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Britain is becoming a nation of ‘holiday hagglers’, according to a new travel report issued by Visa Europe.

Published: 04 Aug 2009

Britain is becoming a nation of ‘holiday hagglers’, according to a new travel report issued by Visa Europe.

The survey, which featured over 1,000 British holidaymakers, revealed that over a third of Brits plan to take at least two holidays this year, with 60 percent heading for a beach based break. Over one in five (21 percent) are planning to take more holidays than last year, with the average break being between 11 and 14 days.

“A quarter of us now always negotiate to get better deals before we head off for some fun in the sun and a mere 11 percent accept the first price that we are quoted for a getaway. However, our spendthrift ways seem to go out the window as soon as we hit the beach - more than a third (39 percent) admit that we will blow the budget on holiday this year and nearly two thirds (63 percent) will overspend by up to £200 a week,” stated a release.

More than half the people surveyed expect to spend at least £600 on travel and accommodation this year, with a further £250 a week on eating and drinking.

The package holiday is in danger of dying out, as nearly half of us (42 percent) now favour DIY trips abroad, choosing to book our flights and accommodation separately. The rise of low cost airlines selling cheap fares over the internet has arguably helped to fuel this rise, with just 22 percent now admitting to still booking package holidays.

Top four trends include:

Haggling and overspending: Britain is becoming a nation of ‘holiday hagglers’ according to the travel report. A quarter of us now negotiate to get better deals before we head off for some fun in the sun and a mere 11 per cent accept the first price that we are quoted for a getaway. However, our spendthrift ways seem to go out the window as soon as we hit the beach - more than a third (39 percent) admit that we will blow the budget on holiday this year and nearly two thirds (63 percent) will overspend by up to £200 a week.

Top airport annoyances: Overpriced food and drink, mind numbing delays and overcrowding top the list of the UK’s airport annoyances. In the report of 1077 holidaymakers, a comprehensive 93 percent admitted to finding the British airport experience stressful , with the cost of food and drink bugging us the most (35 percent), closely followed by delays (27 percent). Overcrowding (10%), bad customer service (6 percent), uncomfortable seating (6 percent) and poor airport design (2 percent) were the other key areas.

DIY: The majority of holidaymakers are savvy and confident enough to make their own travel arrangements, by matching up different travel and accommodation components. The rise of low cost airlines selling cheap fares over the internet in the past decade has fuelled the rise in so-called Do-it-Yourself holidays, with 42 percent of people now booking their flights and accommodation separately. However this means the traditional package holiday is losing its appeal, with just 22 percent of those asked saying they would choose this method.

Short holidays: Short breaks remain an impulse buy, with 20 percent of holidaymakers booking just one or two weeks before travelling. A further quarter book short breaks only two to four weeks ahead, while a third (35%) book one to three months in advance. Only 13 percent of short breaks are booked three to six months before travel and just 4 percent six to 12 months out.