A study by one of the UK’s leading online independent travel agencies has revealed that the average Briton spends more than 24 hours looking for and researching holidays on the internet before they actually book anything; regardless of whether they book online or in a travel agency in the end.

It would appear that Britons put a lot of thought and research into their annual summer holiday, as research by a leading online independent travel agency has revealed that the average UK holidaymaker spends 24 entire hours trawling the internet to research and look for holidays in the run up to booking.

A poll from online travel agency www.sunshine.co.uk formed part of ongoing research into the holiday habits and preferences of people around the UK; with this study having a specific focus on the research process before a holiday is booked. 1,049 UK adults took part in the poll and all of them had been abroad in the past year.

When asked to estimate how much time they spent per week researching holiday destinations and hotels online before they finally got around to booking their last holiday, the average answer was ‘4.5 hours’ per week.

They were then asked how many weeks it had taken them to decide on and book a holiday destination and accommodation for their stay, to which the average answer was ‘6 weeks’. When taking into account that the average respondent researched holiday destinations and hotels for 4.5 hours per week for 6 weeks before making a final decision; that equates to 27 entire hours sat in front of a computer screen searching for somewhere to go on holiday.

When asked what their most important requirements were for accommodation when carrying out their research, the top 5 answers were as follows:

·      Air conditioning – 77%
·      Sea View – 64%
·      Pool – 61%
·      Good food – 58%
·      Child-friendly – 53%

Chris Clarkson, co-founder of sunshine.co.uk, said the following:

“Of course it’s important to make sure you’ve booked a holiday that’s right for you and that you know you’d enjoy, but you shouldn’t over-think things when searching for your next destination or hotel to visit. You can end up overcomplicating things by being too picky and then you just end up going round in circles.

“If you aren’t just returning to a destination that you know and love and are searching for somewhere new, ask family and friends for their recommendations and use that as inspiration. The most important thing is that you are getting the best deal, so it’s important to shop around or look for agents with a low price guarantee.”