With the silly season and the summer survey upon us, we take a look at some of the results from travel brands trying to understand the British traveller

Late last year UK travel association ABTA released its 2015 travel trends, which outlined what they expected from Brit behaviour this year. Now nearly half way into 2015, the results from the summer survey season from travel brands are coming thick and fast. Here is what you need to know about the Brit abroad.  

1.  Brits are heading to Europe

In general, the results of Expedia’s Travel Check-Up: Air Travel Trends 2015 report suggests a very positive outlook for Brits looking to travel this year, particularly to continental Europe. In fact, eight out of ten of the top summer travel destinations booked on Expedia.co.uk are for European countries. Cyprus, Portugal and Ireland have all shown a more than 40% increase in demand this summer.

“An analysis of air industry data suggests the second half of this year will shape up to be an optimal time to travel – and a particularly strong period for the British hospitality industry,” said Andy Washington, MD of the Expedia brand in the UK and Northern Europe.

2.  Brits are local but not social

They may be slow bookers, but when they hit the road they are more adventurous than ever. A survey of over 2,000 British tourists by Homestay.com, reveals that despite claims that they are culturally ignorant abroad, the modern Brit wants to find out about local history and cuisine and around 75% intend to learn 15 phrases in a foreign language, visit five local attractions and try 6 local dishes while they’re abroad. This backs up the ABTA Travel Trends Survey 2015, which found that living like a local is a key trend across all age groups in the UK. Interestingly, however, Homestay’s survey found that 40% of respondents had no desire to be on social media while away.

3.  Brits are the least decisive of European travellers but more adventurous

Brits will spend five minutes searching for a flight before booking it, according to data from metasearch engine Kayak. That makes them among the slowest bookers in Europe. Meanwhile, he Turks – Europe’s fastest - will book a flight in just three minutes. Being cautious may be down to the fact that many people are planning to explore new destinations in 2015. As ABTA found, over a third (35%) think they will take a holiday to a country they have never been to before.

4.  New York and Bangkok: the Brits cities of choice

ABTA cited city breaks as the most popular type of holiday in 2014 and expected that to remain the same into this year with 43% of people planning a city break and 42% planning a beach holiday. Taking that a step further is Kayak, which finds that hotels in New York and Bangkok stand to benefit most from the Brit abroad. These cities are the most searched for destinations on KAYAK by British travellers according to the metasearch firm’s data. Thailand is certainly winner for the Brit traveller and in countries like Thailand Expedia has witnessed increases in demand of over 50% this summer when compared to last year.

Narrowing it down a bit further is Kabbee, aminicab app used by 500,000 London-based passengers, which polled 1,900 locals. Unsurprisingly, Londoners are keen to escape city life. Of the 86% looking to take a break this year, 38% are heading for the beach, 27% are planning a city break and 13% a ‘staycation’.

5.  Brits are big mobile spenders

According to KAYAK, Brits are prepared to spend 5% more on a mobile device than a desktop, which may be down to the fact that 50% of searches on the meta’s app are for last minute bookings.

6.  Brits beat the Monday blues with travel search

Brits tend to begin their travel search on a desktop on a Monday. Some 35% of travel searches are made on a Monday and Tuesday. However, when it comes to weekend’s British travellers tend to use their mobile devices with Saturday and Sunday accounting for more than 30% of searches on mobile platforms in total.

7.  A Brits device determines if they are flush or thrifty

iPhone users, says KAYAK, are either the most ambitious when it comes to travel or have the deepest pocket when it comes to their taste in hotels. Around 81% of all searches looking for 3-star hotels or above and with an average spend of £431 on popular destinations. Android users on the other hand are thriftier spending on average £391 with the most used feature on the KAYAK app being the price alert.

8.  Brits don’t want to befriend a fellow countryman

Only one in ten Brits want to befriend a fellow Brit while on holiday away. Instead, they prefer to socialise with locals. Alan Clarke, CEO for Homestay.com has this to say: “The research clearly shows how much our priorities have changed when it comes to our summer holidays. Millions of Brits now want to explore the country they’re visiting and really learn about their destination, as opposed to just lounging by the pool and topping up their tans.”