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Original poster

Why are English people always falling from balconies in Spain?

97 replies

Nurseychick · 28/05/2025 13:24

Just seen a second news article about this this week?

It seems to be increasingly common, why?

We have balconies in the UK.

OP posts:
DontTouchRoach · 28/05/2025 17:32

We do have balconies in the UK. That doesn't mean that everyone who stays in a holiday property with a balcony has a balcony at home, though, does it?

I gather the recent story is about a young child, so that's an accident that could happen anywhere.

But in most cases when people fall from hotel balconies abroad, it's people in their late teens/early 20s on holiday with friends who have been drinking very heavily all day in the sun and have possibly taken cocaine. It's not just British people either - happens with tourists from other parts of northern Europe too, especially Germany and the Netherlands.

Ketryne · 28/05/2025 17:34

I read an article a little while ago that said a lot of these budget hotels that appeal to young people on their first holiday abroad without the parents don’t actually have 24 hour receptions. People return drunk, can’t get into the hotel and think they can climb up the side till they find someone to let them in 🤦‍♀️

Ketryne · 28/05/2025 17:48

Think it was this article, although I saw it in the Guardian a few years ago - https://katie-glass.co.uk/Features/Balcony%20%20PDF.pdf

People lose their keys or get locked out and then try and climb back in because there are no staff to help them.

Botanybaby · 28/05/2025 18:06

Because they are drunken idiots and try to climb up them or between them

Emmz1510 · 28/05/2025 18:12

The railings are possibly lower than at home? Plus alcohol/drugs, especially given that some people get inebriated on alcohol or spirits they aren’t used to, and they are often drinking all day on not much food, a feeling of reckless abandon that comes from being on holiday, poor supervision of over-excited children, lowered ability to risk assess, stuff like that.

CosyLemur · 28/05/2025 18:14

Finteq · 28/05/2025 13:38

I think its partly because of the health and safety laws we have in the UK.

We are just used to things being safe and don't look for hazards.

If we grew up in an environment where fences break, and there are multiple accident hazards around every corner people will pay more attention and are more careful.

E.g. someone brought up on a country with pool fences around a pool or a good level of lifeguards at a beach or swimming pool , may take pool safety for granted when abroad.

Edited

Yeah because they don't have health and safety anywhere else but the UK SMFH!

mathanxiety · 28/05/2025 18:32

Middleagedstriker · 28/05/2025 17:03

Let's instantly blame the parents whom we know nothing about. It could just be excited 8 year old ran out on to the balcony and fell.

We have hardly any balconies in the UK and rarely the weather to go out on them if we do

Show quote history

Would an excited yet properly supervised child fall from a balcony though?

Lots of peoole get away with momentary or even prolonged laxity and my heart goes out to the parents, who may have been just tragically unlucky, but that doesn't mean I don't have questions about supervision.

Sugarfish · 28/05/2025 18:40

Climbing from your balcony to your mates was a thing when I was repping. Thankfully it never happened in any hotels I was in.

I had a mate who worked on cruise ships. She said it was mainly the Brits who fell overboard on those as well. And it apparently happens a lot more than gets reported!

TicklishMintDuck · 28/05/2025 18:56

They’re wasted and believe they can fly.

melsid · 29/05/2025 06:02

mindutopia · 28/05/2025 13:43

I think honestly we don’t have balconies here. Even in my years of flat living, I’ve never lived anywhere with a balcony. I think it’s the novelty, combined with guard being down/lack of sensibility on holiday and alcohol/drugs.

Sadly, the same goes even for children, not appreciating the dangers combined with parents likely drinking and in holiday mode.

We live sort of next door to a holiday cottage (it’s not properly next to us but we are the only nearby house). I once woke up from a nap to find the children from the holiday let in my lounge. Apparently, they had climbed into our chicken run to collect the eggs and were bringing them to us. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Which is great, but why are you in my house? When I returned them, the parents were so drunk they were confused and didn’t even realise they’d wandered off. It was about 2pm.

Another time I was literally in the shower and a man from the holiday let next door was outside my bathroom door asking about if we could help them because they couldn’t work out how to unlock the door. He knew we didn’t have anything to do with the house. We already had that conversation earlier in the day and we wished them a lovely holiday. But he found the door a bit sticky to lock and unlock. So he let himself in our house and was outside the bathroom door with the shower obviously running inside asking if we could come help him with the lock. Dh had to come running inside and was like wtaf are you doing?!

I think even without substances involved, a lot of people seem to park their brains at home on holiday.

Edited

How did they let themselves into your home though?

BuildbyNumbere · 29/05/2025 06:52

Get drunk and try to climb from one to the other to get to the room next door.

WillIEverGoOnHoliday · 29/05/2025 08:18

ARainyNightInSoho · 28/05/2025 14:26

This is a strange thing to say. Spain is in the EU. It has just as stringent health and safety laws as the U.K. (maybe more so). It’s not the 1970s any more. The U.K. is not as advanced as you think, in any respect.

Show quote history

Actually it's well ahead (some say too much so) in terms of health and safety. People aren't saying it's a better country, obviously spain is a wonderful, beautiful country with warm, friendly and intelligent people etc. But uk does have strong adherence to safety regulations.

FionMcCool · 29/05/2025 10:45

Look at poor Liam Payne. Drink and drugs sadly.

Rewis · 29/05/2025 11:50

If the reason brits die on these balcony incidences is caused by them not being familiar with balconies. Then why are brits also overrepresented in drowing in canals in the Netherlands? UK seems to have the most extensive canal network in Europe.

Yes, UK might have more extensive health and safety regulations (sometimes good, sometimes ridiculous) but majority of the people dying on these balconies have actively decided to jump. The profile is 24yo drunk Brit.

OP posts:
JohnTheRevelator · 03/06/2025 19:59

All the posters mentioning booze/drugs as a factor,that wouldn't explain the children who've fallen off.

notedbiscuits · 28/06/2025 11:28

Really boils my wee when people don't get any insurance. Even with my medical problems, my insurance for the year costs me about £36.

I think insurance should be compulsory

Tiredofwhataboutery · 28/06/2025 11:35

notedbiscuits · 28/06/2025 11:28

Really boils my wee when people don't get any insurance. Even with my medical problems, my insurance for the year costs me about £36.

I think insurance should be compulsory

Insurance wouldn’t cover you though, it’ll be an exemption due to alchohol, partaking in dangerous activities or something. Slipped going down some steps and your covered but not attempting to shimmy across balconies.

Ginmonkeyagain · 28/06/2025 11:51

Yeah I am pretty sure most insurers would give you short shrift if you tried to claim for falling off a balcony when you were climbing over on to a different balcony in the building.

What the fuck is wrong with these people, have they never seen balconies before?

I imagine the only way an insurer would pay out is if there.was some immediate risk to life and escaping via the blacony was the only viable course of action to avoid serious injury or death.

amicisimma · 28/06/2025 12:21

Dearg · 28/05/2025 14:01

Honestly @Nurseychick , this is in really poor taste. MN members discussing the death of a small child , some in a judgemental way.

Maybe ask for it to be removed?

The propensity of British people in general to fall off balconies in Spain is being discussed here. The OP didn't mention a child.

Would you like to ban discussion of any topic in which a child was once involved in one incident?

notedbiscuits · 28/06/2025 12:26

I think most of the balcony falls are due to the people jumping from one balcony to another or shimmy themselves to the edge, thinking they can climb over. Obviously depending on the design of balcony. Lose their footing…

A friend saw someone fall off a hotel balcony. What they did was to climb over the balcony wall and onto a narrow tile platform which was about the fifth of the way up. Balconies were all in one with a dividing wall between each room. He thought he could side step to the neighbouring room and climb over. The tiles are only decorative not supporting. So he fell

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