For most Brits, a holiday isn’t complete without a shortlist of the best historic landmarks and the trendiest restaurants. But new research reveals photography is just as key to the itinerary, with one in 10 Brits taking more than 500 photos on a single trip.

MPB, the world’s largest online platform for used photo and video equipment, surveyed 1,000 British holidaymakers to uncover their holiday habits. On average, Brits spend £136.21 on holiday extras purely for the sake of a photo opportunity, with over a quarter (27%) forking out £200–£500 on a room upgrade alone to make their accommodation more photogenic.

Meanwhile, more than half (54%) have returned to the same spot on holiday multiple times to get a better photo – led by Gen Z (aged 18-29)1, 80% of whom admit to retracing their steps for the perfect shot.

Photography ranks as second most important holiday activity

Photography has overtaken traditional holiday activities as the most important part of a Brit’s trip. Almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents deem “taking photos” an important part of their getaway, second only to “dining at a nice restaurant” on 66%.

Other activities ranked by order of importance include: Visiting museums or cultural sites (63.6%), shopping (63.4%), sightseeing (63.1%), and trying local food (61%).

A further 22% of Brits go as far as to say taking photos is an essential part of their holiday. 

The most photographed holiday subjects, revealed

With a holiday full of new experiences and landscapes, how exactly are Brits spending their time behind the camera?

The survey found that holidaymakers spend an average of 2 hours and 8 minutes a day taking photos on their trip. And almost one in five (19%) spend 4 hours or more doing so - that’s half of a working day.

Gen Z spend the longest behind the camera, averaging 2.86 hours a day, followed by Millennials (aged 30-45) at 2.39 hours, Gen X (aged 46-61) at 1.82 hours, and Baby Boomers (aged 62-80) at 1.65 hours.

Not every subject gets equal attention, though. Brits are most patient when photographing wildlife and beach or landscape scenes, spending 23.28 and 22.88 minutes respectively - nearly 10 minutes longer than they’ll spend capturing an outfit or look (14.03 minutes).

In fact, Brits are such keen holiday photographers that over one in five (21%) post their photos to social media within just a few hours of taking them.

Brits are willing to rearrange holiday plans to photograph golden hour