The biggest barriers to happy travels
Almost two thirds of Aussies regret wasting their holidays by not making the most of travel adventures, new research reveals.
The Booking.com survey of more than 20,000 travellers worldwide showed the key obstacles for Australian travellers are language barriers, finding good accommodation and the fear of unfamiliar situations in foreign countries.
More than a half of the Aussie travellers surveyed felt the best thing about travel was getting outside their comfort zone, but most felt they were not adventurous enough on holiday.
The main barrier holding people back was identified as language barriers, with a third of Aussies stating fears including getting lost, ordering the wrong dish in a local restaurant and struggling to find accommodation. A quarter said they felt anxious about unfamiliar situations when travelling.
When asked what would remove barriers for future trips, they pointed to quality accommodation options, positive reviews from other travellers, and being able to communicate effectively.
A desire to experience new cultures and meet new people were on the wish list of desirables, while the experiences travellers feared but still wanted to try included gourmet adventures, sabbaticals and ancestry trips tracing their heritage.
Nostalgic Aussies said they wanted to go on road trips, backpacker tours and long-distance train journeys in a revisiting of past experiences.
Booking.com has partnered with offline translation specialists ili to deliver a device which translates English into three language outputs – including Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin – in a little as 0.2 seconds without internet connection.
The devices are designed to help with interactions such as asking for directions to locations off the beaten track, ordering food and chatting with the locals.
Pepijn Rijvers of Booking.com said: “Travel can fulfil dreams, exposes us to new experiences, and ultimately enriches our lives for the better.
“As an industry innovator, we are continuously looking for ways to use the latest technologies to take the friction out of travel and empower people to experience the world, and our collaboration with ili is a great example of how we want to enhance the traveller experience, wherever they want to go and whatever they want to do.”
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