As it turns out, Brits like free stuff when they’re abroad. A new survey from the mobile service Monese showed that value for the money is the number one holiday requirement for British tourists . There are, of course, many factors that go into determining the value for the money when going to a specific destination, but it seems that overall the countries that British people rank as affordable are also their favorite destinations.
What the British Expect
When booking a resort, British tourists expect certain things. For example, nine out of ten people hate paying for Wi-Fi, 52 percent of them expect it to be free. In addition, 16 percent of British tourists want dinners out to be included in the package for a resort and 27 percent of them want there to be additional excursions included at no cost. Three-fifths of Brits abroad even object to paying for alcohol at a resort. Over half of them don’t prefer paying for public transportation while they’re on holiday.
It’s not just about what they get for free, however. It’s also about what extra charges they can avoid. 47 percent want free withdrawals from ATMs and 44 percent of British tourists want there to be no card charges when they’re abroad. Just under a third hate tipping and paying for additional service charges.
Since Brits expect a lot when they travel, half of the people who go abroad need £500 extra for their budget. British tourists needed an additional £987 to make it the end of their holiday, which is nearly twice the average weekly salary in the United Kingdom. 43 percent run out of money or go over budget when they’re abroad while 49 percent have used their savings or another account to keep having fun before they go home. Half of the people who responded to the survey said that they bought luxuries like designer clothing, jewelry, and accessories. 17 percent admitted to buying electronics.
Where the British Go
British tourists go places they perceive as affordable, some of the cheapest destinations are also the more popular say the experts at MoneyPug, a service used to find cheap holidays . While it isn’t all about how cheap it is, value matters a lot to British tourists. Some of the most popular spots are Spain, which 87 percent of Brits polled said was the world’s best value for holidays. The nationwide poll by the Post Office Travel Money Survey found that Brits thought Greece and Bulgaria were the next best values for a holiday, with 85 percent saying they are a good value. Other popular destinations include Croatia at 83 percent, Portugal, Turkey, and Thailand at 82 percent, and finally the Canary Islands at 80 percent.
While Mexico was thought of as a good value destination by 74 percent of the Brits polled, the United States didn’t do as well. Only 68 percent of people thought that traveling to the US is a good value. This is probably do to the decrease in the pound-to-dollar conversion. The most expensive destinations to visit were France, Italy, and the Scandinavian countries. Finally, the most expensive destination was the United Arab Emirates with its capital Dubai. Two in five people, or 38 percent, gave the Emirates a score of good value while 72 percent gave it a poor score.
Why the British get Disappointed
The Post Office Travel Money survey found that most holidaymakers go over on their budget or dip into their savings. The average budget per couple was £717, but two-thirds of the people surveyed said that they spent on average £184 more than they intended to. Both flights and resort expenses were some of the biggest concerns when going abroad. 77 percent named the cost of meals, drinks, and other expenses key factors when choosing a destination, which came second only to airline costs.
Brits are usually right about the value of particularly destinations. A recent Holiday Costs Barometer survey revealed that Sorrento in Italy and Nice in France are two of the most resort destinations. With uncertainty about Brexit looming and British tourists preferring destinations that have a good value, Brits probably won’t stop traveling but they will be more careful where they choose to go on a holiday.