Brits abroad…

For years now Brits abroad have been stereotyped as tanked-up shirtless chavs and equally nauseating ladettes. The global image of us as a nation of uncouth lager louts and violent hooligans is unwelcome, but unfortunately true. Every year thousands of 18-30’s spread out across the Mediterranean in the pursuit of sun, shots, sex and general carnage. Unfortunately for us, island communities such as Kos and Ibiza actively encourage the annual ‘Brit abroad’ invasion, because tourism = money and 18-30 year olds have the largest disposable incomes.

Over the years the Brits have invaded every Mediterranean nation under the sun. We’ve landed chavs on Kos, Ibiza, Rhodes, Ayia Nappa, Ios and the Costa del Brit. You name it we’ve been there, downed 24 pints of Carling, and the partied all over it. It’s like a summer epidemic, but this year the government are on the case (please try and holdback the laughter). Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant today warned Brits to take care on their summer expeditions, he stated “Quite often Brits get into trouble with the law, but sometimes they’re the victims of crime as well because they’ve had so much to drink that they don’t know where they end up at the end of the night”. He also warned Brits to ‘take care’ and to ‘know their limits’ especially when out on the town.

Of course the majority of Brits are tarred with this same brush. Most people I know try to avoid the tourist traps and attempt to go native by fully integrating themselves with foreign customs and the language when on vacation. This summer, reports indicate that most UK households will vacation at home instead of heading abroad due to economic constraints and the poor performance of the Pound versus the Euro. Further reports suggest that staycation packages and UK car hire sales have increased massively ahead of the summer holiday period. For those of you planning a staycation take a look at our post on the top 5 UK holiday destinations.