The Post-Olympic Escape September Holiday Boom in Britain

During the Olympics, Britain was the place to be. This unique event caused  many Brits accustomed to leaving the country for the summer to postpone their vacations until all the excitement of the games was over.

Since the Olympic torch was put out in London, it seems that those who had enjoyed welcoming the whole world into their iconic city just couldn´t wait to get away. The surge in holiday bookings, especially for the month of September, has been quite impressive. It seems that the masses are following the sun at all costs, even if it means kids have to miss school.

London Olympics, England, UK by Dan Davison

The fun is over, let´s get away

Brits are well known all over the world for enjoying a good party, and when the Olympics took a hold of their homeland in the peak of the summer, they just didn´t want to miss all of the excitement. But the rainy summer didn´t seem all that glamorous anymore, once the Olympic crowds had withdrawn, and September holiday bookings skyrocketed soon after.

According to a survey by Travelex, Brits will take 5.7 million trips in September. On the other hand, the number of people who revealed that they hadn´t taken their accustomed summer break during the school holidays this year amounted to a significant 45%, while nearly 25% mentioned the desire “not to miss the Olympics” as a reason for not having gone away earlier, and 23% added that it was their first time taking their holidays in the month of September.

Ironically enough, a Travelex survey from earlier this year revealed that 1/3 of traveling Brits had booked a holiday to escape the Olympic hullaballoo, and over 10 million altogether were planning to try to avoid the “chaos” by traveling abroad. It would seem that not all of those plans actually crystalized, and the locals did join in with the Olympic spirit after all.

Follow the sun

The top destination of choice for Britons going away in September is Spain, which maintains its unrivalled popularity due to closeness, pricing (one upside of the Iberian country´s economic crisis, in terms of attracting tourism), nice weather, natural beauty and guaranteed fun, both day and night. Next up are Turkey and Egypt, two countries that attract those who are not only interested in sunshine, but who also possess a flair for the exotic.

While the last week has seen some sunshine and high temperatures in some parts of England, the forecast for the coming weeks is bleak for those staying, and convenient for the masses flocking to Costa del Sol and Majorca, as strong winds, courtesy of Hurricane Leslie are set to hit Scotland, and heavy rains are expected all around.

Holidays for all ages

A surge in holiday bookings was in fact expected, as July had been extremely quiet at the offices of travel companies all over the UK. But bookings have greatly surpassed predictions, especially in the over 50s group, whose travel plans are not affected by the school year. According to a survey by Saga Insurance, this age group´s preferred destination for September 2012 is Italy, closely followed by Greece, Turkey and France.

The endless summer

It appears that Brits of all ages will follow the sun, and the fun, whatever chance they get. They partied it up during the Olympics like few nations could, and nearly half of them are partying it up right now on some beach in Benidorm or Ibiza, stretching that summer to make it last as long as they can. Given the choice between Southern Spain´s paella and sangría in the sunshine, and a dreary English rain, who can blame them?

Article Written by L. Toulson on behalf of https://www.theluxurycruisecompany.com/luxury-cruiselines/

Tags: britons, brits, chaos, closeness, desire, england uk, excitement, holiday bookings, hullaballoo, locals, london olympics, olympic crowds, olympic spirit, olympic torch, olympics, rainy summer, summer break, vacations

Category: Travel Tips