85% of Brits demand adventure and discovery as holiday must-haves in 2016
20 Jan 2016
Holidaymakers choose exclusive experiences over all-inclusive trips and budget just under £1,000 per person for their main holiday this year, says new Travelex research
Brits will make the most of their well-earned breaks this year by planning bigger and bolder holidays. In a survey commissioned by Travelex, 15% of UK holiday makers said they plan to go on an all-inclusive holiday, opting to instead go off the beaten track for a more varied holiday experience.
The survey of 2,000 Brits, revealed that two thirds (62%) expect to go on one to two holidays this year and they plan to make them ones to remember. In fact, the average Brit expects to spend £941 per person on a holiday, more than twice the median fortnightly take-home pay for UK workers.
Nearly half (48%) also say they take 3-6 months to plan the trip. Gone are the days of the hand-holding, package deals – favoured by holidaymakers in tough economic times for providing confidence that they can stick to their budgets and will be looked after if anything goes wrong. Travellers, today, who are enjoying greater economic prosperity than five years ago, seem to prefer to take control of their time off and enjoy the freedom of organising their own adventures.
This research was conducted as part of Travelex’s History of the Holiday feature, to mark the company’s 40th anniversary. It explores how holidays have evolved from their ancient Roman origins through to the present day.
“How we holiday has evolved so much over time - from the day trips to seaside towns by train to now spending up to half a year planning the worldwide trip of a lifetime,” says Elvin Eldic, Head of Retail for Travelex UK. “Our ambitions now are to visit the far and wide, which changes our expectations of what we want to get out of our time away. Today, we want to plan our own routes cross countries as well as in and around cities, making the very most of our holidays and exploring what the world has to offer.”
Brits get some satisfaction from ‘Swinging Sixties’
When asked to pick a time in history to travel back to visit, Brits voted the ‘Swinging Sixties’ as the most popular decade. Ancient Rome came a close second, with the younger generation stating this would be the era they would most like to journey back to.
With its explosion of popular culture, its significant moments in history and shake up of the ‘traditional’, the Sixties were a time of exciting change. The decade was daring; pushing boundaries and exploring new territories - Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969, the miniskirt arrived on the fashion scene in 1962, the first James Bond film was screened and politics were questioned by Martin Luther King and David Frost. Evidently, Brits’ yearning to journey back to the Sixties ties back to their desire for adventure, freedom and exciting, new experiences wanted from their holidays today.
Jetting off to the sun
Escaping the great British weather to soak up some sun was top of UK holiday goers’ lists when it comes to taking time off. Beach holidays were voted the most popular across all age categories whilst staycations and ski holidays came in last. Scots were found to be the biggest jet-setters, topping the charts as the region most likely to go on 7-8 holidays a year.
However, it’s not just a week in the sun Brits are after; it’s experience too. More than half of respondents (51%) said they expect to be holidaying in space by 2116.