Victorians named most likely to 'chuck a sickie' to go on holiday, according to Hotels.com survey

Australians are not afraid to "chuck a sickie" to go on a quick holiday. In fact over 40 per cent of those aged under 35 have admitted to doing so, according to the latest research by accommodation booking site Hotels.com.

"We're all guilty of pulling a sickie here and there," said Katherine Cole, Hotels.com's Regional Director, Australia, New Zealand & Singapore. "For Aussies, it's mostly so we can recharge our batteries."

It appears Gen-Ys are the most likely to skip work for a holiday with 44 per cent of those surveyed between the ages of 25 to 34 years old having faked a sickie. Those aged 65 and above are the next likely age group to take a "sick day" with 19 per cent admitting they have lied to go on a short holiday.

But Australians aren't too careful when it comes to covering their tracks with one in ten persons (11 per cent) having been caught out for pulling a sickie by social media posts or tags, according to the survey.

Friends, family and colleagues are the most likely to expose the secret, with 36 per cent accidently outing it to bosses.

Eighteen per cent of colleagues admitted they reported it to the employer, while 14 per cent of Aussies felt so guilty they actually confessed to taking the sickie. Overall, only 5 per cent of Aussies said they were busted by their employer.

On a state by state basis, the worst offenders were Victorians with two in every five people (39 per cent) admitting they have taken a sick day to take a short trip. Not too far behind were the Queenslanders with 37 per cent having admitted to taking a sickie followed by New South Wales at 33 per cent.

Tasmanians were the least likely to take a sick day to wag work (12 per cent).

Of the Aussies who do "chuck a sickie" 63 per cent are likely to travel locally, while 36 per cent take interstate or international trips.

The top three most popular instate destinations are Sydney (30 percent), Melbourne (22 per cent) and Brisbane (19 per cent), while Singapore (29 per cent), Hong Kong (21 per cent) and Bali (per cent) were the top picks for international travel.