UK Ferry Tickets

British backpackers drink twice as much in Australia as they would normally at home, according to new research.

Officials at the University of New South Wales in Sydney interviewed 1,000 British travellers and nearly half of them admitted to drinking five or more times a week when in Australia, while only 20 per cent said they would do the same back home.

This is no great surprise and I certainly wouldn’t limit it to backpackers in Australia. It probably applies to anyone on holiday.

Co-incidentally, I’ve just spent a month in Australia, watching our lamentable cricket team getting hammered. I was travelling with friends and there were only two days out of the month when we didn’t have a drink.

I don’t get drunk – I’m too old for that – but when you’re watching cricket in the sun it’s natural to have a beer. Also, we were staying in hotels, so went out for something to eat every night – and inevitably had a drink.

At home during the week I would never have a drink during the day, because I have to work in the afternoon. And I rarely drink during a ‘school night’, again because I need to be fully functioning the next day.

But holidays are different, aren’t they? We relax, get up late and do all the things we haven’t got time for at home.

How much do you drink on holiday?

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

Wednesday, January 31st, 2007