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Staycation vs International Holiday
Research reveals the average deposit for an international holiday is seven times more than a staycation.
Although many of us stayed indoors this year, UK residents still managed to spend £402 million on 939,000 visits abroad between April and June 2020.
Whilst many feel they need a relaxing getaway more than ever this year, balancing the uncertainty of the current COVID levels with the promising rollout of vaccines in the coming months, should we be planning to travel abroad?
At UKcaravans4hire.com, we have delved into the current situation to determine why Brits should be choosing staycations this year over international holidays.
Looking at five popular holiday destinations including Turkey, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain*, we wanted to see how much Brits would be required to fork out to secure their holiday. We found when booking a one week self-catering holiday to Turkey for a family of four; a standard deposit would be three-quarters of the total booking payment at a total of £790!
In comparison with UK caravan holidays which famously require a much smaller deposit, as a family of four, you can bag a seven-day self-catering holiday via UKcaravans4hire.com online booking platform, with a deposit of just £50.
You can save up to £300 by booking a holiday ‘at home’ this year
As we head into 2021, staycations look to be the safest and most popular choice for many families, thanks to the impact of Brexit - and Coronavirus. With this in mind, we looked at the most viewed locations on UKcaravans4hire.com to predict the most popular UK holiday destinations for the year ahead.
As of January 2021, we found that Cornwall, North Wales, Yorkshire, East of England and Scotland were hot picks and therefore high contenders compared to holidays abroad.
But how much will a staycation set you back? Looking at popular caravan holidays on our website, we found that the average cost for a holiday in the UK is just £735 with a low deposit from only £50.
When reviewing holidays in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, we found them to be considerably more expensive than a staycation. In fact, the average international holiday cost for a family of four was around £920, that’s £185 more expensive than the average staycation.
Specifically, if you wanted to travel to the Greek Islands, you’re looking at around £287 per person, £1152 in total and requiring a deposit of £367. Comparing this to popular staycation destinations in the UK such as North Wales, you can expect to pay around £620 (£155 per person) for a week's stay, with only a deposit of £50. That’s a staggering £532 difference in total cost!
| Destination | Avg Booking Price | Avg Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 1031.80 | 790.60 |
| Greece | 1152.80 | 367.00 |
| Italy | 651.00 | 267.20 |
| Portugal | 1039.40 | 236.00 |
| Spain | 723.20 | 180.00 |
| TOTAL | 919.64 | 368.16 |
| Destination | Avg Booking Price | Avg Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Cornwall | 741.00 | 50.00 |
| North Wales | 621.00 | 50.00 |
| Yorkshire | 733.00 | 50.00 |
| East of England | 852.00 | 50.00 |
| Scotland | 730.00 | 50.00 |
| TOTAL | 735.40 | 50.00 |
Is it worth travelling so far?
When booking a self-catering holiday, you must also take into consideration the cost of living. When comparing the five popular international holiday destinations cost of living with the UK, we found that you are likely to spend slightly less money on food abroad than you would at home.
Although the cost of living is slightly higher in the UK, booking a staycation will still cost substantially less for families of four compared to a holiday abroad. When you look at the travel requirements (and the costs associated with these) and a whole range of additional insurances needed to travel overseas comfortably, the holidays’ price increases dramatically.
Due to the recent pandemic, international travel now requires a negative PCR, TNA or LAMP test taken within no more than 72 hours before arrival.
Some countries have further entry requirements. For example, in Greece, travellers must also undergo a rapid COVID-19 test on arrival, and if the result is negative, self-isolate for seven days. If you test positive on arrival, you will have to self-isolate for at least 14 days, or until local authorities advise.
The government has made it clear that the free NHS testing service cannot be used for non-essential international travel, so you will need to purchase your own. When comparing online services, we found that a home-testing pack came at the cost of an average price of £130.00*.
Taking all costs into account, is a holiday abroad worth it?
International travel
Average booking cost: £920.00 (deposit: £790)
COVID testing: £130.00 x 8 = £1,040
Cost of living (meals only) £99.31 x 7 = £695
Total: £2,655
Staycation
Average booking cost: £735.00 (deposit: £50)
COVID testing: N/A
Cost of living (meals only) £144 x 7 = £1008
Total: £1,743
Winner: Staycation by a whopping £912.
Still not convinced?
In addition to saving financially, staycations can also help you save valuable time.
Looking at flights, it’s easy to think that destinations like Italy, Portugal and Spain are just two or three hours away. However, when you factor in the time it takes to get to the airport two hours before departure, your transfers from the airport abroad – and all the waiting time in between - it pretty much takes a whole day.
Booking a staycation over a holiday abroad allows you to have more time to relax with less stress at a lower price.
You can find more information on available holiday homes on our booking platform, Facebook and Instagram.
Published on January 27th, 2021