Britain's holiday freeloaders
Last updated at 18:12 11 September 2007
Friends, at least until a return visit is due...
Add a comment below...Those on freebie holidays frequently fail to match their friends' and family's generosity, it was revealed today.
More than two in five people regularly take advantage of free accommodation abroad but only 43 per cent of them invite their hosts to their own homes, a survey by Barclays Buying Abroad found.
A quarter of the "freeloaders" do not even bother to wash the sheets after their stay, while 53 per cent leave merely a thank-you card or a small gift to show their appreciation.
As many as 13 per cent of those polled maintain friendships just to take advantage of free accommodation, while 44 per cent eat some or all the food left in the accommodation and 36 per cent get stuck into the alcohol.
It is estimated that Britons save around £4 billion a year by staying for free somewhere. A Barclays Buying Abroad spokesman said: "Following trends set by celebrities, Britons now have no qualms about taking up offers of free holiday accommodation from friends and family or even casual acquaintances.
"When it come to showing our appreciation for this generosity, however, it seems we leave a little to be desired."
Most watched News videos
- New video shows Epstein laughing and chasing young women
- Epstein describes himself as a 'tier one' sexual predator
- Buddhist monks in Thailand caught with a stash of porn
- Sarah Ferguson 'took Princesses' to see Epstein after prison
- Jenna Bush Hager in tears over disappearance of Nancy Guthrie
- Skier dressed as Chewbacca brutally beaten in mass brawl
- Forth Bridge fireball fall into village streets
- China unveils 'Star Wars' warship that can deploy unmanned jets
- Inside London's terrifying crimewave as gangs target high end stores
- Amazon driver's furious rant about deliveries captured on ring camera
- British Airways passengers turn flight into a church service
- Shock footage of civil unrest in remote community of Wadeye
