Escape survey reveals one in two Aussie travellers has lied to get free flight upgrade

New data has shed light on the travel habits of Australians, including some cheeky lies travellers use in an attempt to get a free upgrade or score some other freebie.

One in two Australian travellers has either lied to get an upgrade or is guilty of considering it.

Almost 40 per cent said they have been tempted to tell a fib, while 12 per cent have no qualms about claiming it’s a special occasion such as a wedding anniversary or birthday in a bid to score freebies.

Australia’s largest travel brand Escape today launched a nationwide travel survey, designed to discover our real opinions and darkest secrets. A preview of 2000 people has already revealed some tasty titbits.

Half of Australians want to boot babies off planes, with 32 per cent saying they’d book a seat in an adults-only section and 20 per cent admitting they’d opt in if adults-only flights were an option.

The Great Escape Travel Survey news story for Sunday, June 9, Dominique Birouste and Florian Birouste - Picture Supplied

More than a third of us have been scammed overseas, from being overcharged for taxis to being duped into buying a fake visa. And lots of us unleash alter egos on cruise ships, doing things we’d never do on dry land such as eating twice as much as normal, talking to complete strangers and dancing in public.

Paul Ryan, CEO of Australian-owned tour operator Inspiring Vacations, said Australians are unique in that we have an “insatiable appetite for travel” and our style is “resilient and adventurous”.

“And, of course, [we] have a keen eye for value for money when choosing travel experiences,” Mr Ryan said.

Dominique Birouste enjoys a holiday overseas. Picture: Supplied

Domestically, Australians are very clued in about where they want to go most. The NT topped the list, followed by Queensland, and one in 10 people specifically called out Uluru as a bucket-list goal.

“It’s one of the most important cultural landmarks in the world, like going to Rome to see the Vatican,” Dominique Hermo, 32, an avid traveller from Sydney who is yet to see the iconic site in person, said.

There’s strong interest in affordable holidays, with six in 10 respondents having tried camping.

“It’s appealing to pretty much every demographic, especially groups with different budgets,” said Grant

Wilckens, Chief Executive of G’day Group, Australia’s largest holiday park owner and operator.

But the insights don’t stop there.

Half of Gen Y and Gen Z travellers agreed “it’s always cocktail hour somewhere”, while two in five women have no qualms about ordering a morning margarita at the airport, even before 10am.

Founder and CEO of G’day Group Grant Wilckens.

Meanwhile, women are more likely to pack at least one pair of undies for every day they’re away, while men and Boomers are most likely to throw in a few pairs of jocks and wash them on the go.

“We want to uncover Australians' real travel behaviours and attitudes, including the stuff we don’t want to admit to our friends and family,” Escape’s Editorial Director Kerrie McCallum said.

“The initial results in our preview survey have already shown us that Aussies love to lie, especially if it gets them an ultimate upgrade, so we can’t wait to see what other secrets will be revealed.”

For your chance to win $2000 cash, have your say in The Great Escape Travel Survey on

escape.com.au/survey until June 23.

Originally published as Escape survey reveals one in two Aussie travellers has lied to get free flight upgrade