Only a fifth of people are booking holidays more than a month in advance due to worries about losing their jobs either before or during their time off.
And one in ten holidaymakers are turning to cheaper package holidays as a means of saving money.
Overall, three-quarters of people admitted that the economic downturn has changed the types of holiday that they take, according to a poll of more than 1,200 respondents.
Four out of ten are reducing the number of breaks they take due to concerns over the economy.
The findings, reported by the Daily Telegraph, come from a Holiday Money Report from Post Office Travel Money, which is released tomorrow (Friday).
“Economic uncertainty has had a noticeable impact on holiday planning,” according to the report.
While only 6% of people said that they had stopped taking holidays altogether, twice this number said that they are staying in the UK rather than travelling abroad.
One in ten holiday-makers is swapping long-haul for short-haul holidays to reduce the costs of flights.
The report found that the “worsening economic situation at home and in Europe” has had a marked impact on Britons’ attitudes towards their holidays.
“Holidays may be an important feature of people’s lives but fear of getting into debt is a bigger issue for many people. As a result, they will only travel if they can afford it – tailoring trips to stay within budget,” it reportedly says.
The Post Office found that credit cards are used by just under half of all people to defer paying for a holiday. Less than half of these people pay off their credit cards in one go following the holiday.