Almost 1 in 4 Brits Plan to Travel This Festive Season, New HSBC Survey Finds
America is the most popular Christmas/New Year destination, with 20% of Brits choosing it
As Christmas and New Year are quickly approaching, HSBC UK’s latest survey of 2,001 UK adults explores how Brits are planning their celebrations, from festive international travel to experience-based Christmas gifting. The findings provide insight into the most popular festive travel destinations, spending habits, and the financial pressures shaping travel and gifting decisions during the festive period.
Dream Christmas & New Year Travel Destinations
| Most Popular New Years & Christmas Travel Destination | % Of Brits Wanting To Go |
| USA | 20% |
| Caribbean islands | 16% |
| Italy | 13% |
| Australia | 13% |
| Canary Islands | 11% |
The survey uncovered that almost 1 in 4 Brits are travelling for Christmas and New Year in 2024. America emerged as the dream destination among Brits, with 20% selecting it as their preferred place if they were to travel for Christmas and New Year.
Interestingly, Londoners are the most likely to want to travel for Christmas and New Year’s, whereas respondents in Newcastle, Nottingham, and Sheffield are least likely to make any travel plans during this period.
Festive Funding: How Are These Trips Paid For
Budgeting plays a significant role in festive travel plans, with Brits expecting to spend an average of £1,360 on their Christmas or New Year trips abroad. Younger travellers between 25 and 34 plan to allocate the most, with an average spend of £1,428, while those aged 55 and over are slightly more budget-conscious at £1,034.
Nottingham residents plan to spend the most on their festive trips out of all UK cities, with an average budget of £1,777, whereas those living in Brighton plan to spend less than half of that, with an average budget of £751.
Personal savings are the most popular way for 50% of those travelling for Christmas and 46% of those planning New Year trips to fund them, with credit cards being the second most popular option. The survey found that younger adults aged 25–34 are more inclined to explore ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ methods, whereas most 55+ plan to fund their travels by using their savings.
Adrija Biswas, HSBC UK’s Head of Global Money, FX and Payments, commented:
“Holidays are topping people’s priority lists this festive period, with lots of people leaving the country over Christmas, and also choosing to gift trips away to loved ones as gifts.
“With one in four having plans for a festive getaway, we are also seeing a trend of ‘impulse travel’ – where spontaneous trips are being booked and paid for a month or less in advance. With the average festive trips coming in at over £1,300, this is a significant expense to commit to at short notice, which is why it’s important for festive jetsetters to ensure they’re not paying unnecessary fees and charges on their transactions while on their Christmas getaway.
“With no HSBC fees on card spend or ATM withdrawals abroad, Global Money helps customers avoid unexpected costs and makes it easier to maximise your holiday budget during what we all know is the most expensive period of the year.”
The Rise of Travel Gifting This Christmas
The survey found that travel and experience gifting is a growing trend, with 15% of respondents planning to gift a trip this year and 37% expressing interest in this option. Those aged 25–34 are the most open to gifting a trip, whereas a low 4% of those aged 55+ would be open to doing so.
The most popular reason for gifting trips is to build memories with loved ones, followed by valuing experiences over material gifts, highlighting the importance of meaningful gifts this festive season.
Good to know is that Global Money can help reduce costs on holiday, with no HSBC fees on card transactions or ATM withdrawals abroad. Launched in October 2022, over 1 million HSBC customers are signed up to fee-free spending through multi award-winning Global Money.
For more info, visit: Global Money Account | Travel Money Card – HSBC UK