Holiday Spending Money Blown in Airport Before Take Off

Apparently, many of you aren't very savvy when it comes to watching your spending on holiday; or rather, aren't careful when it comes to spending your money before you've even reached your destination. Our latest poll has revealed how much Britons waste in the airport before takeoff alone.

It would appear that the excitement of going away on holiday is just too much for some, as our latest research has revealed that the average family of four heading off on a week-long holiday abroad uses 10% of their holiday budget in the UK airport, before they've even departed.

We carried out the study as part of ongoing research into the holiday spending habits of people around the UK. 1,783 UK adults took part in the study, all of whom had been on a holiday abroad as a family of four in the past 12 months. Respondents were asked questions about their spending that was linked to the holiday.

Almost all respondents said they spent money at the airport after checking in

When asked whether or not they spent money at the airport, after check-in but before they'd flown to their holiday destination, 97% of the total respondents said 'yes'.

The majority of those said that they bought drinks to take on the flight

These respondents were asked what they purchased at this time and were told to select all that applied from a list of possible answers. The top 5 answers were as follows:

1 Drinks (to take) 88%

2 Meal 76%

3 Snacks/sweets 71%

4 Toiletries 64%

5 Reading material 58%

The average amount spent by a family of four before departure was £116.00

Respondents who had spent money at the airport after check-in and before departure, which was the majority, were asked to specify their average spend from their last trip. The average answer given, per family of four, was £116.00.

All respondents were then asked how much spending money they had put aside and taken with them for their trip (including any money spent in the airport before departure). The average answer stated by respondents was £1,100 for a family of four, meaning that just over 10% of the holiday spending money budget is blown in the airport before travellers have even left the country to get to their destination.

It was quite surprising to find out that, on average, 10% of holiday money is blown in the airport. Many people obviously forget about what you buy in the airport before you even leave British soil! It can be a last-minute stop for things that you've forgotten, such a toiletries, books for the plane and snacks to keep you going; the prices of which can all add up!

It would be a good idea to agree a pre-holiday budget for the airport, just in case you do have to spend on things you may have forgotten. That way it won't eat in to your holiday savings, so you'll be able to treat yourself whilst your away!

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