In a recent survey conducted on behalf of Insure&Go it seems Aussies know a few life hacks to ease themselves back into the drudgery of working life. I guess we Australians will always find ways to make our lives easier and due to our isolation and the accompanying long travel times we’ve learnt a thing or two about how to minimise the stress of getting back to work.
The survey of 1,000 people revealed that more than half (51%) take an extra day off work, school or their normal routine upon returning from holiday. The figure is an incredible 61% for under 35’s and 55% of those aged 35-54. It seems us old dudes are more resilient at only 41% of over 55’s requiring that extra day.
If you can’t afford that extra day off, a tip I know colleagues of mine always used was to to tag an extra day before and after in your Out Of Office auto-response email so that others think you’ve already left on your last day and give you an extra day to catch up before they start bombarding you with meeting requests.
Another key finding in the survey is that booking a Friday flight home to claim full weekend rest is also a popular tip with 39% of us choosing this option.
Even before checking in on that return journey, prioritising sleep in that last day is a tactic that seems to work with 36% of respondents swearing by it and this is again more prevalent with younger travellers (43% of those under 35). Others find that doing their laundry before you fly home, landing to a clean wardrobe removes one stress from an already full post-holiday to-do list. Others state that maintaining a good exercise routine helps them prepare for the post-holiday crisis
“We know Australians love to travel, but the data suggests the long return flight to Australia can be gruelling for many,” says Madhvi Mishra of Insure&Go. “Consider building small recovery rituals into your travel routine, as this has shown to make the difference between dragging yourself through the first week back and genuinely hitting the ground running.”
When you get home you may be one of the 18% who choose to push through and crash later. For over 55’s that is more like 29% and you guessed it, for under 35’s that figure drops to 10%
How long does it take to get back into the swing of things? The survey found that only 25% of us are right within 24 hours so sorry boss, it seems most of us aren’t up to full speed when we return from travel.
For the nerds amongst us below are the key data tables
When travelling on a long-haul international holiday, what’s your go-to travel hack to feel refreshed and ready for work for when you get home?
By gender & age
| Total | Male | Female | 18–34 | 35–54 | 55–64 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taking an extra day off before returning to work, school or normal routine | 51% | 48% | 54% | 61% | 55% | 41% |
| Returning on a Friday to have a full weekend of rest | 39% | 40% | 38% | 40% | 45% | 32% |
| Prioritising sleep the night before I return or when I return home | 36% | 38% | 34% | 43% | 38% | 27% |
| Getting laundry done before flying home | 16% | 16% | 17% | 24% | 19% | 8% |
| Squeezing in a pre-flight spa session | 6% | 7% | 4% | 9% | 7% | 2% |
| Exercising before or after the flight | 13% | 16% | 10% | 17% | 13% | 9% |
| None, I just push through and crash later | 18% | 19% | 8% | 10% | 14% | 29% |
By state
| NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taking an extra day off before returning to work, school or normal routine | 52% | 52% | 48% | 51% | 44% |
| Returning on a Friday to have a full weekend of rest | 41% | 37% | 40% | 38% | 37% |
| Prioritising sleep the night before I return or when I return home | 41% | 30% | 38% | 33% | 40% |
| Getting laundry done before flying home | 17% | 17% | 16% | 14% | 16% |
| Squeezing in a pre-flight spa session | 6% | 6% | 3% | 6% | 8% |
| Exercising before or after the flight | 16% | 11% | 13% | 6% | 14% |
| None, I just push through and crash later | 16% | 19% | 20% | 18% | 19% |
How long does it usually take you to adjust to your normal routine after returning from a long-haul international trip?
| Total | Male | Female | 18–34 | 35–54 | 55+ | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within 24 hrs | 25% | 30% | 20% | 22% | 22% | 30% | 25% | 19% | 28% | 34% | 23% |
| 2–3 days | 53% | 53% | 54% | 58% | 54% | 48% | 52% | 57% | 54% | 47% | 51% |
| 4–5 days | 11% | 10% | 13% | 12% | 12% | 10% | 11% | 13% | 10% | 12% | 10% |
| About a week | 8% | 5% | 10% | 7% | 10% | 7% | 9% | 8% | 6% | 5% | 8% |
| More than a week | 3% | 2% | 4% | 1% | 2% | 5% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 3% | 8% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
The elder statesman of the EFTM team, Rob has been a long time listener, reader and follower – He’s “Producer Rob” for the EFTM podcast and looks after our social media posts. To be fair, he’s probably the most tech-savvy bloke in the crew too!
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