Travel tension: 2/3 of women would not trust their partner to book a holiday

Holidays with your partner are supposed to be a time for romance and relaxation. Making memories with a loved one abroad is one of the best ways to explore the world. But according to Flight Centre’s latest research, many couples don’t even get that far.

The study found that two thirds of people in relationships fight during the planning stages of a trip, and 37% describe the booking process negatively. Even worse, 14% of couples have broken up as a result of friction caused by holiday booking stress.

Read more: 10 holiday booking hacks and tips

Deciding on when to travel and fly (24%), budget (18%) and which destinations to visit (16%) proved to be the biggest causes of friction when couples book holidays together. And the research revealed that, on average, couples spend 105 minutes arguing per holiday booking session.

It was also revealed that 59% of women would not trust their partner to book their holiday by themselves, with nearly one fifth admitting that their partner doesn’t know them well enough to book a holiday they would enjoy.

Men, on the other hand, proved to be a little more trusting, with 60% having confidence in their partner to plan their holiday alone.

Flight Centre claims these stresses have been pivotal in the rise in shorter trips, as almost 20% couples say they are forced to book shorter breaks, because longer holidays take too much time, effort and stress on their relationship to organise.

Read more: Take a short break with these no-fly holidays

All this stress shouldn’t stop you from travelling, mind – it’s clinically proven that holidays help you live longer, after all.