Mind the Opinion Gap: New KAYAK Study Reveals The British Travellers' Blind Spot in Decision-Making

LONDON, June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

• KAYAK's World of Opinions 2023 study reveals 82% of British travellers have been let down by someone else's travel recommendation 
• Despite this, nearly 70% still rely on opinions from others to guide their travel choices
• The over reliance on external opinions spans across all aspects of life, with majority agreeing major life choices are being guided too much by others

New research by KAYAK, the world's leading travel search engine, uncovers eye-opening stats, highlighting that Brits are far too often easily swayed by the opinions of others when it comes to planning their life and travels - and it's often letting them down.

Revealed in KAYAK's World of Opinions 2023 study that explores the relationship between travel, opinions and perspectives about ourselves and our world, the vast majority (69%) of UK adults are letting the opinions from friends, family and others guide their vacation choices to some extent, while nearly 1 in 4 (24%) have scrapped a holiday plan they wanted to do completely after being influenced by the opinions of others. And when we do let others guide our vacation plans, it often doesn't live up to our expectations, as the majority of Brits (82%) say their opinion of a trip has differed from the recommendation they received.

And this overreliance on popular opinion spans far wider than only travel decisions, it impacts basically all aspects of life, from what we wear and eat, to how we think. In fact, 58% of Brits agree that their major life choices, such as their career, education and other lifestyle preferences, are being guided too much by others around us. 

The main culprit to decision-making struggles? Too many opinions. In an era where social media and constant online discourse dominate our screens, combined with the viewpoints from friends and family, almost half (48%) of Brits say they feel they are exposed to too many opinions, with 72% finding it increasingly hard to know which opinions to trust.

The new findings have been a driving force behind KAYAK's new brand platform, 'Go See for Yourself', which aims to empower travellers to trust their own instincts by exploring the world first hand. As part of the initiative, KAYAK  has teamed up with comedian Maisie Adam to help encourage others to break free from the influence quandary.

Maisie Adam says, "I'm not really one to follow the crowd and I've always prided myself on doing what makes me happy, but even I'll admit I've often asked for holiday recommendations, and I do question what some claim to be a "perfect holiday" because the advice I've been given doesn't exactly always live up to reality! So I would say instead, steer clear of what others tell you to do and go see for yourself. You'll probably have a much better holiday for it!"

Evan Day, KAYAK UK Country Manager, says, "At KAYAK we know visiting new places first-hand empowers people to grow and develop as individuals. And that's not just our opinion. Our research tells us the majority of people believe travelling increases their own curiosity and gives them a new perspective on life. But it seems we have a blind-spot when it comes to decision-making, and as a result, a growing number of travellers are forfeiting personal views and genuine experiences in favour of popular opinion.

That's not to say suggestions from others can't serve as a useful starting point for travel planning, but at the end of the day, it's down to each individual's unique wants and needs. By providing comprehensive travel tools and resources, we're on a mission at KAYAK to not tell people where to go, but to help you find the destinations that are right for you."

For those ready to venture into the unknown and make experiences of their own, the KAYAK Explore feature is a great starting point to find destinations based on your wants and needs. Go see for yourself.

To bring the Go See for Yourself platform to life, KAYAK have released a short film titled 'Think This' which sheds light on the importance of self-exploration and breaking free from others' opinions. To watch the film, learn more about the platform, and read the full World of Opinions study, visit kayak.co.uk/c/go-see-for-yourself.

Additional findings from the study:

• Opinions of family and friends (63%) and other people around us like colleagues and neighbours (34%) generally affect the choices we make in our everyday life the most.
• 72% feel that in recent years, there has been an increasing discrepancy between reality and what we see on social media.
• 73% feel that, in recent years, opinions in society have become more polarised
• Majority (54%) say travelling helps them trust their own beliefs and opinions more

*Research of 1,007 UK adults aged between 18-75 was conducted by Norstat on behalf of KAYAK. Data collection took place between 16th to 25th of May 2023 through an online survey.

ABOUT KAYAK

KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings INC. (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world's leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay and rental car. We also support business travellers with KAYAK for Business, our free corporate travel solution, and are transforming the in-travel experience with our app and new hotel and accommodation software. For more information, visit www.KAYAK.co.uk

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