; sequestering a supermarket's worth of breakfast buffet items in their sun hats; buying a new and more impressive novelty inflatable every year. Do other European nations have such weird holiday habits? Taking the entirety of August off remains an enduring trend in France, Spain and, to some extent, Italy and Greece. But where do they go and what rituals do they indulge in when they get there? Local experts from The Telegraph and beyond share their insights… Packing 'The French are hypochondriacs – expect every medication' The British often have whole new 'Holiday Wardrobes' in their suitcases. The French, says the comedian Tatty Macleod (who grew up in France and whose Edinburgh Fringe show Fugue includes musings on the cross-Channel divide), have other priorities. 'The French are hypochondriacs. They love medication and going to the doctor. On holiday, they're going to have everything. If you cut your finger or get a splinter, they'll have what's needed. We all know it's possible to get ibuprofen in a different country but the French pack it anyway.' 'The Spanish pack their own pillow – and their mother' The Spanish, meanwhile, have their minds on a good siesta. Recent research by the Spanish Society of Neurology suggested that 48 per cent of adults in the country aren't getting enough sleep. That may explain why 'they take their own pillows on holiday,' says Ian Rutter, a recently elected town councillor for tourism and heritage in the Andalucian villages of Moclín and the owner of Granada Cultural Holidays. 'We have a Spanish friend who brings his every time he comes to stay with us. And our neighbours told us they do the same on their travels.' There's one more thing that many Europeans won't travel without: their mums. Multi-generational holidays may be a growing trend in Britain but they've been the norm){kind=link}
From packing parmesan to sporting Speedos, travellers on the Continent have some strange holiday habits – just like us
British people do strange things on holiday. Packing a fortnight’s worth of PG Tips (and despairing if there’s no kettle at the other end to brew it all in); sequestering a supermarket’s worth of breakfast buffet items in their sun hats; buying a new and more impressive novelty inflatable every year.
Do other European nations have such weird holiday habits? Taking the entirety of August off remains an enduring trend in France, Spain and, to some extent, Italy and Greece. But where do they go and what rituals do they indulge in when they get there? Local experts from The Telegraph and beyond share their insights…
The British often have whole new ‘Holiday Wardrobes’ in their suitcases. The French, says the comedian Tatty Macleod (who grew up in France and whose Edinburgh Fringe show Fugue includes musings on the cross-Channel divide), have other priorities.
“The French are hypochondriacs. They love medication and going to the doctor. On holiday, they’re going to have everything. If you cut your finger or get a splinter, they’ll have what’s needed. We all know it’s possible to get ibuprofen in a different country but the French pack it anyway.”