It has always been maths that has been the most unpopular subject in school, but it seems that geography is no favourite either. According to a new study by British Airways Holidays, one in three Brits who book holidays have absolutely no idea where they are going in a geographical sense. The name might be familiar but ask them to locate it on a map and it is a different story.
Of the 2,000 people questioned, a quarter of those who travelled to Spain last year had trouble placing it on a map. Many of those who were unable to locate Spain believed it to be France.
Over half of those who went to Cyprus had no idea where it was and often confused it with mainland Greece. Portugal also left many people guessing, with as many as 31% pointing to France on the map. A further 36% of people couldn’t quite find the Netherlands on the map and instead pointed to Denmark.
However, the most shocking of the geographical omissions had to be Ireland. An unbelievable 24 % of people who had been to the Emerald Isle in the last year had trouble finding it on a map.
Claire Bentley, spokesperson for British Airways Holidays said: “This research shows people are going to all the effort of booking themselves a lovely holiday abroad, and yet so many have absolutely no idea of where they are actually going. It is surprising to think that people are prepared to spend their hard earned wages on a holiday, without researching something as important as its location.”
It looks like next year when booking a holiday, as well as making sure you have travel insurance, it might be a good idea to get an atlas out and find out where you are going before you set off.
Date Created: 22/08/2013
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