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• 1. At 08:48am on 23 Jul 2009, zeldalicious wrote:

  SOME Brits deserve the reputation without doubt. I am embarrased by the behaviour of some of my fellow countrymen/women and if I am lucky enough to be able to go abroad, I avoid like the plague anywhere there are 'Brit resorts' with Brit themed pubs, restaurants etc etc. I have no idea what the answer to the problem is but it's definitely endemic in parts of our society. I have never understood the 'can't have a good time unless you are out of your face' mentality and I never will.

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• 2. At 09:12am on 23 Jul 2009, littleskiathos wrote:

  99% of out of your head people I see abroad are Brits, but just don't blame the young ones.I mainly holiday on the Greek islands and the adults, even those with young children feel they aren't having fun unless they are legless/loud & throwing up especially at hotel bars.I to am amazed that at the airports in Britain even early in the morning that they are drinking alcohol.I try to avoid anywhere where Brits congregate abroad and much prefer to search out the local people. I may be lucky but in all the time I have been holidaying abroad I haven't come across other nationalties young or old who behave the way the brits do. I'm ashamed to be British abroad.

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• 3. At 09:16am on 23 Jul 2009, mccaff1 wrote:

  It is true that there is a drinking culture in the UK that should be discouraged. But, holiday resorts popular with younger people attract those people for that very fact & then exploit them because.of it They ply them with cheap shots & encourage them to part with their money then complain bitterly about drunken Brits. Holiday company's do the same thing. The problem is even more prevalent in the UK. Local bars & pubs, particulary those with bouncers on the door attract the younger clientele. Again they ply them with cheap shots of strong liquour. When they become drunk they sling them out into the street, often quite brutally, & then they become the problem of the local police & the local community. The people who sell the alchohol so recklessley should be held equally accountable. Some time ago if a young person, or almost any person for that matter, was found to be drunk & disorderly the second per in trouble would be the landlord or club who sold them the drinks when they were clearly intoxicated. It is not supermarkets nor local pubs that are to blame for this problem.

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• 4. At 09:18am on 23 Jul 2009, JRB9019 wrote:

  The question is "why can't Brits behave abroad?" - why would those Brits who can't behave at home behave any differently abroad?????

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• 5. At 09:23am on 23 Jul 2009, ziplewis wrote:

  I've traveled extensively and I've witnessed this type of behaviour on a number occaisions.......and in my experience it is not exclusively a British phenomena. I've been verbally abused by two coach loads of drunken US young people when i complained to them about noise, shared a dorm with a group of Israelis who vomited out of the window and a young man from Belgian man who urinated in a font

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• 6. At 09:25am on 23 Jul 2009, facchettiburnich wrote:

  Because Brits can't behave at home either. Have you been out at night lately? And if it is tolerated here, why would anyone modify his or her behaviour when on holiday -- when the whole point is to set aside whatever remaining inhibitions might be latent.
  
  Clearly many Brits shook loose their "shame" gene somewhere along the line. This makes it "OK" for many, if not most, to drink past the point of self-control. Indeed "losing it" appears is the very objective of the binge.
  
  I grew up in Africa, where drinking hard was a rite of passage, but the point of it was to demonstrate one's ability to handle whatever demons were released: which meant remaining upright and not dissolving into a puking mess. On arriving in the UK I was astonished to realise that this outcome, which I had grown up to consider a shameful stain, was considered almost obligatory and certainly not disapproved of.
  
  Of course the corollary in Africa was that if you picked up an injury in while inebriated, you paid to fix it out of your own pocket. Here drunks know they will land on an NHS feather-bed, which is a crying shame for the rest of us.
  
  A growing number of Brits can't handle their drink without becoming an anti-social nuisance. The sooner you find your "shame" gene again the better for the whole of Europe in summer.

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• 7. At 09:28am on 23 Jul 2009, nervous_pilchard wrote:

  sorry, as a Brit, I refuse to take all the responsibility. I think it perhaps should rest on the shoulders of western society. In the USA, you see Americans misbehaving in Mexico, and in Australia, they mis-behave in their own country...... i think there needs to be a change in culture, and should start with pushing the responsibility with the Governments and Drink companies!

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• 8. At 09:35am on 23 Jul 2009, Fortalezataff wrote:

  I've been in Spain for 12 years and spent two and a half years in Crete previously and in that time I have worked or visited a variety of the infamous resorts. Brits are by far the worst behaved, and it is wrong to lay the blame for the trouble at the door of young binge drinkers. I've seen Brits of all ages behave disgracefully when abroad and nearly always through alcohol. Fighting, damage of property, abuse, total disregard of the local people and culture - not to mention the public sex acts. It is hard for long term residents like myself who have integrated well into Spanish life for always being apologists for the scandalous behaviour of Brits abroad.

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• 9. At 09:45am on 23 Jul 2009, tone1947 wrote:

  I dont think the Brtish drink culture needs to be discouraged but rather changed, be more responsible. Neither do I believe either the Govt or drink companies are to blame. Beer and all other types of drink are sold everywhere, but why is there a need to attain drunkenness or leglessness as quickly as possible.
  I work in Hamburg, and I see the same the same problem most weekends. Brit groups arrive, rucksack into the hotel or wherever then hit the bars fast. So when most Germans(not all, its not perfect) are still partying late into the night and early morning, Brits stand out as drunken visitors

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• 10. At 09:46am on 23 Jul 2009, Nick Vinehill wrote:

  The reason why a small minority of 'Brits' misbehave abroad is because it's quite probable they misbehave at home as well!
  
  This minority are probably so indoctrinated by this 'our nation' 'them and us' culture where the UK mainstream media don't waste any time playing the nationalist card to eschew serious reporting that they feel when abroad in a holiday mood they have the right to practice their ingrained prejudices and passions!
  
  It's not a cross border or foreign related issue. It's more of a domestic UK political problem!

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• 11. At 10:52am on 23 Jul 2009, ziplewis wrote:

  I found Matthew's comments to be distasteful and deeply seated in prejudice. In my experience, his suggestion that this type of behaviour being characteristic of young working class, footballing supporting, poorly educated men is wrong
  
  I've had the 'pleasure' of being in the company of a particular university Rugby Union team.......(this university is one of three located in a city in the North West of England and does have a football team sponsored by Carlsburg) I watched them play a drinking game, was subjected to a succession of sexist, homophobic and racist songs, and witnessed 15 men drop their trousers simultaneously.
  
  Maybe Matthew considers this type of behaviour to be an example of good humoured high spirits

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• 12. At 11:36am on 23 Jul 2009, andy42g wrote:

  The last couple of times I've flown (out of Leeds/Bradford) it's been on cheap flights early morning along with people obviously off to Spain or wherever. Both times I've been in the departure lounge (and we are talking pre 7 am here) to find the bar full of people boozing. Seems the Brit attitude is that package holidays = drinking.
  I guess though that the average brit (like me) would condemn their countryman's bad behaviour abroad and yet be at least a little bit guilty of it themselves at some point.

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• 13. At 2:02pm on 23 Jul 2009, steelpulse wrote:

  Half Jamaican me openly admitted on the earlier thread I was not very good as an athlete. 45 years ago.
  
  And Asafa Powell just seemingly told me off along with other athletes seemingly.
  
  "We in Jamaica have a different mindset when it comes to training" say the admittedly brilliant man. Jamaica produced Usain Bolt too didn't it?
  
  Different mind set? You don't say? lol
  
  Ok. If I every visit Jamaica Asafa me lad, I will train harder. A half Briton behaving abroad sort of - but I have medical evidence my legs are full of English blood and don't accept what my mind tells them to do.
  
  So Bana Boat song like - though I wont be "back for many a day" when I get to Jamaica - watch out you two. Wonderful names though.
  
  Usa-in Bolt? Asafa Powell?
  
  Powell? 'e knocked - by my heroes. No offence anyone.lol
  
  

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• 14. At 5:12pm on 23 Jul 2009, Pennyred1959 wrote:

  arrived at Malaga airport at 11.30 pm to be greeted by a group of teenagers shouting, singing and climbing on the luggage carrousels. i hung my head in shame then realised ... they were Spanish.

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• 15. At 6:37pm on 23 Jul 2009, steelpulse wrote:

  I am afraid we are fixated - on Great Britain and its alleged problems and advantages.
  
  Why do young people all over the world misbehave when away together with their mates?
  
  Many countrys have problems too in this area - nationals going normally - short distances overseas to misbehave. Perhaps their version of drinking "For Great Britain".
  
  Drink - cheap drink and its after effect.
  
  I understand from that Greek area BBC TV news covered at 1.00pm today - "shots" of spirits are normally given with the drinks. Why? This stuff is said to be locally made and a bit rough - allegedly.
  
  Those consuming cannot reportedly handle the regularly beer and lager etc without shots of spirits to help them along towards boorishness.
  
  Talk of think for Great Britain.
  
  Subject: desmond loses action
  Anagram: Scions Dna - so let demo

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• 16. At 8:50pm on 23 Jul 2009, steelpulse wrote:

  The Proms 2009. I hear my own music as usual.
  
  Raves?
  
  Three years of head banging and on it goes.
  
  Subject: and champions the unknown - may we have more please
  Anagram: Rave mayhem, Woe - please - Cad kin month - Onus hen - pawn

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• 17. At 9:32pm on 23 Jul 2009, Rustigjongens wrote:

  I have just come back from a trip to Crete and from my experience it is clear that the Dutch, Germans, Greeks and British all have young and old citizens who seem intent on getting totally wrecked.
  
  Due to the nature of my job I travel around Europe, this has allowed me to interact with many different Europeans of many different countries, and guess what?, young adults in all European countries behave in a way that would shame their parents. Recalling my own youth I must admit that my drinking habits would have my mom less than impressed with me.
  
  The actual BBC report itself is biased, if the BBC reporter had visited a resort dominated by the Dutch for instance, they would have seen exactly the same drunken behaviour as that they highlighted by visiting a British dominated resort.
  
  Indeed this week I was in Warsaw where they have special buildings designed for drunks who cannot make it home, the Polish have huge problems with alcholic related crime, yet when was the last time a BBC reporter bothered to report this?.
  
  In Belgium you will also find huge problems with youngsters drinking too much alcohol, as you will if you visit any of the Scandanavian countries, again where is the balanced BBC article discussing their alcoholic problems?.
  
  And before someone attacks me, no I do not condone the loutish behaviour of some of our fellow British travellers.

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• 18. At 07:48am on 24 Jul 2009, beachball64 wrote:

  In a previous life, i used to travel in Europe a fair bit for work. Because i look like a photofit for a football hooligan, i used to be excessively polite and considerate in my behaviour to compensate. It nearly always worked. The one time it didn't was when i was in Vienna during an England game. With the locals that knew me, there was no problem. However, in other places i visited that weekend, there was a certain amount of fear and open hostility. It was easy to see why.
  
  There were England fans acting like knuckle dragging morons wherever you looked. By lunchtime, they were tanked up, chanting and goading the locals. None of this behaviour was necessary or desirable. The Viennese are nice, polite, pleasant people who live in a restrained environment. If we were decent, considerate travellers, we would find out about the place we are visiting and behave accordingly. I cannot comment about the holiday experience so much, because i tend to holiday in the same quiet place every couple of years, which doesn't get many loutish British Tourists. Occasionally some Scandinavians act up a bit, but the local Police make sure it only happens once. There is no chance i am going to say where it is.

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• 19. At 3:48pm on 24 Jul 2009, TarikF wrote:

  Brits can and do behave abroad, as much as we can behave at home! So much emphasis is placed upon bad behavior, as ever, by the media. I'm working on a project with vinspired on breaking down these stereotypes, called Voicebox - we're trying to get to the heart of what 16-25 year olds think about and do. Whether it be carrying knives or starting fights on a Spanish beach front. We're trying to get their thoughts heard and we want the people at the top to take a proper look at what they've got to say.
  
  Take a peek here:
  
  http://voicebox.vinspired.com/
  
  Thanks

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• 20. At 12:41pm on 27 Jul 2009, wendymann wrote:

  the uk is the dustbin of europe, drugs, booze, teeny pregnancies, violence, crime, prisoners, bse, swine flu etc etc
  
  thats why many in media /govt etc seek second homes abroad .. and live of the fat of the land whilst they can ..

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