Canadians reveal their worst travel habits in new survey

Being on vacation is the perfect time to relax, kick back, and let yourself get a little crazier than you usually would. Unfortunately, it's also the time when many Canadians (and other travellers from around the world) indulge in some bad habits.

Travel Zoo conducted a survey of nearly 10,000 travellers from Canada, U.S., Germany, China and the U.K., and found that we're all pretty guilty when it comes to breaking social rules while on holiday.

That's just gross

Ahh, peeing in the pool: people talk about it, but no one claims to have done it. Obviously that colour-changing chemical is just a myth, because 58 per cent of Canadians surveyed admitted to tinkling while swimming in a pool or the ocean. On the bright side, Canadians aren't the worst offenders here: 64 per cent of Americans surveyed have done it, too. We're still worse than the Brits, Germans and Chinese though: only 46 per cent, 44 per cent, and 41 per cent respectively admit to it.

Help yourself?

When it comes to getting what we want, Canadians aren't afraid to go for that brass ring. It appears that Canadians are the most likely group out of the nationalities surveyed to call dibs on lounge chairs at the beach or poolside when staying at a resort by leaving a towel on it. 64 per cent admitted to being lounge chair hogs, compared to 59 per cent of Americans, 40 per cent of Chinese, 33 per cent of Brits and 33 per cent of Germans.

We're also no slouches when it comes to stocking up on hotel toiletries, either. 63 per cent of Canadians have taken hotel toiletries, slippers or robes, eked out only by the Americans (69 per cent). It's not nearly as common for travellers from the U.K. (45 per cent) or Germany (20 per cent), although Chinese travellers aren't far behind us at 61 per cent.

Working for the weekend

Many of us spend our days at work dreaming of our next upcoming vacation, but does it interfere with getting the job done? It's certainly possible, since 64 per cent of Canadians admit to doing vacation research during work hours. That isn't as prevalent as in China, where 70 per cent say they spend time searching for that perfect travel deal, or 67 per cent of americans. You're less likely to catch Brits or Germans doing it though, only 40 and 38 per cent of which say they've done research while working.

Once we're actually on vacation, though, we're at least better about being honest on when we're coming home. When asked if they had ever called in sick to extend a vacation by an extra day, only 16 per cent of Canadians had done it, in line with 16 per cent of Chinese, 15 per cent of British and 10 per cent of German travellers. It appears to be a tactic more commonly used by American travellers, as 24 per cent of our neighbours to the south admit to having played hookey for a little more fun in the sun.

Honesty is the best policy

Canadians lose no points when it comes to being honest about where they go on vacation and what they do while they're there. Only 2 per cent of Canadians have cheated on a partner while on vacation, the lowest out of any of the groups asked (10 per cent of Germans say they've done it, along with 5 per cent of Chinese, 4 per cent of British and 3 per cent of American travellers).

Germans are also the most likely to pop into a tanning salon upon return from a trip, with 7 per cent saying they've fake-baked to impress people with their "vacation" tan. Six per cent of U.K. travellers say they've done the same, as have 4 per cent of Americans, 4 per cent of Canadians, and 2 per cent of Chinese travellers.

What's your worst travel habit, or the worst one you've seen? Share in the comments.