Summer is officially here and that means one thing – holiday season. With this in mind, TripAdvisor can today reveal travel trends that have emerged for Brits during the peak summer travel period, based on TripAdvisor searches.

The results show that the staycation is on trend for Brits this summer with six British destinations in the top 15 global list. London and Edinburgh top the list in first and second place respectively, while UK cities Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Birmingham also feature in the top 15. And it seems that city breaks in general are proving a hit for British travellers as eleven of the top 15 are revealed to be city destinations.

Staying close to home is big on the agenda for UK travellers this summer as the top 15 is dominated by European destinations. Only four destinations in the hot list this year are located outside of the continent – Sharm El Sheikh, New York City, Orlando and Dubai.

For those planning to venture out of the UK, Sharm El Sheikh is the most popular holiday destination in third place, followed by New York City in fourth.

Accommodation of choice:

Brits are setting their sights high as it is revealed that more than 46% of travellers are focusing on 4-star hotels and over 20% opting for the ultimate in luxury and going for 5-star properties in their planning and research. Of the travellers with a more modest budget in mind 27% are focused on 3-star properties and on the lower end of the scale only 5% are interested in 2-stars and a meagre 1% on 1-star hotels.

On the itinerary:

For those all-important plans on the ground at the holiday destination of choice, the research results show that of the categories listed under the attractions tab on TripAdvisor, the five most popular activities for British travellers are:
1.  Outdoor
2.  Cultural
3.  Amusement
4.  Museums
5.  Landmarks

“2014 looks set to be the summer of the staycation as the research of our British TripAdvisor community shows. If they’re not staying in the UK, they’ll be staying pretty close at least, as six UK and five European destinations are placed in the top 15 most searched.

“For those planning a trip to these or others destinations around the world, visit the TripAdvisor destination pages (for example TripAdvisor London) for a wealth of information to help plan your trip from what to stay, where to eat and what to do for fun,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, James Kay.