More than half of British travellers have changed their holiday buying behaviour to make the most of the strengthening pound against the euro, according to new research.
A survey of 1,000 people found that 56% had changed, or intended to change, their holiday plans because of the euro, and were more likely to book a European break over the coming months as a result.
According to the survey, commissioned by Superbreak, men appeared more savvy than women when it came to counting the pennies, with 20% more men than women being aware of the stronger exchange rate, with an additional 13% planning to change their behaviour because of it.
It found that 10% more men than women pay for a holiday by credit card, with women opting to save up and pay by cash.
On average, the survey suggested that it takes 6-12 months to save for a week-long holiday and 1-3 months for a short break, except for pensioners, who lead the way in holiday spontaneity with more than a third of over 65s stating they could go on a short break without any notice at all.
Culture is the biggest pull, closely followed by famous landmarks, when choosing a short break destination, with 44% of respondents looking for places to see and visit.
In contrast to the priorities for a longer holiday, weather only rated as the sixth most important factor when choosing to spend a few days away.
The most popular destination for a European short break was Paris, with half of respondents choosing either the capital (27%) or Disneyland (23%).
Jane Atkins, sales director at Superbreak, said: “With the current strength of the pound, there has never been a better time to go on a European short break and agents need to be shouting about this.
“The majority of customers are still looking to save up, rather than put on the credit card, but as prices lower, a short break can be taken with just a few months’ notice.
“We are so lucky in the UK to have a host of destinations within just a few hours, with rail links making Europe really accessible, even for those not on the south coast. Interestingly, only 35% of Brits have travelled by Eurostar, despite it being 18 years old, although 47% said they would like to in the future.”