TTFN Travel reviewed the travel data from its 2013 holiday makers to examine the average length of holiday by destination and the average amount of days the holidays were booked prior to departure. None of the results are surprising and it’s possible to see how working people fitted in each destination to their annual leave entitlements.
Holidays to Europe
Holidays to Europe averaged 21 days and were booked about 90 days in advance. When taking into account the longer flight duration and cost many people don’t see the value in going for shorter periods. 21 days is a sufficient time to explore one country really well or sampling two to three without rushing. For those who just want to tick countries off their bucket list, there are luxury coach tours that can cover the major cities in this time frame.
Over recent years bookings in general have become more last minute but we expect this to revert as the growing middle class of countries such as China travel more. France in particular is a hot destination for the Chinese (as is buying up French wine – make sure you check out Red Obsession – http://www.red-obsession.com/) and so it is likely that accommodation will need to be reserved further in advance lest its all booked out by the time you get around to it.
Holidays to Africa
Holidays to Africa averaged 11 days with a days to departure also around the 90 day / 3 month mark. The average length represents a holiday that includes a few days exploring an African city such as Cape Town plus a 3-4 day safari, plus flight time. Typical holiday makers to Africa stick to one or two countries unless they are planning for a much longer stay.
Holidays to Asia
Holidays to Asia lasted 9 days on average (working out to be about two weekends and one week off work). These were booked only two months in advance, probably because they represent less of a significant investment than a trip to Europe or Africa, with Asia generally being a cheaper destination both to fly to and accommodation wise.
We will bring you more findings next week in part 2 of the 2013 TTFN Travel Holiday Review when we talk about Holidays to South America, Holidays to the USA and Canada and those closer to home.
Article by Nicola Billens