Travel Check-In: Summer 2024.

Here’s what the numbers tell us.

Terrific news for British travellers: according to our numbers, flight prices from the UK are currently stable or decreasing on average across the globe. So no matter where you had in mind to go, chances are good you’ll be able to pick up a deal on it. In fact, out of the nine regions we looked at, six show a price decrease, one is stable, and only two show a price increase of a marginal 3%.

Looking overseas, Brits seem to be particularly interested in reopened Asia. Destinations like Bangkok, Manila, and Colombo made the top 10 list of most popular destinations. Chinese cities Beijing and Fuzhou leapt up in searches too, reaching our trending destinations list. Overall, Asian cities have also dropped in price by 7%.

To the west, that Caribbean dream is brighter and closer, with prices dropping by 7% compared to last year. Family-friendly destinations in the US are even more popular than last year, with searches increasing by 8%. And with a fairly manageable price increase of 3% for the US, the Great American trip should still be achievable this summer. Together with Africa’s 3% price increase, these were the only two regions with a price increase, according to our data.

Another typical summer holiday consideration, long-haul vs short-haul, looks fairly clear-cut this year. Long-haul destinations are topping our most popular destinations list. But the popularity of Brits’ traditional European favourites remain strong too, with searches in Europe up 3% compared to last year.

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Here’s what the numbers tell us.

In Europe: So far, the last week of June seems to have our best flight prices to destinations within Europe at £205 on average. But if you can’t travel at that time and are willing to wait till the end of summer, the beginning of September currently has great return flight prices of around £209 on average. Try to steer clear of mid-July though. That’s the peak travel season and, correspondingly, when flight prices are highest.

Outside of Europe: Looking further into the world, travelling even earlier in the summer should give you the most for your money. Prices are looking nice and low in the second week of June at £635 on average for return flights. Or wait it out till the second week of September for even lower prices. If you’ve got to travel between those times, again, try to avoid mid-July when prices are highest.

You’ll see similar price patterns for both graphs, with airfare slowly rising from June, peaking in mid-July, and then tapering off at the start of autumn. This trend is even more pronounced for international flights.

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Here’s what the numbers tell us.

Outbound: Outbound long-haul destinations have been on the tips of British travellers’ fingers as they typed out faraway cities like Bangkok, New York, and Manila. In fact, seven out of the top 10 international destinations are long-haul, taking six or more hours to reach by air. The only European destinations that made the top slots were Brit favourites in Spain and Portugal.

Asia is the region that has been most sought-after. Despite having our highest flight prices out of all outbound destinations, an impressive four Asian cities made the cut. North America and Europe are right behind Asia with three destinations each in the top 10.

Europe Outbound: Brits who want to stay in Europe but still enjoy some heat are checking out the ever-popular Spain with its lovely coasts, delicious cuisine, and attractive prices. Four out of the top five European destinations comprise Spanish cities: Alicante, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, and Barcelona. Faro, Portugal offers a refreshing change of culture with its third-highest ranking. The only destination that doesn’t lie in this geographical area is Paris, but the reason for that is probably a rather well-known summer sports event that starts with ‘O’.

For those seeking heat and great prices, Lisbon and Barcelona are your best bets, while the Turkish cities of Istanbul and Antalya lie toward the other end of the price spectrum.

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Here’s what the numbers tell us.

Outbound: Out of all the destinations in the world, British football fans are choosing to take off for premium German venue cities Düsseldorf, Munich, and Cologne this summer. Searches there have increased more than three-fold and overtaken the top slots for trending destinations. Venue city Frankfurt is also on the list at no. 5 in the worldwide ranking, with a search increase of 125%.

If you’ve had your sights set on China this year, you’re not alone. Flight searches for Fuzhou and Beijing are also up, by 131% and 55% respectively.

Europe Outbound: The summer’s football games in Germany have likely impacted European searches. You’d have to get all the way down to the fifth spot, Bélziers, France (where searches doubled), to find a city that’s not hosting any football games.

Cologne is the football venue city with our highest average flight prices, at £266. If you’re not in it for the game though, you’ll see that lovely Shannon, Ireland has our cheapest price out of all trending destinations, at £196 on average.

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Here’s what the numbers tell us.

Best value Outside Europe: Head south if you want to fly beyond Europe for less (and if you can take the heat!). Destinations in Africa like Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria are tempting travellers with hot temperatures and our best-value prices. Return flight tickets there cost between £224-£429 on average.

High price Outside Europe: You probably won’t be surprised to find out travelling to the other side of the world comes with fewer bargains. But if you’re looking for cooler climates and can pay for it, head to Australia and New Zealand with their milder temperatures. Tickets there cost £1200+ on average, more than double the price to Africa.

Best value Europe Outbound: You can definitely find great-value European destinations abroad this summer. And with plenty of them in the northern region, it’s an easy and affordable way to beat the expected heat of increasing summer temperatures. Cool and romantic Ireland sits well at the top, with Dublin topping the list of our best-value European destinations at £107 on average, and Cork sitting fourth at £134 on average. If you want to get a bit further away to chill, head to no. 2 and 3 spots Saint Pete in Jersey and Copenhagen, Denmark, both at £120 on average.

High price Europe Outbound: If you’re seeking heat, there’s still plenty to be found in sunny Mediterranean cities within Cyprus, Spain, and Greece. But you’ll likely pay a pretty penny for some of them. Nicosia, Cyprus landed our most expensive European summer destination at £407. Skiathos, Greece lies at no. 5, despite experiencing a 6% price drop, while Préveza, Greece rose in price by 34% compared to last year.

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Here’s what the numbers tell us.

Outbound: If China is on your bucket list now that it’s re-opened its borders, this summer could be the perfect time to go. Our four destinations with the biggest drops in price are all in China. They even include popular cities for visitors, like Beijing and Shanghai. Beijing, the capital of China, dropped in flight prices by a whopping 33% compared to last year, while bustling Shanghai is now 22% cheaper than last year.

European Outbound: Travellers can find plenty of ticket-slashing deals to scoop up for European destinations outside of the UK. And most of them are already popular summer holiday destinations like Turkey, Croatia, and Greece. The beautiful cities of Bodrum, Istanbul, and Antalya take the top three slots, with prices on average 14-16% lower than last year. Bodrum enjoyed the biggest drop in price at -16%. Flights to tourist hotspots Dubrovnik and Pula in Croatia also saw hefty price cuts, as did the idyllic Greek island of Mykonos and Albania’s capital Tirana.

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Here’s what the numbers tell us.

If you’re looking to make some smart savings on your summer holiday, book a stay in Europe and choose the destinations with our cheapest return flights+hotel combination. On average, the costs here range from £859-£1181 for a full week. These are big savings — if you were looking outside Europe for your holiday, the flight costs alone would be in this range.

Madrid landed the top spot for combo holidays thanks to its nice hotel price of just £100 per night. Milan comes in no. 2 because of its average return flight price of only £136.

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Here’s what the numbers tell us.

Outbound: For those travelling abroad, our best-value hire cars lie in Krakow, Poland. There, you’ll only pay £25/day on average. That’s actually half the price of the No. 1 domestic car hire price of Belfast, at £53/day.

Domestic: Thinking of a road trip this summer? If you’re hiring a car, it could actually be cheaper to do your road trip outside of the UK. All of the best-priced car hire locations abroad that we found are much cheaper than our best-priced domestic locations.

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Here’s what the numbers tell us.

Outbound: If you’d rather lay your head on pillows outside of the UK, you can do that at pretty comparable prices. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for example, has Blackpool prices at £77 per night for a hotel stay on average. And if you’re willing to dish out about £10-£30 more per night, you can have your pick of holiday stays in beautiful cities like Bangkok, Krakow, Madrid, and Prague.

Domestic: It’s looking great for staying in the UK at a lovely seaside resort, countryside inn, or modern hotel in the city. The UK is topping the charts for best-value stays with beach resort Blackpool at £77 on average. If you’ve got other coastal destinations in mind, check out Scarborough with an average of £100 or lively Liverpool at £121 on average. Inland, Birmingham is an attractive option at around £95 on average — or for just about £23 more per night, head to Leeds.

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Here’s what the numbers tell us.

The reign of London as travellers’ go-to travel destination remains strong for the summer. It leads the pack as the UK city with the highest volume of inbound flight searches. Conveniently, flight prices there are also looking attractive, at £139 on average for incoming flights from Europe and approx. £832 from countries outside of Europe. Manchester came out looking good for travellers’ budgets too, and was recently named the No. 1 best place in the world to visit this year by the New York Times. Flight prices there are £167 on average for return flights from Europe and about £908 from outside Europe.

Inbound travellers looking to get beyond the bustle of the big city are instead searching for serene coastal getaways like Southampton. Flight searches to the vibrant waterfront city and popular cruise port have surged by 43% compared to last year.

This is by far the biggest jump in searches from our rankings, despite Southampton also being our most expensive destination to fly to from Europe, at £297 on average, and from other worldwide destinations (approx. £1,033). Southampton’s search jump is followed by Bristol, up 25% in searches from last year, and Aberdeen, with a 20% increase in flight searches from last year. By the data, it looks like travellers are willing to spend more to reach those sought-after, idyllic destinations. This is by far the biggest jump in searches from our rankings, despite Southampton also being our most expensive destination to fly to from Europe, at £297 on average, and from other worldwide destinations (approx. £1,033). Southampton’s search jump is followed by Bristol, up 25% in searches from last year, and Aberdeen, with a 20% increase in flight searches from last year. By the data, it looks like travellers are willing to spend more to reach those sought-after, idyllic destinations.

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