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How do you know when you’ve fulfilled your partner’s true desires on the day you propose? They say ‘yes’, of course! And later tell family and friends how it was perfectly romantic. We’ve got your romance tick-list on how to set up a proposal holiday this Valentines Day.
We’ve asked over a thousand UK men and women and have uncovered the ideal locations and activities for the ultimate heart-pounding eye-locking moment.
Starting with the focal point, two thirds of people want to see the ring actually presented, while just under half are happy with a gesture ring, where you choose the actual engagement ring together at a later date. Make sure to pack it, and consider insuring it.
You’ll want to break eye contact for a moment, look up, take a big breath and enjoy the moment; so no wonder the ideal place for a proposal was overwhelming a stunning landscape or significant landmark. And if you think the theatre or a theme park is a significant landmark, you’d be wrong. A great restaurant is a safer bet if you’re not sure.
While the difference between whether it was a city break or a beach break didn’t seem to matter, an adrenaline/activity based holiday was way, way, way down the list, so best not propose jumping off a roof or at a basketball game like these people did.
Don’t worry about trying to be too original. Going somewhere you’ve always wanted to or know well from past trips seems to warm the heart because Paris is number one on the list for both men and women. In fact, both the sexes seem to enjoy the cities you knew they would. Venice, New York, and Rome are all winners.
You can find out more on the survey below, for those who don't necessarily have the desire to read our results line by line, we created this fun infographic with the highlights!
The Research
Objective: The research has been conducted to find out Valentines travel preferences for both males and females.
Methodology: The survey was conducted by Aurora Market Research from the 28th to 31st January 2014.
Respondents: This report summarizes the responses from 1,062 individuals - 518 males and 514 females.
The Questions We Asked & The Answers We Got
If you were planning on proposing, or hoping to be proposed to on holiday, what would be your ideal trip?
| Ideal Trip | Male | Female |
| City Break | 24% | 30% |
| Beach holiday | 28% | 27% |
| Stay closer to home | 19% | 22% |
| A cruise holiday | 13% | 16% |
| A touring holiday | 6% | 9% |
| Activity/Adrenaline holiday | 3% | 2% |
If you were proposing or being proposed to on holiday, would you rather...
| Would you rather... | Male | Female |
| Have the actual ring with you / presented to you | 63% | 61% |
| Present or be presented with a gesture ring, and choose the actual engagement ring together at a later date | 37% | 39% |
What would be your ideal place for a proposal?
| Ideal place for proposal | Male | Female |
| A stunning landscape | 38% | 47% |
| A significant landmark | 20% | 20% |
| A great restaurant | 22% | 16% |
| Somewhere else | 12% | 12% |
| A spa | 2% | 2% |
| A theme park | 3% | 2% |
| Theatre/cultural event | 2% | 1% |
What would be your ideal city break for a proposal or a romantic weekend away?
| Ideal city for proposal | Male | Female |
| Paris | 23% | 22% |
| Venice | 17% | 19% |
| New York | 16% | 18% |
| Rome | 12% | 14% |
| Somewhere else | 12% | 11% |
| London | 7% | 7% |
| Edinburgh | 5% | 4% |
| Amsterdam | 4% | 2% |
| Prague | 3% | 4% |
If you were planning on proposing, or hoping to be proposed to on an activity holiday, what would be your ideal activity holiday for a proposal?
| Preferred activity | Male | Female |
| Something less energetic | 55% | 65% |
| Sailing | 10% | 10% |
| Trekking | 9% | 7% |
| Scuba diving | 8% | 6% |
| Skiing | 5% | 3% |
| Sky diving | 5% | 2% |
| Rock climbing | 3% | 3% |
| Bungee jumping | 3% | 6% |
| Other activity | 3% | 4% |
To get you started, here’s a very original yet simple proposal in New York’s Central Park you can be inspired by.