With the Easter holidays nearly upon us, thousands of Brits will look to escape the 9-5 grind, not to mention grey skies and Brexit boredom. However, how we plan on doing this is a far cry from the stereotype of Brits abroad from the 80s and 90s. Our tendencies to become sedentary beings, only willing to leave our sunbeds for a full English or a pint, are being challenged.
WeSwap have commissioned nationally representative research across a sample of more than 2000 UK adults to find out just how accurate this stereotype is in the current era of travel, and it turns out, we’ve changed! With so much choice available and social media influencing how and where we travel, is an all-inclusive holiday spent rotating between buffet, sun-lounger and bed sufficient?
The research has revealed that, not only are our priorities changing when on holiday but, when it comes to our finances, more people than ever are allocating their increasing budgets to adventurous excursions. According to research, the total budget for spending money while abroad in 2019 increased by 5x more than the budget for flights, accommodation and all the extras. Of this spending money budget, more than 40% will be allocated to adventurous activities
- 26% of British holidaymakers, representing 13,336,989 people, would rather seek adventurous excursions and thrills abroad, instead of relaxing by the pool
- This statistic increases to 39% of those aged 18-34
- 43% of spending money in 2019 will be allocated to adventure and action-packed excursions
- This amounts to £19.2bn spent on adrenaline holidays per year
- 52% of Brits, or 26,518,596 people, believe that holidays abroad are essential their health and wellbeing
- 3,780,972 Brits, or 8% of the population, will choose a holiday destination based on cultural festivities they can take part in during their travel dates
- 17% of those aged 18-34
- 38% of Brits, or 18,697,682 of the population, say that travelling is their top priority when budgeting for 2019
- 50% of those aged 18-34
From tree canopy zip lines to bungee jumping, Brits are no longer the stereotype embodied by TV shows like Benidorm. Instead, with a focus on getting value for time and money, we’re grabbing the bull by the horns (in some cases literally) and squeezing every memory and adventurous experience they can out of their holidays. The top five adrenaline fuelled excursions for Brits with a taste for danger are:
- Bungee jumping – the world’s highest bungee jump is 260m high and can be found in China at the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge
- White-water rafting – one of the best places to go white-water rafting is the Zambezi river in Zimbabwe/Zambia, which has 23 rapids for a thrilling experience
- Skydiving – leaping from a plane is thrilling wherever you are. However, leaping from a plane with Mount Everest in Nepal in the background is another experience entirely
- Rock climbing – Morocco’s mountainous regions are perfect for rock climbing, not to mention the country being one of the most exciting destinations for Brits looking to venture outside of Europe on a budget
- Scuba diving – Cape Kri, in Indonesia, has 374 different species of fish, including sharks, rays and barracudas, as well as a sprawling coral reef
