TripAdvisor Beach and Pool Etiquette Survey for 2010
TripAdvisor provided some interesting findings from its annual beach and pool etiquette survey of more than 2,000 U.S. travelers. Here is a list of some of the findings on the most common and most annoying beach and pool etiquette violations.
Most Common Beach and Pool Etiquette Violations
Blasting loud music - 22%
Beach chair hogging - 18%
Urinating in the water - 14%
Most Annoying Beach or Pool Etiquette Violations
Blasting loud music - 26%
Urinating in the water - 15%
Beach chair hogging - 14%
TripAdvisor notes that smoking ranked as the second-biggest pet peeve in 2009, but dropped off this year's list of top annoyances. Still, 83 percent believe smoking should be banned around the pool, while 64 percent maintain that it should be disallowed at the beach.
Skimpy Swimwear
35% think it's a violation of beach and pool etiquette for men to wear speedos, while 29% think the same of women clad in skimpy bikinis.
34% say speedos should not be worn at any age, while 9% maintain they're a no-go only for men over the age of 40.
13% believe bikinis should not be worn by women over the age of 40, while 10% think they're inappropriate at any age.
75% think it's acceptable for women to go topless at the beach or pool in countries where it's culturally the norm.
18% think it's unacceptable for women to go topless at the beach or pool in any destination.
Alcohol at the Beach
71% of respondents said that alcohol should be permitted on the sand. However, 11% say public intoxication is the most annoying waterside violation.
28% think it's acceptable to enter the pool when under the influence of alcohol.
24% maintain that it's acceptable to take a dip in the ocean after drinking.
27% think it's fine to hop in to the hot tub when under the influence.
65% consider it to be unacceptable to enter any of the above under the influence.
Zoning Out Kids and Pets
63% think there should be designated child-free areas.
82% maintain there should be pet-free areas.
8% are all for having women-only areas.
7% would like there to be men-only areas.
Water Babies
52% of travelers think it violates etiquette for parents to change their child's diapers in public at the pool or beach.
85% think it's unacceptable for a young child to go in the pool without a diaper on.
61% think it's unacceptable for a young child to go in the ocean au naturel.
Beach and Pool Etiquette: Essential Do's and Don'ts:
Don't ask a stranger to help apply suntan lotion: 77% of travelers think this is unacceptable.
Don’t be a chair hog: 85% think it's unacceptable to get up early and leave stuff unaccompanied on beachside or poolside chairs for hours on end.
Do have a shower before entering the pool: 32% think it violates etiquette not to rinse off (39% confess to rarely doing so).
Do keep your distance: 26% maintain that at a crowded beach, travelers should sit at least six feet away from other strangers - while on an uncrowded stretch of sand, 38% think it's in order to sit at least 20 feet away.
