The phenomenon of early-risers bagsying the best poolside seats splits opinion, with some saying the practice should be banned and others arguing that all’s fair in sun-tanning and war
While the rest of the world’s tourists enjoy a lie-in, Brits abroad are often up at the crack of dawn for one reason and one reason only: to lay their towel on a sunbed, and in doing so, plant their flag into the battlefield that is the hotel resort poolside.
And a top psychologist has now revealed why us Brits are so desperate to claim top sunbathing real estate. Could it be a hangover from our Imperial past? Or maybe we just love a tan more than the rest of the world? Well, apparently not.
Instead, top German psychologist Barbara Horvatits-Ebner revealed that British tourists’ desperation for a sunbed comes from a sub-conscious need to belong, a sort of Freudian FOMO if you will.
“It’s often about the fear of missing out or not fitting in” explained the German to travel website reisereporter.
“Many act out of a desire to avoid failure – and that provides security.”
So in other words, the reason we’re up at the crack of dawn to bagsy the best poolside spot is because we don’t want to feel like we’re a let-down.
A HolidayCheck survey sheds light on the scale of this phenomenon: 38% of people believe sunbed reserving is on the rise, a trend they attribute to growing competition for prime poolside spots.
Alarmingly, 25% admit to using the “towel trick” themselves, despite 62% labeling it as inconsiderate behavior.
The survey, conducted among 1,200 respondents, also reveals that 53% want hotels to enforce clear rules, such as set times for occupying loungers, to curb the chaos.
Even more striking, 14% confess to taking matters into their own hands by removing others’ towels to claim a spot.
Surely we can all agree this is a step too far in the great battle for a poolside deckchair, or maybe anything goes when it comes to securing that summer tan?
Well, according to the self-described ‘King of sunbeds’ Johnny Seifert, whose hot-takes on holiday etiquette have amassed him 1000s of followers, the unwritten rule of towel snatching is that you’ve got to wait at least one hour before removal.
“I’d keep an eye on the clock for an hour, and if nobody shows up, sorry – it’s my sunbed now.
“You can always play innocent and say you didn’t realise it was taken.”
As for which sun-beds to take, Johnny recomends taking a circle of deckchairs as opposed to a row, “so you’re not shouting down a line”.
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