Brits have faced chaos and confusion around travel rules over the past few weeks, and it looks like many would prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to soaking up the sun this year.
When it comes to making decisions, people trust their own judgement more than the government’s
Over two in five (44%) Brits say that they will not be taking a holiday either abroad or within the UK until next year at the earliest, our new data shows.
Reasons range from financial worries to safety concerns. Of those not taking a holiday in the next few months, half (48%) say that the reason they won’t be taking a holiday during the latter part of the year is because they are too worried about a second wave of COVID-19 and a subsequent lockdown.
A similar number (47%) say it’s because they feel it’s generally unsafe to travel at all and 43% think it’s not safe to fly. Almost a third (30%) won’t be travelling as they are too worried they’d get sick while they were away.
Some people’s decisions not to travel have been influenced by COVID-19 related financial worries, with 13% saying they don’t have enough money for a holiday due to the impact of the pandemic. Others (6%) will choose to stay at home because they are scared they will be judged by others for travelling.
Should I stay or should I go now?
The way people travel will inevitably shift as many feel faced with uncertainty and the prospect of quarantining either at home or abroad.
But while many are putting a halt to holidays all together, some are still hoping to take some form of trip.
As a result of the travel disruption caused by COVID-19, as of August 3rd, half of Brits (51%) say that they are now more likely to consider a holiday in the UK due to the ongoing situation with coronavirus. This is up 4 points from the week before (47%), during which quarantine rules for travellers to Spain were announced.
Of those who are more likely to consider a holiday in the UK, almost three in five (57%) say one of the main reasons is because they fear being stuck or taken ill abroad. Almost two in five (36%) say they will stick to British soil because they don’t know how safe other countries are, a quarter (26%) say it will help them spend less on travel, and 16% say it’s because there is no language barrier if anything goes wrong.
Now that some travel rules are relaxing, when it comes to making decisions, people trust their own judgement more than the government’s. When asked ‘when do you think you will book your next holiday?’, four in ten (40%) answered ‘when I feel safe’ compared to 23% who answered ‘when the government says it’s safe’.