It would seem Britons are becoming closer to their work colleagues, as a new poll by a leading online independent travel agency has revealed that going on holiday with co-workers is becoming a popular trend. 1 in 10, 9%, have been away on a holiday with someone they work with.

Holiday habits of people around the UK are forever changing, as a new study by a leading online independent travel agency has revealed. Almost 1 in 10 employed people who took part in the poll claimed they had been abroad on holiday with at least one of their work colleagues.

The findings were part of a study by www.sunshine.co.uk, which carried out the poll in a bid to discover more about who exactly Britons are choosing as their holiday buddies in this day and age. 1,283 people in full time employment in the UK took part in the study and respondents were asked questions about their previous holidays.

Respondents were asked about their holidays and who they had previously been abroad on a vacation with. Those taking part in the poll could pick from a list of possible answers and could select more than one choice, if applicable.

According to the poll, the most common ‘holiday buddies’ of people around the UK are as follows;

1.    Family         89%
2.    Partner         61%
3.    Friends         59%
4.    Colleagues     9%
5.    Alone           2%

The respondents who said they had been on holiday with work colleagues in the past were asked to explain how that had come about. 44% said they had become ‘very good friends’ whilst working together and 4% admitted they had taken advantage of a work-related event abroad and turned it into a bit of a holiday.

Chris Brown, co-founder of sunshine.co.uk, commented on the findings;

“It can only be a good thing that you get on so well with your colleagues that you can face going on holiday together. I think it’s a good sign that so many co-workers go abroad together, but it must be a bit of a nightmare getting time off at the same time, particularly in smaller companies!

“We obviously expected most people to have been on holiday with friends and family, but weren’t expecting quite so many to have said they’ve actually been away with colleagues before. I suppose it helps if you’re friends before you start working together, but then again you spend so much time with the people that you work with, it’s easy to see why close bonds are formed!”