Post-lockdown plans: The top 30 things Britons are most excited to see again soon

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The view from a plane window, a full football stadium, friends around the kitchen table and the INSIDE of their local pub: The top 30 things Britons are most excited to see again soon

  • The No1 sight for Britons is that of friends sitting around their kitchen table
  • 57 per cent claim there are sights that they’ll never take for granted again 
  • Some confessed they are even missing sights that used to annoy them 

By Ted Thornhill, Mailonline Travel Editor

Published: | Updated:

The top 30 things that Britons are desperate to see with their own eyes again have been revealed – and the No.1 sight is that of friends sitting around their kitchen table.

In a survey, 43 per cent of respondents named it as the top sight they couldn’t wait to witness, post-pandemic.

The rest of the top five comprises restaurant menus (second, 40 per cent), the British coast (third, 39 per cent), people without masks on (fourth, 36 per cent) and seeing their own freshly cut hair in a salon mirror (fifth, 33 per cent).

The top 30 things that Britons are desperate to see with their own eyes again have been revealed – and the No.1 sight is that of friends sitting around their kitchen table

The list also includes the inside of their local pub (sixth, 31 per cent), people hugging in the street (seventh, 28 per cent), the view from a plane window (ninth, 27 per cent), a full football stadium (17th, 19 per cent) and a Greek sunset (28th, 12 per cent).

The poll of 1,500 British adults, by Vision Express, revealed that 57 per cent claim there are sights they have not seen for a while that they’ll never take for granted again.

Some confessed they are even missing sights that used to annoy them, such as airport check-in queues, noisy children running riot in restaurants and public spaces, and a queue for drinks in a busy bar.

In the list of things Britons are most excited about seeing again, the view from a plane window is in ninth place

In the list of things Britons are most excited about seeing again, the view from a plane window is in ninth place

Four in ten (43 per cent) of those who took part in the survey admitted they would be making the most of their freedom once restrictions are fully lifted, with 35 per cent vowing to see more famous sights around the world.

As well as spending more time with friends (45 per cent), they are also planning to continue enjoying the outdoors (52 per cent) and visiting UK-based tourist attractions they have not seen before (37 per cent).

The research also explored the sights they are sick of seeing during the pandemic, which included masks littering the street (47 per cent), taking the same local walk over and over (34 per cent) and deserted high streets and town centres (33 per cent).

THE TOP 30 SIGHTS BRITONS CAN’T WAIT TO SEE AGAIN 

1. Friends sitting around my kitchen table – 43%

2. Restaurant menus – 40%

3. The British seaside – 39%

4. People without masks on – 36%

5. My newly cut hair in a salon mirror – 33%

6. The inside of my local pub – 31%

7. People hugging each other – 28%

8. The inside of my friend’s house – 27%

9. The view from a plane window – 27%

10. A busy shopping centre – 25%

11. A busy restaurant – 21%

12. The steps leading up to the plane door – 21%

13. A bustling town centre – 21%

14. The faces of your friends laughing it up in a bar – 20%

15. People shaking hands – 20% 

16. My parents – 19%

17. A full football stadium – 19%

18. A busy gig or festival – 19%

19. Famous landmarks – 17%

20. The inside of an Indian restaurant – 17%

21. Cocktail menus – 17%

22. People kissing each other on both cheeks – 17%

23. A pool with towels and sunbeds laid out – 16%

24. My local pub landlord – 16%

25. My grandchildren – 15%

26. My kids playing with their friends – 15%

27. The inside of a Chinese restaurant – 14%

28. A Greek sunset – 12%

29. A club full of people – 12%

30. Mum cooking a Sunday roast – 10% 

 Source: Vision Express survey

 

 

The inside of the local pub is sixth in the top 30 list of most-wanted post-lockdown sights

The inside of the local pub is sixth in the top 30 list of most-wanted post-lockdown sights

A full football stadium makes the top 20 of most eagerly anticipated sights for Britons

A full football stadium makes the top 20 of most eagerly anticipated sights for Britons

Almost nine in ten (88 per cent) admitted they had spent far too long looking at screens over the past year.

When quizzed about the year ahead, almost two-thirds of Britons (65 per cent) admitted they’re looking forward to spending time seeing close friends and family in person again, with half admitting it’s going to be an emotional experience when they finally reunite.

Dan McGhee, Director of Optical Services at Vision Express, said: ‘We know the past year has been hard on everyone and there has been a lot we have missed, from pubs to our friends and families.

‘The research shows that 88 per cent of the nation admit they’ve spent a lot of time looking at screens over the past year, clocking up an average of eight hours of screen time daily. So it is time for everyone to get outside and enjoy the freedom we now have – whilst still being safe.’