More Brits shun overseas travel

New figures reveal that the number of foreign trips made by British people has fallen at the fastest rate since the 1970s in 2009. The report found that there were 58.6 million trips, compared to 69 million in 2008.

ONS says the plummeting figures come after years of steady growth with trips abroad having grown by 4% on average per year in the past 25 years.

It seems likely that 2010 will also reveal a downward trend in foreign holidays by the Brits – while the staycation becomes an even firmer favourite in the UK.

Just last week we heard about the collapse of another travel firm, Goldtrail, and there are further strike threats at six UK airports. More than 6,000 members based at BAA airports, including Heathrow, are in a dispute over pay. This all comes on the back of the Icelandic volcano ash chaos and strike action taken by BA workers.

So much to discover in Scotland:

So many more people are choosing to stay in the UK for the holiday instead of risking an overseas vacation headache.

Anecdotally we're hearing from so many holiday companies in Scotland who are seeing an increase in stay-at-home holidaymakers. And many of our customers – we're pretty much fully booked for the summer – tell us that they feel happier spending money on a holiday at home because it feels less risky. The sunnier start to the summer also encouraged more people to choose outdoors-type holidays, such as camping and campervanning.

We're hoping that the more people who see what Scotland has to offer – and campervanning is a fantastic way to see the great outdoors – the greater the increase in the staycation in years to come. Why not check out our Big Tree great adventure section?

The rise and rise of campervan holidays

So. How to start our shiny new blog? Well, we reckon the continued strengthening of holidaying at home in the UK – and, as a result, the growth in bookings for leisure and travel-based companies – is a great place to begin. Of course it is!

The latest on the industry news front is that campervan breaks are on the increase, on-trend and budget-friendly. Many UK campervan hire companies have revealed a greater demand from holidaymakers. Reports show that bookings increased last year thanks in part to the “staycation” trend – and this year with a continued growth in the holiday-at-home market it’s predicted that campervan breaks will be hot news.

Photo courtesy of Angus Clyne

Already the first quarter of this year has seen an increase in campervan hire across Britain. A rise in the number of campervan rentals in March also marks an earlier start to the holiday season in 2010 and most hire companies. Many companies are reporting stronger bookings for Easter and summer 2010 than ever before. It’s apparent that people are people are keen to secure their campervan holiday sooner rather than later.

But perhaps this increased demand is not so surprising when you think about the benefits of campervanning. For many holidaymakers, and especially families, a campervan break is the ideal, budget-friendly choice especially in economically uncertain times.

Campervans also offer flexibility in terms of destinations and duration of holiday (from an overnight to many weeks at a time). In a campervan it’s possible to move to a new overnight spot every day, or set up camp for a longer period, and all according to desires and the weather.

Added to this campervanning has becoming an increasingly “cool” holiday choice. It’s enough to witness the greater number of campervans on our roads – but a peek at most campsites will show the large numbers of pitches now taken by campervans.

So if you’re thinking about booking an on-trend campervan holiday this year, our advice is to enquire early. In any case, many hire companies are offering a range of great deals and incentives. Where will your campervan adventure take you next?