Lounge lizards: Brits are one of the laziest nationalities on holiday

When it comes to holidays Brits prefer a good book and great food over being active in the water or on the beach, research reveals.

Brits primarily have rest and relaxation on their minds when it comes to holidays, with 92 per cent preferring a calm destination for their getaway. 

Only 13 per cent feel excited at the thought of partying on holiday. In contrast 87 per cent of Brazilians look to let loose while on a beach holiday.  

Brits are also the laziest when it comes to activities, with fewer than 19 per cent taking part in swimming, surfing and water sports, football, jogging or beach volleyball, compared to 34 per cent of Mexicans, 29 per cent of Malaysians and 27 per cent of Austrians. 

While we seek to do as little as possible on the beach, we do look for diversity in the places we visit. 

The greatest influence on Brits’ choice of beach holiday is the desire to visit somewhere new (76 per cent); ideally with a good book (62 per cent) and good food (43 per cent). 

Walking and swimming are the top two activities of choice for British holiday makers, but spending time with our loved ones seems to be the most important thing.

Over 50 per cent said their beach holiday was all about spending time with their family, while 48 per cent said it gave them time to reconnect with their partners.

However 27 per cent said that a beach holiday was actually about spending some relaxing time away from the kids.

And 53 per cent go out of their way to avoid other people's misbehaving children. Another thing we like to steer clear of is smokers - in fact we have the lowest tolerance in Europe for smoking on the beach.

The results from Expedia's Annual Flip Flop Report also found that Brits are willing to make huge sacrifices to ensure they get to take a holiday.

One in four would be prepared to give up their daily coffee or tea for a whole month to get an extra beach holiday. And over 20 per cent said they would be wiling to work weekends for a month to rack up some extra days on the beach.

A shocking 14 per cent would even be prepared to sacrifice their health and have the flu for 48 hours in exchange for more holiday time. 

Most active nations on holiday:

1. India

2. Mexico

3. Malaysia

4. Austria

5. Brazil

6. Germany

7. Canada

8. New Zealand

9. Spain

10. Hong Kong

Least active nations on holiday:

1. Japan

2. Thailand

3. UK

4. South Korea

5. Denmark

6. Sweden

7. Norway

8. Netherlands

9. Ireland

10. Singapore

Expedia has introduced new tools to save time in the search for the right holiday. You can book on the Expedia mobile app and save up to 40% on hotels. New features like Scratchpad save all your searches (whether you’re searching on mobile or desktop) and update them with the latest prices when you come back to your desktop. 

For more information and beach inspiration visit expedia.co.uk.