Home or away? How to maximise your annual leave using bank holidays and Jan-Feb travel guide
The long stretch between the Christmas break and the first half term of a new year can seem to span forever. Whether you're looking to getaway to sunnier climes or pack up the family and explore a corner of the UK, we've got you covered up next. Here's our guide to holidaying in the first few months of twenty twenty four.
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00:00 Our bookings, our holiday extras bookings for January so far are around 11% up or double
00:07 what they were this time last year.
00:10 And therefore yes, February half term will be the first sort of holiday time when families
00:15 can go away, typically for the winter sun or ski season.
00:19 Bookings are really strong so far.
00:22 Booking in advance is the best way of securing the best trip for the best price.
00:26 So we'd encourage all potential travellers to book in advance and book early for the
00:31 trip you're looking for.
00:32 New research has shown that almost 14 million people booked elements of their foreign travel
00:37 plans for 2024 by the end of last year, with FOMO or fear of missing out being the main
00:43 driver behind early advance bookings.
00:46 Whether you're one of them or are on the hunt for a last minute deal, the first big
00:49 stretch of time most Brits will look to get away is fast approaching.
00:53 But where are they planning to go?
00:55 Ski destinations are filling up and they are very popular, as well as the typical winter
00:59 sun destinations.
01:00 America remains very popular.
01:02 But also people are booking beyond February and into actually next summer already.
01:07 We're seeing that on our data for spring/summer breaks and the traditional Mediterranean destinations
01:13 the likes of Spain, Italy, Greece, France remain super popular with UK travellers.
01:19 So yes, the typical destinations are absolutely where people are looking to book their trips
01:24 for this year, both February and beyond.
01:27 Not everyone is planning on jetting off for extreme sports or winter sun though.
01:31 The UK itself is filled with a wealth of places to go right on our doorstep.
01:35 They're looking at places that are a little bit closer to home.
01:38 So rather than going around Europe or going abroad, you know, they're actually looking
01:42 to stay closer to home with 53% of people saying that they didn't feel the need to go
01:47 abroad.
01:48 And actually, there's so many great places and spaces in the UK that, you know, they
01:51 would much rather stay in the UK, which is fantastic.
01:54 With that in mind, what are the most sought after British destinations that half-term
01:58 holidaymakers will be seeking out this February?
02:01 London, York, Durham and Edinburgh are all featured in that top 10 list, which is, you
02:06 know, which is fantastic.
02:07 And one of the things that we actually found is that people were also looking for places
02:11 a little bit off the beaten track, whether it's the film set scenery of Lincoln and North
02:16umberland, shopping in London and Leeds and Edinburgh, all the way up to the locks and
02:21 rivers of Scotland.
02:22 So, you know, some really, really great places that people don't always think of.
02:26 If all this talk of holidays, both home and away, has got you excited to start booking,
02:30 don't forget to take a look at maximising your time off using bank holiday dates.
02:35 The next bank holiday will fall towards the end of March, with the next coming a few days
02:38 later at the start of April for Easter.
02:42 Book Monday 25th March to Thursday 28th March and Tuesday 2nd April to Friday 5th April
02:48 off work to enjoy a full two weeks off for Easter.
02:52 You'll leave the office on Friday 22nd March and return on Monday 8th April, making the
02:57 most of the bank holidays on the 29th March for Good Friday and the 1st April for Easter
03:02 Monday.
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