British Holidaymakers Head Overseas during the August Bank Holiday

According to ABTA – the Travel Association, approaching 2 million British holidaymakers will head overseas during the August Bank Holiday. Can you have just as much fun though at home, even with the poor weather record?

Popular destinations for those holidaying overseas include Spain and in particular the Balearic Islands, Turkey, the Greek Islands, Egypt and Tunisia.

As Mark Tanzer ABTA Chief Executive comments: “As always at the end of a major sporting event, many people are looking to head off for a break either at home or overseas.”

A number of factors are helping to drive Brits to the Eurozone this summer.

The poor British weather for one has encouraged holidaymakers abroad.

Also though many are looking to take advantage of the strong Pound against the Euro exchange rate, making their holiday money go further.

With the Pound at a four year high against the Euro, holidaymakers are receiving over 10% more spending power in Eurozone countries compared to last year. In addition it is reported that prices in restaurants and bars in destinations have fallen.

UK holiday destinations are of course still popular for many.

Traditional UK holiday destinations along the South Coast and South West are proving popular as are the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey. Traditional seaside resorts of Blackpool and Brighton are also expected to be busy.

For those looking for a city break, Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin are proving popular.

Airports across the country will be busy over the Bank Holiday weekend with for example 400,000 passengers anticipated to be leaving from Heathrow, 250,000 from Gatwick, 124,000 from Stansted and 68,500 from Luton this weekend. Some 150,000 will leave from Manchester, 62,500 from Birmingham, 45,000 from Bristol, 10,000 from Cardiff,  25,500 from Leeds Bradford and  over 100,000 from Scottish airports.

Eurostar is reporting that 60,000 will depart the UK this weekend with the destinations of Paris, Disneyland Paris, Amsterdam, Avignon, Lyon and Bruges proving most popular.

MoneyHighStreet comments: “For those about to head off on holiday do make sure you are as prepared as you can be. If you haven’t already done so, make sure you consider buying travel insurance – it could mean you save money in the end should you end up needing to cover such as medical expenses or deal with a delayed flight or lost baggage.

“With the economic climate as it is though, many will not be in a position to head off on holiday, particularly having already had to deal with expensive school holidays.

“Another option is to enjoy a few family days out in your local area. Perhaps a visit to a local beach or park if the weather is being kind. Or perhaps head off to a museum if the weather is up to its usual Bank Holiday performance. Many museums are free and well worth visiting.

“One of the team here recently visited the Imperial War Museum in London. With 2 children, a girl aged almost 10 and a boy almost 8, it was a fabulous place to visit. Over 5 hours were spent looking at a wide variety of material, including a World War 1 trench experience and a World War 2 air raid shelter experience. All were enthralled with so much to see and and only left because they had to when the museum shut at 6PM!

“They travelled by train on a cheap family ticket and took a packed lunch, all to help save money – plus the children enjoyed the train journey and knew they had what they liked for lunch! The museum entry was free. The only extra cost was a souvenir for each of the children.

“So, it might be great to go on holiday, but don’t forget you can really have some good family days out at home too!”