A new survey by Saily shows unsupervised children and uncovered coughing are among the travel habits that annoy Aussies most.

Ironically, few things unite travellers more than their shared irritation towards other people. The toddler running up and down the plane aisle. The stranger talking at a volume normally reserved for emergency announcements. And – how could we forget – the classic poolside manoeuvre of reserving a sun lounger with a towel for hours without actually using it.  

A new survey commissioned by Travel eSIM app Saily has revealed exactly which travel habits Australians find hardest to tolerate – and, rather awkwardly, how many of those habits they admit to committing themselves. The app asked more than 16,000 people across 17 countries which travel behaviours annoy them most, including more than 1000 Australians. But not everyone casting judgment is entirely blameless. 

Unsupervised children and uncovered coughs and sneezes share the dubious honour of topping the list, each getting under the skin of 50 per cent of Aussies surveyed. The former was also the leading travel irritation globally, coming in at 52 per cent. Loud arguments, reclined seats and people talking at full volume round out the top five pet peeves among Aussies in transit.  

Once the holiday actually begins, the irritations shift from the plane cabin to the beach and pool. Leaving rubbish on the sand is the biggest offence, cited by 51 per cent of Australian respondents, followed by unsupervised children at 43 per cent. Loud voices in quiet places, blaring music in public and hogging a pool chair with a towel for hours are also among the holiday habits that irk our population the most.  

But there is a wrinkle in all this righteous indignation: while it is easy to point fingers, Australians are not entirely innocent themselves. According to the survey, nearly half (48 per cent) admit to chatting to strangers on a journey. More than a third take off their shoes on planes. And almost a quarter are on their feet before the plane has properly stopped moving.  

And these are just the self-reported habits. So, before judging the person loudly discussing their holiday plans three rows back, it may be worth checking whether you are, in fact, the issue. 

“We surveyed more than 16,000 people to find out which travellers test our patience the most. Most people don’t think they are the problem, but many of us admit to habits that could easily become somebody else’s story about an awful flight," says Vykintas Maknickas, CEO of Saily. 

There is another revealing detail in the survey results. For all our irritation, Australians are not especially keen on doing anything about it. Only one in eight Australian respondents would actually ask someone to stop their annoying habit and 34 per cent said they would never intervene. In short, it seems we’d rather seethe in silence than speak up.  

Australia’s top 5 travel pet peeves

1. Unsupervised children (50%) 
2. Coughing or sneezing without covering up (50%) 
3. Arguing loudly (49%) 
4. Reclining their seat too far back (48%) 
5. Talking at full volume (47%) 

Australia’s top 5 pet peeves while on holidays

1. Leaving rubbish on the beach (51%) 
2. Unsupervised children (43%) 
3. Talking loudly in quiet places (40%) 
4.  Playing music loudly in public spaces (36%) 
5. Claiming pool chairs with towels for hours without using them (34%)