Random Acts of Kindness Day: discovering the power of kindness

Science has proved it: being kind to others, receiving a kind gesture, or even witnessing something kind has a positive effect on us. To mark Random Act of Kindness Day, Travelodge conducted a survey of 2,000 people to discover how kindness has been key to getting through these trying times.

If there is one amazing thing that has come from the pandemic, it’s kindness and a heightened sense of community. Our survey showed this too, with almost half of Brits surveyed saying that the pandemic has made them a kinder, more giving person. In light of this, we then asked them to nominate their ā€˜Kindness Heroesā€™- someone thatā€™s inspired them with their own acts of kindness. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the late Captain Sir Tom Moore was named as the nationā€™sĀ  ā€˜Kindness Heroā€™ with his incredible Ā£33 million fundraising efforts for NHS charities cementing an enduring legacy of kindness, as well as the number one spot in our list.

Other inspirational people named include footballer Marcus Rashford with his passionate campaign to end child poverty, Six year old Frank Mills who stole the nationā€™s heart with his fundraising efforts walking 10 meters a day with his frame, Chief Medical Officer Chris Witty with his key role in the UKā€™s response to the pandemic, and the Body Coach Joe Wicks with his motivational ā€˜P.E. with Joeā€™ workouts helping to keep children and adults all around the country moving and exercising at home.

RankKindness Hero
1Captain Sir Tom Moore
2Marcus Rashford
3Frank Mills
4Chris Witty
5Joe Wicks
6Annamarie Plas
7David Attenborough
8Prince William & Duchess of Cambridge
9Rishi Sunak
10The Queen

The kindness doesnā€™t stop with just one gesture either. Over half of those surveyed have experienced on average three acts of kindness from a stranger during the pandemic with many of them feeling inspired to pass kindness onto someone else. Something as simple as a ā€œhelloā€ from a stranger whilst out on a daily walk proved to be the most uplifting, with other acts such as reaching out to a long lost friend or receiving a joke text or email also proving to be big mood boosters.

What act of kindness brings a smile to your face? Hereā€™s how Random Acts of Kindness have ranked in our survey

RankAct of Kindness
1A stranger said hello whilst taking a walk
2Being greeted with a smile and a 'how are you?' from delivery drivers
3Friends reaching out who haven't spoken in a long time
4Receiving a joke text message or email to cheer someone up
5Donating to food banks
6My friends making regular phone calls to see how I am
7Neighbours asking if we need help with shopping
8Someone in your life telling you how much you mean to them
9People checking in with an elderly neighbour
10A stranger asked if I wanted to go in front of them in the supermarket queue
11Receiving a card from a friend
12Receiving and sending little gifts in the post for/from friends and family
13Strangers asking how I am
14Reminiscing with older family members
15Checking in and being checked on by work colleagues
16Being invited to participate in a zoom quiz
17A motivational text message from a friend
18Receiving and sending flowers to friends and family to cheer them up
19Complimenting or being complimented by a work colleague
20Receiving an unexpected good morning/ good night message or phone call

And itā€™s not only the general public that have been showing acts of kindness, every day our hotel teams across the UK go the extra mile to carry out their own acts of kindness for our guests.Ā 

Recently the hotel manager at Milton Keynes Central Travelodge, Dawn Knight helped a homeless guest called Sandra Vaz with a new start in life as a Travelodge Receptionist. Sophie Owen, our hotel manager at Warrington Central Travelodge rallied her team and local colleagues a few weeks ago to provide urgent accommodation for 40 flood victim families ā€“ who had to evacuate their homes due to the damage caused by storm Christoph. Amanda Skitt the hotel manager at Birmingham Airport Travelodge, and her team helped an elderly distressed couple from Australia who were in their 90ā€™s when they lost their phone and could not contact their family setting them up with a pay as you go phone and prepaid card as well as helping them track down their family telephone numbers. Our hotel teams have gone above and beyond for their guests and communities throughout the pandemic proving that an act of kindness, no matter how small, can go a long way.

A random act of kindness can be something as small as saying a socially distanced hello to a stranger when you pass them on your daily walk, but it can make a real impact on their day. So bring a smile to someoneā€™s face this random act of kindness day.