A holiday doesn’t start the moment you enter an airport terminal - Ismail Mulla

It would be unfair to have a go at people for wanting to get away from their troubles for a few days. Three out of five people are planning on having a holiday this year, with one in three of the 2,000 surveyed actually opting for a break in the UK.

Two in five of those planning a UK holiday said they wanted to avoid the stress of travelling overseas.

This brings me to one of my biggest bug bears when it comes to holidays - the travel. I don’t actually have an issue with jetlag or even waiting around at a departure lounge. Even the bureaucracy and security checks aren’t too much of a problem on a good day.

What really sends my blood pressure racing is other travellers who seem to have this attitude that their holiday begins before they have even entered the airport terminal.

You can understand the giddy enthusiasm of children about to head off on an adventure with their family. But the real issues are caused by grown adults usually clad in flip flops, shorts and sombreros, even though it is minus one outside the airport.

I try to avoid flying out at Christmas. I much prefer working through the holiday period, where you can get your head down while others make merry. But this year I decided to take a few days off over Christmas to visit family in the UAE.

Upon entering Manchester Airport, I felt a knot in my stomach. The queue for those who had checked in online was so long that it had just been amalgamated with those who hadn’t.

Why do airlines even bother with online check-in when there’s no queuing privileges for those of us flying in economy class? You don’t even get the luxury of picking seats on busy flights because everyone is checking in online.

Anyway, after joining the snaking queue, I noticed that the sombreros were already causing trouble at the desk.

Passengers who had not packed properly or bothered to check their luggage before leaving home were causing bottlenecks. How can you leave for the airport without checking that you have what you need or that your luggage is within the allowance?

Then there is the dreaded process of having to go through security. With the din of airport staff attempting their best army drill sergeant routines swirling through the air, the majority of passengers know what to do.

Belts off, jewellery off, no liquids no bigger than 100ml and packed in a clear bag, phones and other electronic devices also to be sent through the scanner.

Instead of getting ready while queuing, I saw passengers taking selfies, playing games consoles, filing fingernails, doing anything but being prepared for security checks.

What bewilders me is the surprise that they express when security staff have to hold them (and other passengers behind them) back.

It would be forgivable if these are first-time passengers but I’d hazard a guess that many who do cause bottlenecks through security have flown before. They’re either too ignorant or arrogant to mend their ways.

This time round I did have to ask for clarification. I took my laptop with me so that I could do a bit of work while abroad. The standard procedure used to be that you’d have to take laptops out of bags. But I was told the new scanners meant there was no need.

Even on the aircraft some passengers don’t understand the meaning of civility. Yes, it’s important to move around when you get a chance, especially on a long flight.

But there’s nothing in the guidance that says you are to treat the cabin as if it is your front room. I feel sorry for the crew that has to navigate the flotsam and jetsam that is strewn all over the plane. I feel even more sorry for the ground crew that has to clear up some of these people’s mess.

The reality is that a lot of the stress would be taken out of travel if people just behaved in a more considered manner and remembered that their holiday does not start the moment they enter the airport terminal.