Living the holiday dream

As long-haul travel has become easier and cheaper in recent years, the dream holiday has become not so much a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip as a common ambition.

The land ‘down under’ in Australia and New Zealand is now seen as the ultimate dream holiday destination for many people in the UK according to the findings of a recent survey.

New research, carried out on behalf of Halifax Unsecured Personal Loans, shows that over half of us (53 per cent) would choose an antipodean location as our dream holiday destination. An around-the-world trip (50 per cent) was the second favourite for a once-in-a-lifetime trip, whilst the USA and Canada (48 per cent) were also a popular choice.

One in five of us are also now likely to take a dream trip during normal holiday time, for no special occasion. However, a quarter still said that when they retired would be the most likely time they would take a dream holiday, whilst 12 per cent would be most likely to splash out on a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip when the children leave home.

Where are we dreaming of?

Surprisingly, one in five (20 per cent) said that their dream holiday destination was England. The UK was the most popular with the older generation – 29 per cent of the over 65s said their ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday destination would be close to home.

At the other end of the spectrum, the 18 to 24-year-olds are most likely to be dreaming of a round-the-world trip (67 per cent). However, Australia and New Zealand was the most favoured location for all age groups except the over 65s.

Financing the dream holiday Whereas the amount we are usually willing to fork out for our annual holiday is under £500 per person, when it comes to dream holidays, the majority of us (54 per cent) would consider spending somewhere between £1,000 and £5,000 per person.

Although most people pay for their annual holidays from their current account, when it comes to financing a special trip more options are considered:
Saving up to finance the trip is the most popular way to pay – 46 per cent would pay with money from their savings account.