match.com break the silence on British couples holiday heartbreaks

Despite months of planning their dream holiday, the annual summer escape can often end in blazing rows, separation and even divorce for many couples, reveals new research from match.com and expedia.co.uk.



The new research by online dating experts match.com and Expedia.co.uk, the UK’s leading online travel website, discovered that nearly half of Brits (42%) have fought with their partners whilst on holiday, with over one in ten (12%) couples splitting up while abroad. One percent of married couples in Britain admit to applying for a divorce after falling out with each other on holiday.



The research revealed a failure to compromise on the type of holiday along with issues around money, socialising and an inability to switch off from work caused the biggest flare-ups between couples on holiday. While almost a quarter of Brits (22%) highlighted that testing the local tipple was an important way to relax whilst on holiday, 26% said the number one reason they fight with their partner on holiday is because he over indulges.



Kate Taylor, relationship expert at match.com explained: “With Brits working such long hours these days, holidays can become tension time bombs as couples are suddenly thrown together for long periods of time. Expectations are often blown out of proportion as both people feel the holiday has to be perfect or it’s a sure sign the relationship is on the rocks.”



Other key findings from the survey included:



– Spending time together – Women want more special time together whilst on holiday than men. 62% of women said that spending quality time alone tops the list of holiday must haves compared to 57% of men.

– Who should pay? Women still expect the men to pay out more money on holiday. 25% of the women surveyed thought their partners were too tight and should splash more cash on them while abroad.

– Compromise holidays – 49% of couples refuse to compromise with each other on holidays – either he gets his way with the type of holiday he prefers, or she does.

– Workaholics – While the majority (83%) of British men say that relaxing is the most important thing for them on holiday, a 25% of British women complained that their partners can’t chill out. Similarly, 13% of women think that men are workaholics objecting to their partners constantly checking their Blackberry. 25% of British men on the other hand, think that women are too lazy and just want to lie around on the beach every day.




Commenting on the findings Alison Couper, Communications Director of Expedia, said: “Summer holidays need not be a disaster for couples – it’s all about better communication and setting expectations. If he wants an adventure holiday to Kilimanjaro and she wants two weeks relaxing in the Maldives there are obviously going to be arguments, but there are several destinations abroad that offer the best of both worlds so we advise couples to shop around to find the ultimate holiday compromise locations.”



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Editor’s Notes

The research was carried out among 1,000 holidaymakers on match.com during May 2008



* Match.com is the UK’s No 1 online dating service according to the Nielsen Netratings calculation of unique visitors in April 2008



About match.com

match.com pioneered online personals when it launched on the Web in 1995 and continues to lead this exciting and evolving category after more than a decade. Today, more than 15 million people around the world participate in the match.com relationship network. match.com operates leading subscription-based online dating sites in 37 countries, in 15 languages, spanning six continents. match.com also powers online dating on MSN across Europe, Asia, the United States and Latin America and is the premier provider of personals for Love@AOL. match.com is an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ:IACI).



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