Words About Things

More and more people are booking in last-minute holiday breaks at an increased paced compared to last year. Consumer confidence and competitive pricing is tempting more holidaymakers back into travel, particularly in the U.K. and Germany. Figures show that up to 14% of holidays booked in June 2010 were booked only four weeks or less before the departure date, an increase from June 2009.

Holiday Booking Agencies are not the only ones set to benefit from the rise. Hotels and local business in the popular holiday areas as well as short term transportation like car rental and van rental, or leasing agencies are also ready to service eager holiday makers.

In the U.K. holidaymakers are eager to take advantage of the rising Pound value against the weakening Euro, with the prospect of travelling to mainland Europe being a more affordable choice than usual. Meanwhile in Germany, unemployment figures have continued to fall as the economy stabilizes, giving consumers a renewed confidence to make spontaneous purchases and investments.

The ash plume from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano as well as riots in Greece and Thailand also put some vacationers off making bookings earlier in the year. “People are anxious early in the year whether they will still have their job in summer to pay for a holiday trip,” said Klaus Kraenzle, an analyst at GSC Research in Dusseldorf.

The increase of online booking is also making it easier, faster, and cheaper to find the holiday best suited for consumers. Price comparison websites make it even easier to search for the best deals. “To get the best deal, consumers are spending more time online and that’s reducing the time between booking and travel,” said Caroline Bremner, global travel and tourism manager at Euromonitor International in London.

“People are booking later than ever before,” said Nina Meyer, a spokeswoman for L’TUR Tourismus AG, Europe’s largest last-minute-travel organizer. L’TUR’s package-tour sales are ahead of last year and the company aims to sell 1 million journeys for the year, up from 2009’s record 832,000, which produced revenue of 360 million euros ($464 million), she said.

Our original summer holiday plan this year was to go camping for a couple of weeks. We are lucky enough to live in a very scenic area so it’s easy to just get in the car and drive for an hour or so to a nice small campsite. Other than the fact that our tent isn’t quite as long as I am this was a good plan. The weather seems to be against us however, the sun was shining brightly when these plans were made but today it is gray and raining.

Browsing for travel inspiration I found a series of photos on the Guardian website linked by the theme of the open road. The Guardian ran a monthly travel photography competition and its theme for May was road tripping, the submissions (at least those which made it onto the site) are great.

I have wanted to take a proper road trip preferably in a big old convertible American car, ever since I read On The Road. I’m sure there are plenty of car hire companies on Route 66 with red Cadillacs read to go. Judging by this picture Cuba might be good fun as well or even riding a motorbike through Bolivia. A road trip in England might be slightly different however. I’m not sure there is much glamor involved as driving in England makes me think of Little Chefs, traffic jams and that couple who apparently circled the M5 a few times thinking that they were heading North.

Driving through the lanes of England’s countryside can be good fun but shouldn’t be attempted in a Cadillac. You may find yourself having to reverse for 5 miles with an angry looking farmer driving his tractor towards you.

Asking around to see if anybody had anthing to add to my previous post 10 Recession Beating Holiday Tips one word kept coming up: staycation. Perhaps ‘word’ is a little strong, more like a collision of two words although I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up in the dictionary soon. A staycation for anyone who has yet to incounter the idea is a holiday where you stay at home or at least in your home country. The idea being that you save money and explore your local areas.

Apparently lots of people are considering a staycation this year. If we actually have a summer then travelling around England sounds like a good idea although you may regret it if it rains again. I live in the south-west and we tend to see a massive influx of northerners (anyone north of Bristol) in the summer, I don’t blame them because it’s grim up north.

Campervan sales are increasing and Volkswagen Vans have seen a 25% increase in inquiries about their vans. Sales, including those of used vans, have shot up in the last 6 months according to Jason Jones who owns Danbury Motorcaravans:

“People are looking to buy one vehicle that does it all rather than a car, a caravan and a people carrier separately.”

Research has found that one in five people are planning a driving holiday this year in the UK, lets hope they don’t all arrive down here at once.