British holidaymakers the biggest worriers about leaving their homes

81 per cent of UK holidaymakers worry about their property when away

British holidaymakers are the most worried about leaving their homes unattended while they are away, according to a new international study from Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting.

Its research among 8,000 adults across six countries, USA, Germany, UK, France, the Netherlands and Sweden – found it was the British who are the most concerned about home security issues while they’re away sunning themselves.

With four in five British holidaymakers (81 per cent) admitting to some kind of holiday worry while away, more than one in three (36 per cent) say they would worry about passers-by seeing that their house was unoccupied, compared to 28 per cent in the Netherlands, 25 per cent of Americans, 23 per cent of Germans and just 17 per cent of Swedish and French holidaymakers.

The British are also most likely to fear revealing that their home is empty by posting on social media, with more than one in four (27 per cent) expressing concern over this. Just 20 per cent of Americans, 17 per cent of Dutch holidaymakers, 13 per cent of Swedes and 12 per cent of French and German tourists are concerned about revealing too much on social media.

Being burgled is the top concern for all holidaymakers with over half of Brits (53 per cent) saying they fear a break-in while they are away, slightly more than tourists from Sweden (52 per cent), Germany and France (51 per cent), the Netherlands (47 per cent) and the US (41 per cent).

The research shows holidaymakers are open to using smart home technology to ease their holiday worries, with almost half of Brits (46 per cent) stating they would take comfort from being able to automate their lights in their home while away by using their mobile phone.

Forty-eight per cent would feel less worried if they could access their home security system via their phone, and 50 per cent if they had a home security system that was connected to their lights, sound system and appliances, so they would receive an alert when the lights were switched on, for example.

“Holidays are supposed to be a time to unwind, kick back and relax, but for many their minds are still full of worries over things like the security of their home. Our findings suggest that holidaymakers are open to using smart home technology as a means of protecting their home, and this can be an effective way of easing holiday stress levels,” said Sridhar Kumaraswamy, Business Leader Connected Home Systems at Philips Lighting.