Cheaper to go abroad than stay at home

Cheap airlines are fuelling increase in short trips

Going abroad for a weekend can be cheaper than staying at home partying, a new survey has said.

Teletext Holidays analysed the cost of a typical weekend in the UK on food shopping, travel, evening entertainment and other expenditure such as a trip to the hairdressers and compared it with the cost of a weekend in Majorca and the Canaries.

Survey findings

53% claim bargain getaways are too good to resist

15% of 18-35 year olds have been on at least three holidays in past year

18% of 25-35 year olds say they are addicted to frequent holiday deal-hunting

It said that even allowing for travel to and from the airport and entertainment, flying away to the sun was cheaper than spending a weekend at home.

According to Teletext Holidays, a weekend in Majorca could be up to £100 less than a weekend of pampering and partying for a Londoner.

Frequent flyers

An increasing number of people are taking short breaks on the continent - and demanding cheaper prices, says the survey.

One fifth of people living in East Anglia would expect to pay less for their foreign trip than a hair cut and colour.

The same percentage of clubbers in north west England expect to get a holiday deal for less than the cost of a night out.

But Londoners travel the most, with 19% of people surveyed taking holidays in the past year and 21% of people spending three weekends abroad.

Marc Bell of Teletex said: "There is a new breed of UK travellers emerging and that's the dedicated jet pack.

"Almost a fifth of holidaymakers expect to pay less for a trip away than a meal for two in a decent restaurant."

The survey does not include a new tourist tax, which is being imposed on visitors to the Balearic Islands, which is about 62p a day for each person over 12 years old.