Holidays 'haunted by pressures at home'

Britons on holiday may not be relaxing as much as they should be, a new study has found.

American Express Travellers Cheques polled over 2,000 holidaymakers and found that 70 per cent of them worry about things at home while abroad.

These worries ranged from the rising cost of living in the UK due to the credit crunch to falling house prices, perhaps for those trying to sell their homes.

Some 33 per cent said they were concerned about being burgled while they were soaking up the sun and nine per cent reported being stressed about redundancy.

Meanwhile, others fretted about not being able to keep their trim figure amid all the holiday indulgence and six per cent of men worried about whether or not their partner still loved them.

Sarah Harrison, director at American Express Travellers Cheques, said: "A holiday should be a time for rest and relaxation. However, as our research has shown, additional stresses and pressures of home are often difficult to leave behind."

Last month, Keith Maxwell of insurance provider MORE TH>N offered some tips on how to avoid being worried about what might be going on in the office while on holiday.

He suggested ensuring all loose ends are tied up before leaving so they do not play on the mind, telling bosses about holidays in advance so that cover can be organised and leaving precise instructions as to what needs to be done.