Holiday Britons 'shun car rentals

The economic climate is starting to affect holiday car rentals, with many people preferring to drink rather than drive on their break, a new study has shown.
Research among more than 1,000 adults revealed that one in three will not even consider hiring a car on their next trip abroad, with one in 10 just wanting to "flop" and 6% aiming to enjoy sun rather than culture.
The study by price comparison website Kelkoo showed that one in five people hired a car on their last holiday, with twice as many using public transport and 19% opting for organised tours.
More than two-thirds of those questioned said they drank alcohol every day on their last holiday abroad.
Chris Nixon, managing director of Kelkoo Travel, said: "The current economic climate has hit the holiday industry hard and this has had a knock-on effect on car rental.
"With car hire prices dropping for the first time in four years, holidaymakers who are looking closely at their budgets may find that they can pocket some significant savings by choosing this option rather than relying on organised tours or taxis when they next go abroad."

 

Millions of Brits suffering 'holiday hangover

With the summer holidays coming to an end for most of us, families returning from their foreign travels do not always arrive back on home soil feeling relaxed and refreshed. That's according to new research from comparison site GoCompare.com, who surveyed 3,000 holidaymakers to reveal that only 39% of us thought what we paid for our holiday was money well spent.


Almost a fifth of travellers admit they will still be paying off their 2011 summer holiday in 2012, and 14 percent say they return home feeling tired and stressed. 13 percent admit to spending too much money while four percent say they wished they had never gone away!
Value for money concerns topped the list of holiday spoilers for Brits with 31 percent saying things cost much more on holiday than they thought they would. Meanwhile 23 percent said the resort didn't live up to the brochure description.
Over 18 percent of travellers had suffered delays either getting away or returning home, 14 percent said a member of their party was taken ill or injured while away and six percent of holidaymakers reported being a victim of a crime.

Yet, over a quarter of holidaymakers admit they don't always buy travel insurance when going abroad. Seven percent revealed that they never buy travel insurance, while four per cent said they don't buy it because they have an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card).
Jeremy Cryer, head of travel at Gocompare.com commented, "While there is little we can do about the weather spoiling our holiday, we can take steps to be better organised financially and better protected should the worst happen when we are abroad. Budgeting for a holiday should include some contingency planning for extra meals out, trips or gifts."
"If you have overspent it is probably time to look for a better deal on your credit card to ensure the damage is limited and the debt is paid off as quickly as possible. Look for an interest free balance transfer card so that you are not paying sky-high interest rates on your holiday debt.
"There's no excuse for heading abroad without travel insurance these days. There are plenty of good value policies available and it is easier than ever to shop around for a good deal. As this survey shows, holidays don't always go to plan, so being prepared for all eventualities is a sensible part of planning any trip."