If you live in London you are more likely to leave booking until on the day and men are more likely to say they would consider booking later.
With the last half-term break before the summer holidays just days away, ATOL, the UK's air holiday financial protection scheme, has researched how late we, as a nation, are likely to leave booking our holidays. It seems that almost half of us book at least seven days in advance, giving ourselves the chance to plan, pack and prepare for our holidays.
However, almost one in ten (8 percent) of us are willing to leave it to the last few days before we depart, with a staggering three million people happy to leave booking their holiday until the actual day of their departure.
Interestingly when asked how late they leave booking, more men on average were prepared to consider last minute bookings, however when the same people were asked how late they had actually booked, there was very little difference between men and women.
The research also revealed some regional differences in late booking habits. Holidaymakers in London are nearly twice as likely as the rest of Great Britain to have booked on the same day (9 per cent). There is also a tendency for those in the North West to consider booking their holiday a few days before (19 per cent vs. 15 per cent overall).
Andy Cohen, Head of ATOL, said, "With half-term just a day away, our latest research has revealed that almost half of the people travelling next week are likely to have booked more than seven days in advance. Even if the idea of grabbing a last minute deal is appealing, it is worth spending an extra couple of minutes to check your holiday bargain is ATOL protected. Having an ATOL certificate means that your holiday is financially protected, so if the travel company goes bust, you will still be able to get home and will not lose your hard earned cash. For added peace of mind, whenever you book your holiday, look for the ATOL logo to ensure you can fully enjoy your well-earned holiday."
ATOL has four easy tips to help protect your holiday:
- Look for the logo: Spend just a couple of minutes looking for the ATOL logo on the travel company's website.
- Check out the credentials: Use ATOL's online checker at http://www.packpeaceofmind.co.uk to verify the ATOL number given to you by your travel company.
- Keep the documents: Take, or photograph with your phone, the ATOL certificate you received from your travel company on your trip.
- Pay with plastic: Use your credit or debit card to pay for your holiday as these give some protection if your travel company goes bust.
