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The ‘Safety Tax’: women change their behaviour on holiday despite feeling safe
Holiday Extras research for International Women’s Day finds Switzerland tops the list for feeling “very safe” — but over half of women still adapt how they behave abroad.
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British women are paying a hidden “Safety Tax” when they travel — changing how they act, dress and move around, even in destinations where they report feeling safe.
New research from Holiday Extras, based on a survey of 1,000 UK women who recently travelled overseas, reveals a 37.8% average gap between feeling safe and acting freely. Holiday Extras has called this gap the Safety Tax — the extra mental and behavioural effort women make to “purchase” peace of mind abroad.
While 81.4% of women said they felt safe overall on their last trip, more than half (51.6%) said they changed their behaviour specifically because they are women.
The destinations where women feel safest
When asked how safe they felt overall as a woman, Switzerland ranked highest by a considerable margin:
Top destinations for feeling “very safe”:
Switzerland: 83.3%
Portugal: 59.0%
United Arab Emirates / Dubai: 57.1%
Malta: 54.5%
Croatia: 50.0%
Romania was another notable performer, with seven in ten women (70%) saying they did not change their behaviour at all — the highest of any destination surveyed.
Where women adapt their behaviour most
Overall, just under half of women (48.4%) said they did not change their behaviour while abroad. That means a majority did.
The most common adjustments were:
Avoided going out alone: 16.2%
Felt the need to stay constantly alert: 10.8%
Limited night-time activities: 8.3%
Avoided certain areas or transport: 6.3%
Changed what I wore: 4.9%
Some destinations saw particularly high levels of behavioural change. In Croatia and Morocco, only 25% said they did not change their behaviour. In Egypt, that figure was 30.4%.
In the UAE and Dubai, nearly one in five women (19%) said they changed what they wore. In Egypt the same was true for 17.4%, and in Morocco 14.3%.
Meanwhile, 14.3% of women visiting Morocco said they experienced unwanted attention or harassment, the highest figure recorded in the survey.
A confidence gap
While 40.8% of women said they felt “very safe” on their last trip, 40.6% said they felt only “somewhat safe”. A further 9.5% felt neutral or unsafe.
This suggests that although outright fear is uncommon, many women still travel with heightened awareness.
Elizabeth Hogg, Chief Operating Officer at Holiday Extras, said:
“It is hugely positive that so many women feel safe when they travel. Switzerland, Portugal and Malta in particular stand out as destinations where women feel very confident.
“But what is striking is that more than half of women still adjust their behaviour while abroad. That might mean avoiding going out alone, staying extra alert or even changing how they dress.
“Feeling safe and feeling completely free are not always the same thing. International Women’s Day is an important reminder that confidence and peace of mind matter just as much as statistics when women choose where to travel.”
Notes to Editors
1. Method: Survey of 1,000 UK women who had recently travelled overseas. Respondents were asked about their most recent overseas destination, how safe they felt overall as a woman, and whether they changed their behaviour specifically because they are a woman.
2. Safety Tax: The “Safety Tax” refers to the gap between feeling safe and acting freely, based on self-reported behaviour changes.
About Holiday Extras
About Holiday Extras
Holiday Extras is the European market leader in airport parking, airport hotels, worldwide airport lounges, destination car hire, airport transfers and holiday insurance. Established in 1983, Holiday Extras helps more than 11 million travellers have a better holiday every year. Flextras ensures it is easy and free to cancel or change bookings. The company has been listed eleven times in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For.
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