November 2006

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Brits are booking last minute winter holidays as 9 out of 10 still have holiday to take this year

‘USE IT OR LOSE IT’ BRITS GO TRAVEL MAD AS NINE OUT OF 10 STILL HAVE HOLIDAY TO TAKE THIS YEAR
- One in four still have 10 or more days holiday to take before the end of the year
- One fifth of Brits are booking last minute winter holidays

New research from travel insurer, MORE TH>N, reveals that with six weeks to go until the end of the year, nine out of 10 working Brits have still not taken all their 2006 holiday entitlement, as they’re too hard at work.

One in four (25 per cent) still have more than 10 days of their holiday entitlement remaining, and nearly half have more than six days left. However, over a fifth (22 per cent) of people surveyed said that they were too busy for a proper break and 29 per cent said they will be unable to use their full allowance for the year. Of these, five per cent said they risked losing their remaining holiday altogether and a quarter (24 per cent) said they intended to carry days over into next year’s allowance.

However, more than a fifth of workers are frantically booking breaks before the year end in an effort to use as much leave as possible before it’s lost. As a result, 2.5 million people say they will probably end up visiting destinations they wouldn’t usually choose, and a further 1.7 million say they fear they’ll blow the budget on breaks they hadn’t planned for – potentially adding more stress in the lead-up to Christmas.

MORE TH>N’s research also shows that as the days shorten and the temperatures begin to drop, almost one in 10 (nine per cent) more organised Brits are planning ahead, setting aside annual leave and extra cash so that they are able to jet off to far-flung and exotic locations and escape the British winter. Four million sun-seekers say they are willing to pay more and travel further than they would on their summer breaks in order to get away from the cold and top up their tan.

Favourite spots for sun-starved Brits include Spain, the destination of choice for more than 5 million of them last winter, France with 4.4 million visitors, and Italy with 1.3 million1. And although these more traditional holiday destinations will always be popular, many travellers are becoming more adventurous and travelling much further afield when choosing their winter holiday locations. Since 2000, visits to the Middle East by Britons over the winter months have increased by 23 per cent, Australia by 39 per cent, New Zealand by 78 per cent, and South Africa by a massive 83 per cent2.

Despite such a surge in holidays off the beaten track, far too many holiday-makers are still not doing anything to protect themselves from harm while they’re away. One in eight travellers fail to take out travel insurance, with the worst offenders being 17-25 year-olds – one in six claim they never take out travel insurance, either because they forget or simply think they don’t need it. A further 13 per cent rely on their home insurance and European health insurance card.

Keira Clark, head of travel insurance for MORE TH>N, said: “Brits are avid travellers and we often find ourselves in quite far-flung and exotic locations, even when the holiday is planned last minute. Whether breaks are planned well in advance or in an eleventh hour rush, we urge everyone travelling abroad to make sure they have adequate holiday insurance to cover any eventuality.”

The average travel claim is over £7003 yet MORE TH>N travel insurance starts from as little as £8.93 for a single trip and £30.45 for annual cover. For more information on MORE TH>N travel insurance phone 0800 300 866 or visit HYPERLINK http://www.morethan.com/travel www.morethan.com/travel .

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