culture, in the UK. I don’t think the two are necessarily the same thing, either – some people can get pretty paralytic, but it’s not like they’re looking for trouble, and yet others are aggressive, and the booze just fuels it. And there are a lot of Brits that are neither.

Also, I think there are a lot of Brits that are open to other cultures, and don’t necessarily travel in search of English breakfasts, or cups of tea.

@ Lee

I envy you going to Kalkan – I visited for a day when I was staying near Fethiye. I have a friend who goes to Kalkan as often as she can – I think she has fallen in love with the place. When we were there we had a great meal at Ali Baba’s, and not very expensive, either! It’s a brilliant caf.

Simon | 8 August, 2008 at 7:29 pm

I have two rants.

One that the travel agency we booked our holiday from sent us to Malia when we said we wanted a relaxing holiday on the beach. We had read good reports about Crete.

Two that the British who have ascended on Malia this summer should be shamed of themselves. I am 24 I like to drink but these people were sick. Urinating in the streets, rude and arrogant to the locals who tried their best to accommodate them.

Happy hotelier | 8 August, 2008 at 8:38 pm

For the “but” part…”the tourist destinations themselves are partly guilty because they see Euro’s in their eyes”:

Only partial true:

Amsterdam for instance is a well known podium for stag parties….Amsterdam doesn’t ask for it. The Easyjets and Ryan Airs of this world have to fill their planes at $ 1 rates with $ 8 debitcard charges and look what happens. Rolling into the plane and out of the plane. First a trip to the local supermarket and hey you can see them walking with a crate of beer in between. The whole night. No money for accommodation, just an endless drinking spree…..

Its not just the Brits, the Scandinavians are also “famous” for it…

Local Tourist Industry seeing mucha Euro’s? Heineken and Amstel maybe…..

Paul Davey | 8 August, 2008 at 9:16 pm

Our trip to Prague was ruined because of the mindless idiots (namely British) tourists peeing in the street, flashing, laying in the gutter. All we wanted to do was see the city at night. Never again.

I wish I had read your guide on Prague before we left because we would have booked mid-week break rather than weekend.

Kimberly | 9 August, 2008 at 2:41 pm

I don’t know if the Brits are the rudest travelers, but they sure can drink. Anytime I’ve tried to party with a Brit, I’ve lost. As for the rudeness, I think people are rude, travelers can be stressed and Americans take the cake for expecting everyone to speak English (I am an American, so I can say that!).

Miguel | 9 August, 2008 at 7:09 pm

The British are not the worst, and I’m speaking from Portugal, so I know what I’m saying.
Except for the habit of public inebriation (that’s more celebratory than violent) they’re well behaved and courteous.
The ansolute worst are the French. Arrogant, agressive and with poor self-hygiene.
If they only would stay home during their holydays we all would feel a little better.

Darren Cronian | 9 August, 2008 at 9:44 pm

@ Guido

Good points about the airlines. Whilst it’s great that they’re cheap flights around Europe, I think it has made cities like Amsterdam more accessible for stag and hen parties. You can understand the Scandinavian’s going crazy, their beer is so damn expensive!

@ Paul

Sorry to hear about your trip to Prague. I travelled mid-week for that exact reason. We went out in the evening and didn’t have any problems but to be honest we got some advice from a few locals about where to go where tourists don’t.

@ Kimberly

True, I suppose it depends where you travel too. I found Paris people rude beyond belief when I visited there in 2006. It really has put me off going to France again. I know not all French people are like that but even so.

Kelsey | 11 August, 2008 at 5:27 pm

I think every country has travellers who are rude and obnoxious and that just makes everybody else look bad. I know this to be true because I hear these misconceptions all the time. I’m from America and everybody assumes we are all over bearing and loud and rude, and we don’t care about anybody else in the world. That’s just the president you’re thinking of.

Darren Cronian | 11 August, 2008 at 5:33 pm

@ Kelsey

Thankfully I have spoken to enough American’s on my travels to realise that it’s not true, and I suppose the same goes with us Brits. You meet someone abroad and they assume you’re a beer guzzling Brit.

It’s not true of course!

Carol Ferndale | 11 August, 2008 at 5:57 pm

Good points, Kelsey and Darren.

I think that national stereotypes can be a barrier to meeting and understanding individuals. I’ve met French people who were fed up with people thinking that they guzzled wine all the time, Americans who were fed up with people thinking that they supported, or were responsible for, American foreign policy, Japanese people who didn’t like fish, and Brits who scarcely go to pubs.

Darren Cronian | 12 August, 2008 at 5:12 pm

Please see my editorial addition regarding the recent news of British causing mayhen in Malia, Crete. Feel free to comment.

Miss Expatria | 12 August, 2008 at 5:23 pm

Brits, with the notable exception of the ones I know personally, should be banned from Spanish vacation destinations. Yeah, I said it. If you disagree with me, spend an hour on La Rambla in Barcelona, or anywhere on the coast.

Darren Cronian | 12 August, 2008 at 5:28 pm

I agree and I am a Brit. I was one of those tourists in my early 20s drinking for two weeks on Costa Blanca’s, BUT, I think the problem nowadays is that younger people do not know when to stop drinking, and alcohol has become just as cheap as buying a bottle of coca cola.

Let also not forget cheaper flights, means easier accessibility for all to other destinations, as Guido mentioned earlier. Malia is just like most city centre’s on a weekend, it’s been publicised so much because it is abroad, in another country where people are acting in this manner.

Darren Cronian | 12 August, 2008 at 5:37 pm

To add: Crete is a beautiful island, and I would recommend it to anyone, but unfortunately, the press attention of Malia is going to put a lot of people off travelling to anywhere in Crete.

Take Ibiza, I would never think of visiting this island, because of the images that I have seen on the television.

Jessica | 12 August, 2008 at 6:04 pm

I think getting just about anyone seriously drunk – regardless of where they come from or where they are – is a recipe for disaster…

Darren Cronian | 13 August, 2008 at 12:39 am

Eeek I was on BBC Radio 5 talking about this issue tonight. General consensus was that it’s the minority, but unfortunately, the minority act that badly that it reflects badly on the majority.

Rohan | 13 August, 2008 at 3:33 am

Darren I am really annoyed I missed your radio interview. How did it go?

Those people who think its shocking that Brits act this way abroad should come to Newcastle on a Friday and Saturday night. It is just the same here than it is abroad but as usual the media are blowing it out of proportion.

Kelsey | 13 August, 2008 at 6:58 pm

I just read an article about this today.

Kelsey | 13 August, 2008 at 7:23 pm

I meant to say that I just read another article about Brits being rude travelers, NOT about Newcastle. Sorry!

James | 20 August, 2008 at 11:10 am

The Germans are the worst. They are really rude and ignorant. They go out of there way to annoy people.

mpiftex | 22 August, 2008 at 8:32 pm

I was so impressed when about a year ago, a couple from England that I was drinking beers with in a bar in Bangkok, apologized for the behavior of a big number of Brits that come to Greece every year and told me that not all Brit tourists are like that! Which I didn’t think anyway.

And I’ve lived in the UK for a while and I’ve seen how kids are having (drunk) fun and they behave way worse in Greece. Of course I’m not talking about all the British tourists but just the ones that go to Spain, Greece etc just to party hard and be drunk 24/7 (nothing wrong with been drunk but there are some limits).

Gemma | 18 September, 2008 at 5:39 pm

I wrote an article on the Auto Europe blog about this. I know the evidence is compelling that British tourists can behave in an unforgiveable way abroad, but I can’t help feeling slightly defensive, especially as the survey revealed that we’re not only considered the rudest, but also the least attractive and worst dressed! Bit unfair. I agree with Darren that the destinations themselves must take part of the responsibility for encouraging the kind of drinking that leads to this embarrassing behaviour.

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