“Although discovering somewhere new in the UK remains popular, our research has found many are exploring international trips for Christmas, from a short hop to France and Spain, to longer-haul destinations like Thailand and the USA.”
The study found a fifth are going abroad to visit friends, while more than a third are going away to spend time with distant family.
Nearly a quarter will take a trip to another country to experience a different culture’s festive celebrations, with more than a fifth quite simply wanting to see somewhere new.
It also emerged 29 percent are fed up of British Christmases because it’s cold but never snows, and a fifth are tired of it being “always the same”.
And one in 10 doesn’t enjoy being at home for Christmas because they don’t like hosting the celebratory dinner with all the trimmings.
A further 14 percent don’t feel like they are actually on holiday when spending the festive period in the UK – even though they are off work – with an equal percentage admitting they are not fans of our “tacky traditions”.
With an average of seven days to spend putting their feet up, a third feel time spent away from the UK during Christmas feels more like a “proper” holiday.
The average adult will spend £402 for their festive flights, hotels and car hire, but more than one in 10 will splash out £1,000 or more.
More than a third of respondents will hire a car during Christmas – whether that’s at home or abroad – because they have more driving to do, more things to shift from place to place and so they can discover and do as much as possible.
The research, conducted via OnePoll, revealed 68 percent would like to go abroad for Christmas in the future, and one in three would consider a trip to another country this time of year to spend time with family and friends.
But even when staying put in the UK, more than nine in 10 admitted they still enjoy the holidays at home.
Nigel Wolstenholme, from Rentalcars.com, added: “Whether or not you’re going away for Christmas, hiring a car can be a great way to make life easier – and more exciting.
“As well as giving you the freedom to explore wherever you’re going, driving a different car to normal is all part of the adventure – and sometimes you need more space when you’ve got friends and family in tow.”
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