With 2016 well under way British Airways Holidays can reveal the true cost of a holiday – and it’s double what many think it is.

A whopping 45 per cent of the total cost of a trip abroad will go on pre-holiday pampering, new clothes, extras at the airport, food and drink and items when away.

The average cost of a holiday for a family of four is £4,260, yet only just over half of that (£2,328) will go on flights and accommodation.

For single travellers the cost of extras soars, with a hefty 55 per cent of the total cost (£1,477 of £2,627) going on shopping, beauty treatments, eating out and excursions.

In a nod to better times financially for the nation, a significant 13 per cent of our annual salaries are expected to go on breaks away this year.

Claire Bentley, managing director of British Airways Holidays, said: “We were really surprised by just how much money goes on pre-holiday shopping, pampering and other extras compared to the cost of the holiday itself.

“The research shows that holidaymakers need only cut back on discretionary spend to be able to afford a dream trip away.

“Booking an all-inclusive package, with meals and drinks included, is a great way to keep track of spending or opting for a self-catering villa is another way in which families and larger groups can keep costs down.”

Brits with a salary of £15k will take an average of three breaks this year, while jetsetters who earn £55k will tot up more than double that, with seven trips away.

Surprisingly, 16-24 year olds will go away the most times in a year, averaging five trips, compared to three for over 55s, perhaps disproving the ‘life begins at 50’ theory.

Nearly six million Brits will book their summer holiday this January, with one in ten Brits spending just one hour researching a trip before booking it, although the majority of us will spend seven days researching before committing.

It then takes us seven months, one week and four days to save up and afford a ‘big’ holiday, with even high earners spending more than six months saving up for a ‘dream holiday’ abroad.