It has always been considered the most romantic gesture of all – but it has emerged being whisked away on a surprise break is every woman’s worst nightmare… because they have no time to prepare. Research carried out among 2,000 women found six out of ten live in fear of being left with little or no time to sort out outfits, purchase necessities and pack properly.
While romantic city breaks or a spot of culture are inevitably welcome treats, the average woman would like almost eight days’ notice in order to prepare properly, from planning her outfits and packing to sorting out work and cancelling prior arrangements.
Results showed that having at least nine outfits is deemed essential for any short break, and one in four said forgetting a key item had dampened their time away.
The research, which was commissioned by British Airways, found women require over 12 hours of crucial preparation to buy everything they need, clear their social diary and gear up to enjoy the perfect break away.
Unfortunately, a disillusioned four in ten said that a romantic trip away ‘just wouldn’t cross their partner’s minds’, while many said that to their partner, ‘being spontaneous meant deciding to have a takeaway’.
Abigail Comber, head of brands at British Airways, said:
“The results emphasise the level of importance women place on getting the preparation before a trip exactly right.
“The element of surprise is clearly a dividing issue amongst British women but what has emerged is that the enjoyment of going away is enhanced if they feel they’ve been given enough time to get excited and can leave knowing things will be OK while they’re gone.
“There are a number of things people feel they have to achieve in order to fully enjoy a trip away and eight days of notice is deemed just about right.”
The average relationship sees women treated to surprise gestures by their partner just twice.
A fifth of women who had been whisked away by their partner felt they weren’t given enough notice before going away, and that low figure might be because a quarter of British women have had a particular surprise their partner planned go completely wrong.
In fact, three in ten would be a little annoyed if a partner sprung a short break away on them without giving them enough notice.
The study found that the average woman needs at least three shopping trips ahead of even the smallest short-haul trip and dedicates over 12 hours to preparing, with seven days and 11 hours stated as the minimum amount of notice a woman needs in order to make the necessary arrangements.
Half of the 2,000 women studied feel baggage restrictions for flying short haul mean they are forced to leave key items at home, while more than a third actually packs a bag several times before their departure date for peace of mind.
Comber of British Airways continued:
“It might not always occur to men just how much preparation their partners put in to any trip away, even if they may only be flying short-haul.
“From researching places to eat and things to do as well as last minute beauty appointments and shopping trips, women have enough to do before they go on holiday.
“With our 23kg checked baggage allowance and two pieces of hand luggage per passenger, they can save time by avoiding the need to constantly re-pack their luggage and enjoy the flight confident that they have all their favourite holiday outfits for any occasion.”
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