Entertainment-hungry Brits are resorting to some desperate measures to battle rainy day downtime on their holidays, according to new research by Intel.

The survey of over 1,000 people revealed that the average British holidaymaker has thirty-two hours of bad holiday weather time to fill, during which:

· A third (32%) watch local TV in a language they don’t understand whilst 56% re-read old magazines for the second or third time

· 38% call or text friends to find out about the weather at home

· Even when the sun’s shining, 12% admit to getting bored stiff on holiday whilst a further third (31%) can’t bear not being up to date on what’s happening in the world whilst they’re away

Yet the research also reveals one in eight (13%) people are beating the boredom blues by packing their laptops to watch DVDs, listen to music, surf the web and email their mates when the weather turns. All this technology means that 34% now no longer bother sending postcards, preferring instead to text and email friends from round the poolside.

“New technology means more and more people are opting to stay switched on even when they’re ‘turning off’ and relaxing” said Chris Hogg, UK head of Marketing at Intel, who commissioned the research to better understand people’s entertainment needs on holiday.

Boredom Busters

Deprived of sunshine and their usual home entertainment comforts, a third of holidaying Brits end up watching soaps on local non-English TV, whilst 44% borrow a well-thumbed newspaper from two days ago off someone round the pool.

Far from getting away from it all, it seems we’re reminded of home when the holiday clouds roll in, with 38% of people saying they spend the downtime calling or texting their friends… for an update on the weather back in England.

Another third (34%) resort to endless rounds of the same card games whilst one in ten (11%) admit to getting so bored they end up having a blazing row with their partner.

Turn off Switch on

43% said in an ideal world they’d love to be able to have their complete music collections to hand during holiday downtime, whilst 38% would want to be able to instantly check out the news back home.

37% of those surveyed said they’d like to go inside and watch their favourite DVDs when the holiday rain started, whilst a further quarter (25%) wished they could chat with friends on email.

Going Lap-topless?

The research identified that one in eight people (13%) are now taking their laptops on holiday as a way for all the family to tackle rainy day blues.

Other boredom busting gadgets include portable music players (40%), portable DVD players (14%) and Blackberries (3%).

“New super slim designs and the increase in wireless internet ‘hotspots’ mean that packing the laptop is a great option for tackling holiday downtime, whether you want to watch a film, listen to some music tracks, email pictures, research a daytrip or just keep up to speed with the world from your deckchair” added Chris Hogg.

WiFi or wireless internet hotspots can now be found across a range of top holiday destinations, meaning laptop PC users can log on from the slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna, the icy environment of the Barneo Camp on the North Pole, the dreamy coastline of the Cote d’Azur, the enchanted waters of the Venetian Lagoon; from the main square of picturesque Prague, to the historical heritage of Vatican City in Rome.

Laptop PCs now offer the capabilities of a complete ‘entertainment centre’. You can choose the design to suit your style – whether you opt for a ‘ruggedized’ laptop designed to match your action-packed outdoor holiday, like the Panasonic ToughBook*, or a slimline design like the Sony VAIO* T350P/S Notebook. The ability to watch DVDs, listen to your favourite music files, compete in online gaming and upload and send your holiday snapshots means neither you nor your children will stay bored for long!