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Holiday ‘Frienvy’ Strikes

• 66% of Brits admit to ‘holiday envy’
• One third of Brits have backed out of booking their dream holiday at the payment stage
• Rome is the most sought after city break destination in Europe, while New York tops the list of global city destinations

Over two thirds of Brits experience holiday envy, with 66% admitting the green eyed monster makes an appearance when friends reveal their holiday plans. Sadly, for a quarter of would-be holidaymakers, at least two of their friends have already visited their coveted dream destination.

The survey of 2000 Brits, conducted by my Travel Cash Prepaid MasterCard®*, found that money is the main obstacle, with 72% of Brits citing their ideal holiday spot is just too expensive to visit, with almost a third (29%) estimating it would set them back between £1000 – £2000 per person, while a fifth believe it would cost over £3000 each.

With city breaks now proving just as popular as beach trips for holidaymakers¹, culture crazy Brits have named Rome as their most sought-after European city destination (22%), while New York tops the list of dream city destinations worldwide (42%). Other cities on the wish list include Sydney (39%), Prague (18%) and Tokyo (28%).

The lure of foreign culture has tempted many to bite the bullet and book that dream getaway, only for a third of Brits (32%) to back out at the payment stage on not only one but two occasions.

As a result Brits have become accustomed to plumping for destinations they believe to be more realistic, with 76% of those surveyed admitting to opting for an alternative location for their break at least once because of cost or convenience.

Although Brits may shy away from booking their perfect trip, these holiday spots aren’t necessarily unreachable. With the Pound/Euro rate recently experiencing a two year high², Brits can certainly get more bang for their buck than they might think on European city breaks, making cities like Rome, Paris and Amsterdam perfect for quick getaways and long weekends.

While the research showed that a fifth of Brits estimated the cost of their dream trip to be a hefty £3000 per person, expert travel advice shows that staying smart with location when travelling further afield could save holidaymakers a dime or two. In New York, opting to stay in areas like Brooklyn or Queens instead of the well-known tourist hotspots could save at least $100-$250 per night on hotels alone³.

Myles Stephenson, CEO of my Travel Cash commented: “From our research, we found that many British tourists consider certain holiday destinations to be unreachable. With 53% of those surveyed advising that cost was the main priority when choosing a holiday destination, leading them to put off booking that dream trip. Yet we know that delving deeper into exploring the costs at the holiday destination can uncover opportunities to travel to these destinations without the hefty price tag.

“The strength of the pound against major currencies such as the Euro and US Dollar means Brits can get great value for money in many city destinations. European city breaks in particular are perfect for long weekends and shorter trips. For those looking at destinations further afield, shopping around and being smart with purchases can be really effective in minimising the cost of the trip.”

Top 6 dream cities people don’t think they’ll ever get to visit (Europe):

1) Rome
2) Prague
3) Vienna
4) Amsterdam
5) Helsinki
6) Paris

Top 6 dream cities people don’t think they’ll ever get to visit (rest of the world):

1) NYC
2) Sydney
3) Tokyo
4) Vancouver
5) Toronto
6) LA

For more information, visit mytravelcash.com

ENDS

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Notes to editors
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