To help British travellers holiday in 2023 without breaking the bank, lastminute.com has set up the ‘Small budget, big holidays’ webpage, where they can find breaks for under £500.
NielsenIQ data highlighting that 76 per cent of consumers expect to be moderately or severely affected by the cost of living crisis. Therefore, travellers’ spending habits are changing; more people are choosing to spread the cost of their trips over a longer time period. lastminute.com said that 68 per cent of forward bookings for 2023 have chosen a deferred payment plan.
Despite cost concerns in general, lastminute.com has seen a higher spend and longer holidays from UK travellers this year, which suggests that travel is an expenditure that many aren’t willing to give up.
Top picks for budget breaks for 2023
Spain continues to be the destination of choice for Brits wanting to travel abroad, according to lastminute.com. The Greek and Turkish coasts gained popularity this summer season, and demand looks set to continue into 2023.
For city breaks, Italy has seen a rise in popularity, overtaking The Netherlands and Spain.
Food lovers can still travel and enjoy food, despite the rising costs of eating out. Cities like Athens, Lisbon, Budapest, Barcelona and Madrid offer the lowest priced meals in Europe. A three-night trip to Lisbon can cost less than £200 per person, leaving budget to eat out.
All-inclusive bookings give travellers a tighter rein on holiday spending by having food and drink included. Almost a third (32 per cent) of lastminute.com’s bookings for 2023 to sun and beach destinations are all-inclusive bookings.
Another way to save money on travel is by being flexible with flight times; for instance, afternoon flights offer a cheaper cost per passenger. However, for sun and beach destinations, flights departing between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. were on average 10 per cent cheaper than those between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Recent research from On the Beach revealed that Brits could be overspending on staycations by avoiding holidays abroad.
