Are economic woes influencing your travel plans?
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It’s been a very unsettling few days in the UK with images of long queues of customers outside the sticken Northern Rock bank. There was such a crisis of confidence that the UK Government was forced to guarantee the Northern Rock customer deposits to try to stem the outflow of funds from the bank and the share price of some other banks began to tumble too. The current instability started with the sub prime housing credit concern in the US.
There are mutterings of an impending drop in consumer spending on non essentials such as travel. It’s very difficult to judge how consumers will respond. A recent Expedia poll claimed that 37% of respondents travel for inspiration when times are tough. There’s often a time lag of up to 12 months before the impact of economic wobbles become apparent.
I can only speak for myself. I’m in the middle of booking a holiday to the Canaries at the end of November. We usually have a Winter sun holiday to help us get through the long, dark period between October and March. So no change in travel spending for us. At present our decision is more influenced by the dismal weather we’ve had in the UK this Summer which has made us keener to have a Winter sun holiday.
My travel plans over the last year have been strongly influenced by the hassle of flying, just all the hanging around and queuing in airports. Now I’m loathe to fly for a trip of less than a week because of the wasted day at either end. My choice of Fuerteventura for our November holiday was partly because of the departure day, a Saturday (allowing a relaxing Sunday before the working week begins) and reasonable flight times. I think this a probably a sign of being middle aged and being concerned with such comfort issues.
What are the factors influencing your travel plans?
