Almost a third (31%) of people confessed to having chucked a sickie (or planned to do so) to extend a long weekend, and Easter was the second most likely holiday to do so, according to a survey conducted by NRMA travel.
Gen Y were most likely to chuck a sickie (48 per cent said they'd done it or planned to), and was significantly more likely to go on a short trip at least once a year (72%).
The survey revealed more than half (55%) planned to head away on an Easter weekend trip, with a beach getaway the most likely destination (34%).
The NRMA travel survey, while not designed to encourage sickies, has been launched to raise the profile of the appeal of domestic tourism in Australia and people's travel habits.
NRMA is one of Australia's largest domestic tourism operators, owning holiday parks across Australia, including Treasure Island Holiday Park which was ranked Best Australian Hotel for Families by Trip Advisor for 2017, as well as Travelodge Hotels, the Kurrajong Hotel in Canberra, as well as SIXT.
NRMA Executive General Manager, Travel and Touring, Paul Davies said while the organisation didn't promote people taking 'sickies', it did encourage people to take advantage of the long weekend or school holidays to explore some of the incredible destinations in our own backyard.
"This research indicates that domestic trips are so appealing people are willing to go to all sorts of lengths to get out and about," Mr Davies said.
"Long weekend trips are great fun but we know that people don't need to take sickies to enjoy them – Aussies have 134 million annual leave days stockpiled so we encourage people to do the right thing and use that annual leave to enjoy time away with family and friends in Australia.
"We know that driving holidays are gaining popularity, and the survey results proved just that with two in three telling us they preferred to travel by car for a long weekend getaway, and at least once a year," Mr Davies said.
"NRMA's strategy is to promote and invest in domestic tourism, which is one of the reasons we have reached an agreement to acquire Australian Tourist Park Management (ATPM).
"We have some of the world's best holiday destinations in Australia; visiting them supports local tourism and local economies and one of the best ways to do that is by jumping in the car to discover those destinations for yourself."
The survey also found:
- When going on a driving holiday, alarmingly, only 38 per cent of women thought they were the better driver than their partner, while 84 per cent of men thought they were a better driver than their partner
- The key reason to go on a long weekend trip (50%) was to spend quality time with friends or family
- Seventy-seven per cent plan to keep kids subdued while travelling with technology (tablets, DVDs, talking books)