Name-dropping exotic countries they’ve never visited and citing sites they’ve never seen - the little white travel lies told by British holidaymakers are being exposed.

New research from easyCar.com reveals close to one in six (15 per cent) Brits have told fibs about their travel experiences to impress someone.

In fact just under half (45 per cent) of ‘countries visited’ are actually just airport stopovers, with men found guilty in particular (11 per cent) of embellishing their jet set lifestyles.

However, no longer satisfied with make believe, a staggering 87 per cent of Brits would prefer a holiday where they can get off the beaten track, and explore the world’s lesser known beauty spots. 

And with more than two fifths (43 per cent) planning a road trip in the next 12 months, drivers believe this is the best way to discover those hidden gems.

More than one in 10 (12 per cent) believe a car is the most cost effective way to travel abroad with 62 per cent loving it for the freedom it affords.

The most popular destinations for a road trip include the USA (26 per cent), through the outback of Australia (10 per cent) and across Canada (six per cent). Although 50,000* young Brits wish to explore more exotic destinations such as India and Chile by car, the UK’s silver foxes would prefer to drive across their own home soil (over 300,000**).

With Olympic fever hitting our screens this summer, China is high on the list of road trip destinations with over 270,000*** British females wanting to discover the huge country by car.

Bill Jones, CEO of easyCar.com, said: “As it becomes simple to visit far flung destinations, people’s perceptions of a ‘well-travelled’ individual changes - and some holidaymakers feel the need to bend the truth. However the kudos now is to get off the beaten track and hit the road, especially visiting somewhere like the USA which has a vast array of landscapes and environments to explore.”

Notes to Editors

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2,094 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th - 14th July 2008.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

* Assuming there are 5,190,494 UK adults aged between 18-24 years old (ref Office of Statistics estimation 2008), one per cent wish to take a road trip across India or Chile.  One per cent of 5,190,494  is 51,905 people.

** Assuming there are 15,270,146 UK adults aged 55 years old and above (ref Office of Statistics estimation 2008), two per cent wish to take a road trip across the UK.  Two per cent of 15,270,146 is 305,403 people.

*** Assuming there are 27,693,269 UK females (ref Office of Statistics estimation 2008), one per cent wish to take a road trip across the UK.  One per cent of 27,693,269 is 276,933 people.