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Not so long ago, the weary tourist would head off on holiday for the simple pleasures of recharging their batteries, topping up their tan and relaxing on a sun-lounger. Now, it seems, we are more likely to spend our time away catching up online with friends and acquaintances than gaze at the horizon or the contents of a good book. A new study has found that the average holidaymaker spends at least an hour a day of their down-time logging on to social media portals or checking other favourite websites. In fact, so obsessed are we with the online world that a new holiday annoyance – hotels and resorts charging for wi-fi access – has joined the more familiar worries that can have travellers reaching for complaint forms and their booking terms and conditions. The survey was conducted by accommodation group Thistle Hotels, which asked 2000 people about their regular holiday peeves. The top frustration was still the issue symbolised by the manic face of Basil Fawlty, with 69 per cent of those questioned saying rude hotel staff were their key bone of contention. Arriving at your resort to find that your room is still being cleaned, and is not ready, was the second most common concern – suggested by 45 per cent of respondees. But a sign of changing times is there at number three, with a very modern complaint – being forced to pay for wi-fi – causing grumbles with over a third of people (38 per cent). | 
