Photo Credit: Hideaki Hamada
With the economy still going up and down it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get much better anytime soon. However, that isn’t stopping us Brits from going away on holiday. Despite the government’s austerity measures (or perhaps even because of them) and the fact that there isn’t much spare cash floating around, most families ensure that they enjoy at least – one holiday per year.
With a trend that has confused some people, it also seems that the package holiday is back in fashion. We being the internet generation have found the web has made it so easy to arrange our own holidays, book our own flights and accommodation. Over recent years the trend has been to cut out the travel agent and save some money in the process. It is also much more flexible not to be tied down to a conventional holiday package.
Now it seems that the pendulum is swinging back in the opposite direction. Last year nearly half of holidays taken abroad were package deals; almost half as many again as in the previous year, and the trend seems to be continuing in this year. The reasons for this appear to be a general disenchantment with the budget airlines and particularly with hidden charges and poor customer services, along with the increased financial security of package over do-it-yourself holiday deals. Moreover the trust element comes into play when booking a holiday via a travel agent. The majority of us aren’t experts at what holidays are cheap, what places are up and coming and where you can find the best deals. We feel often that package holiday providers ‘know best’ and that in-turn with the hidden costs you can find yourself lumbered with when booking your own flights – many argue that the trend back towards package holidays is unsurprising.
While most of us want to enjoy a family holiday, we are still looking for ways to do so without exceeding our household budgets which are getting increasingly tight. There is nothing like a good deal, which is why we seem to be falling in love with reward schemes that we can convert into money off holiday and flight deals, for instance store reward cards and credit card Avios. Such schemes mean that we don’t need to do anything different in terms of our life styles; we simply need to sign up to them and carry on as normal.
Perhaps this is why many families can afford to take more than one holiday abroad every year. The current average number of overseas holidays that people take is 1.4 a year; not quite as many as five years ago, but still quite a high number. People who are between 16 and 35 take the most holidays. This age group includes people without commitments and families with young children, and they are also the ones who are most likely to book last minute holidays in order to get a bargain deal.
Holidays are very important; they allow us to spend quality time with our families and friends and to recharge our batteries leaving us better equipped to face the future.
This is a guest post by Claire Chat a new Londoner, travel passionate and animal lover. She blogs about Pets and Travelling in Europe. If you want Claire to write you specific content, you can find email her here or contact her on Twitter (Claire_Chat).
