Holiday Incompatability Syndrome – Passport, Money, Tickets – Check. Husband? Nah!

“Holiday Incompatibility Syndrome” is driving women to leave their husbands at home claim Thelma & Louise and GoLearnTo.com

Women’s online travel community, Thelma & Louise and learning holidays specialist, GoLearnTo.com have revealed that women call the shots when it comes to holidays, and if they don’t get their own way, they will pack their suitcases and leave their spouses behind!

The travel partners conducted research into the theory of “Holiday Incompatibility Syndrome” (HIS), after The Daily Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson described what her travel agent had identified as “a classic case of late-onset HIS” between her and her husband.

When analysing the results, Thelma & Louise and GoLearnTo.com, conceded that whilst women may have vowed to love, honour and obey, this noble sentiment goes out the window when it comes to travel plans.

Only 3 per cent of the women polled, who were married or in long-term relationships, said their partner was the primary decision maker when it comes to choosing a holiday. A hefty 46.5 per cent said the decision was solely theirs, and another 46.5 per cent said they had equal say in their holiday plans.

The research also revealed that the majority of married women are happy to leave their husband or partner at home, with over 74 per cent admitting that they “Always”, “Often” or “Sometimes” holiday separately from their partner.

The root cause of HIS is differing holiday tastes, so the survey asked the married women what their favourite type of holiday was and what type of holiday their partners preferred. The most popular response for women was a “cultural holiday”, with “learning/activity/hobby/sports holiday” a close second. Conversely, their partners preferred an “adventure/volunteering holiday” or a “lazy beach holiday”.

When they do holiday with their partners, compromise is the name of the game, with 56 per cent of women confessing that they “Always”, “Often” or “Sometimes” compromise in order to accommodate the tastes of your regular travel companion.

“Compromise is a great thing in most facets of life, but holidays are extremely precious,” says Thelma & Louise co-founder, Christine Davies. “The time we have to take holidays and the money we have to spend are both scarce.”

““Men and women often have very divergent holiday tastes. I was inspired to launch Thelma & Louise after my own husband refused to come with me on a back-packers’ tour of the Northern Territory in Australia.  I found a female travel buddy online who shared my ambition to climb Ayers Rock and off we went, leaving my husband behind to enjoy his luxury, Sydney hotel.”

“At Thelma & Louise we witness a great many married or attached members joining the community to find a female travel companion because their husband or partner doesn’t share the same dream or holiday interests as them.  The husbands don’t tend to mind when their wife sets off on an adventure because they feel reassured that their wife is travelling with a like-minded, female companion she has met through Thelma & Louise, rather than setting off into the unknown, alone.”

Vanessa Lenssen, founder of learning holiday specialist, GoLearnTo.com, added “80 per cent of our customers are solo travellers, and a staggering 85 per cent of this category are women. This has grown from 68 per cent in the past three years. Women seem to be far more eager to get out there, socialise and learn new skills.”

“Every person has different holiday tastes, but our learning holidays specialise in offering inspirational courses, where members of the group soon become friends with like-minded people, who do share travel and activity passions.”

Christine Davies sums up the findings by saying, “Women’s appetite for travel is ever increasing, and it seems no man will get in their way of good holiday. There is so much to discover around the world, and sometimes compromise is not an option. Thelma & Louise offers a safe way for women to find their ideal travel companion, and GoLearnTo.com’s wide range of holiday courses have something to inspire the travel bug in anyone.”

Thelma & Louise is a free, online community where women, friendship and travel come together. GoLearnTo.com has teamed up with the women’s online travel community and members now have access to exclusive offers and discounts on GoLearnTo.com holidays. The offers are updated every week in the “Trip Ideas” section of www.thelmandlouise.com and range from Pilates in France and Spanish lessons in Costa Rica, to dancing in Argentina and sailing courses in Australia.