Sunday 17 April 2016

Wotif reveals what ‘drives’ Aussies wild on a trip

  • The backseat driver is the most annoying road trip buddy
  • Many Aussies believe they are the ultimate road trip sing star
  • More than one in ten people admit to being ‘road ragers’ on holidays 
  • Great Ocean Road, Victoria is the most popular road trip journey in Australia (58%) 

School holidays and long weekends are a popular time for a good old fashioned holiday road trip, and according to the Wotif.com‘Roadtrippin’ research, Aussies love nothing better than heading down the open highway despite sharing the trip with backseat drivers, whingers and over packers.

The Wotif.com research found 90% of Australians have taken a road trip as a holiday, with one in four (27%) people revealing the ‘backseat driver’ is the most annoying road trip buddy, followed by the confused navigator (14%) and the ‘are we there yet’ whinger (14%).

Wotif® Travel Specialist Kim Stockham said most of us have nostalgic holiday memories of ‘road tripping’, whether it’s from a getaway along the coast, or a family drive inland filled with the ‘are we there yet’s’.

“With New South Wales school holidays, ANZAC Day long weekend and Queensland’s Labour Day long weekend happening in April and May, it’s a popular time of year to take a road trip and I’m sure plenty of Aussies can relate to the Wotif.com ‘Roadtrippin’ buddy research,” Ms Stockham said.

If you’re making the most of the long weekends or school holidays and going on a road trip, Wotif’s car hire search function makes it easy to find the perfect car rental option for a road trip in Australia, or while you’re overseas.

“If you fly-drive you won’t have to do the return journey by car. My road trip tip is: hire a car and drive to the destination, then swap the car for a plane ride home to get the most out of your time in our great Aussie locations, and reduce the chance of annoying road trip holiday personalities emerging.”

Wotif ‘Roadtrippin’ research reveals the most annoying type of road trip buddies:

1. The ‘backseat’ driver: 27%
They’ll tell you how to drive the entire way.

2. Confused navigator: 14%
Let’s take ALL of the detours.

3. The whinger: 14%
We all have a ‘are we there yet?’ buddy (or child!)

4. I’m on a sleep marathon: 10%
They won’t be much company, as they’ll snooze through the entire road trip.

5. Smartphone devotee: 10%
Glued to their smartphone, they’ll barely come up for air (or notice the stunning scenery!)

6. The constant bathroom breaker: 7%
They’ll double your trip by stopping at EVERY single bathroom.

7. The over packer: 4%
You’ll only just be able to safely see out the rear of the car, as they’ll take up all the car space by packing everything but the kitchen sink.

8. Sticky fingers: 4%
Ew! Your car is going to need a good clean post trip after they’ve eaten their snacks and left fingerprints all over the car.

9. Karaoke car star: 2%
The least annoying and even slightly comical buddy, they’ll bang out all the wrong lyrics to your road trip playlist.

Perhaps the reason why the ‘karaoke car star’ is the least annoying buddy type, is that many Aussies themselves admit their roadtrip ‘holiday self’ loves to bust out a tune while taking a holiday drive.

“The Wotif roadtrippin research revealed 39% of people believe they are the ultimate car trip sing star, admitting there is nothing better than singing along to their favourite tunes on a road trip,” Ms Stockham said.

“Despite holidays being all about escaping the day-to-day, more than one in ten (11%) people admit to being ‘road ragers’ and feeling impatient and easily annoyed by other drivers on the road.

Aussie road trips ‘holiday self’ types:

  • I’m a sing star: 39%
I love nothing better than singing along to my favourite tunes at the top of my voice.
  • All about the etiquette: 34%
I’ll let people in front even when the traffic is back to back and I’ll make a point of using hand signals to show my road appreciation.
  • The firey road rager: 12%
I’m impatient and get easily annoyed by other drivers on the road
  • The multi-tasker: 12%
Red lights are for eating snacks, finding a good radio station and rummaging through my bag.

After some roadtrippin’ inspiration? Wotif.com research reveals Australia’s favourite road trip drives:

The most popular Australian road trip drives:
1. Great Ocean Road, Victoria (58%)
2. Legendary Pacific Coast, (Sydney to Brisbane) (45%)
3. Grand Pacific Drive (Sydney to South Coast NSW) (39%)
4. Great Alpine Road, Victoria (24%)
5. Heritage Highway, Tasmania (21%)
6. Uluru to Kings Canyon, Northern Territory (15%)
7. Gibb River Road, Kimberley Western Australia (5%)

Start planning your next road trip adventure with great accommodation and car hire options locally and around the world at the home of holidays,Wotif.com.

*According to the Wotif ‘Roadtrippin’ research from August 2015 of more than 1,400 Australian respondents.

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