Holidays shorten as Brits stay in the UK

UK residents are taking shorter foreign holidays than 20 years ago, new figures show.

Seven-night breaks were three times more popular than two-week trips last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This represents a significant shift in holiday habits as data from 1996 shows that trips of a fortnight used to be almost as common as week-long breaks.

But although typical holidays are now shorter, the research reveals that we are going away more often.

Last year, UK residents went on more than 45 million overseas holidays, up from 27 million in 1996.

The ONS report stated: “One of the most likely explanations for UK residents going on more, shorter, holidays is the growth of the budget airlines.”