A new study of Britons who frequently travel for their job has revealed that they spend an average of just 90 minutes interacting or spending time with other people during a typical 24 hour period of business travel.
More than half of business travellers have felt too uncomfortable or embarrassed to eat alone in a restaurant, and instead opted to have dinner by themselves in their hotel room, according to new research.
The poll, conducted on behalf of leading aparthotel provider Staycity Aparthotels revealed to researchers that they were required to travel alone, either internationally or within the UK, at least once a month or more as part of their job role.
All respondents were initially asked how long their typical business trip to three different territories (UK, Europe & the rest of the world) typically lasted, with 2 days (UK), 4 days (Europe) and 7 days (rest of the world) emerging as the respective average answers. When then asked to estimate how many business meetings, per day, each trip normally consisted of, the average answer emerged as just ‘one’.
All business travellers were then asked to estimate how long, during a 24 hour period, they spent actually interacting or spending time with other people, with the average answer revealed as just 90 minutes. Taking this into account, participants were asked to state all the ways that they were most likely to pass the time when not working during a business trip, with the most common answers emerging as follows:
- Video calling family/friends
- Watching TV/films
- Exploring the local area
- Reading/browsing the internet
- Listening to music
What’s more, 4 per cent shared that they’d passed the time when on a business travel trip by cleaning up after themselves in their accommodation, and 3 per cent had taken to a dating or friendship finding app in order to find people to spend time with during their stay in the destination.
When asked to disclose how they were most likely to find somewhere to eat dinner whilst travelling alone for business, more than half of individuals confessed to researchers that they’d previously been too uncomfortable or embarrassed to venture to a restaurant by themselves, and preferred to order a takeaway and eat in their hotel room instead.
Jason Delany, Director of Brand, Product & Marketing at Staycity Aparthotels, made the following comments about the findings of the study:
“Business travel, be it domestic or international, is a requirement of many job roles, and despite huge technological developments that allow us to organise conference calls with colleagues and associates from countries around the world, sometimes a face-to-face meeting is essential.
“It’s somewhat surprising to see just how little time those travelling for work will spend interacting with others, and how long they are alone. The fear of eating alone in a restaurant is also one that seems to plague many; although, in our opinion, after a couple of solo dining experiences, any trepidation about being stared at by others seems to disappear and eating alone will feel perfectly normal. However, finding self-catering accommodation for business travel can offer a lot more flexibility in terms of cooking along in the comfort of your own space and having a home-from-home feel. ”