Top 10 Things We Sacrifice To Pay For Our Holidays

Posted by Sue Anderson, 6th Jun 2017

Holidays are an exciting time for all involved, but a lot of work goes on behind the scenes before we get to that sun lounger; particularly in the financial sense.

Saving money is part and parcel of the holiday experience, so we wanted to find out more about how people manage the financial aspect of jetting off abroad. We polled 1,762 people aged 18 and over from around the UK and asked them questions about their holiday finances. Everyone we spoke to had been abroad on holiday in the last 12 months.

Takeaways, Nights Out and Gym Memberships First To Go



When we asked, 'Did you make any sacrifices for financial/saving reasons in the run up to your last holiday?' 71% of the people taking part said 'yes'. We then asked these people to select, from a list, what kind of things they gave up in order to save money ahead of their holiday (selecting all that applied to them), which revealed the following top 10 answers:

1. Takeaways - 69%

2. Nights out - 61%

3. Gym membership - 48%

4. Buying new clothes - 44%

5. Streaming services (e.g. music, film) - 39%

6. Buying lunch daily (instead of packed lunch) - 33%

7. Alcohol - 29%

8. Branded goods - 25%

9. TV package (e.g. cable/satellite) - 16%

10. Driving (switch to public transport) - 8%

Holidaymakers Spend 7 Months Saving For Cost of Trip and Spending Money



All respondents to our survey were asked how long it took them to save up the money to pay for their last holiday abroad (i.e. just their share of the cost). Once all answers were taken into account, the average length of time was revealed to be 'four months'. We then asked how long it took them to save up any spending money that they wanted to take with them on the trip, to which the average length of time was revealed to be a further 'three months' (and 78% said they took spending money on their last trip).

54% of all the respondents taking part in the study said that they socialised 'a lot less than usual' in the lead up to their last holiday abroad. When asked why this was the case, 61% of these respondents said that it was because they 'simply couldn't afford to'. Even if you are saving for a holiday, there's always plenty to do socially that doesn't have to involve spending; invite friends over to watch a film and cook a nice dinner, or go for some nice country walks. You don't have to sacrifice your social life whilst saving!

People are clearly very dedicated to their holidays judging by the various things they give up in order to make one happen. There's nothing wrong with cutting back on a few luxuries in the run up to a trip abroad if it means you're going to have a bit more to spend whilst you're away, but the way around that would be to find such a good holiday deal that you don't have to scrimp in other areas!
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