Leftover FOREIGN cash wasted in airports.

UK holidaymakers wasted over a quarter of a BILLION pounds in foreign airports this summer using up leftover currency, according to a study released today by Post Office® Travel Services.

The research shows that over half (54 per cent) of holidaymakers are guilty of ‘Terminal Boredom Buying’ where they fritter away leftover currency on non-essential purchases rather than changing it back into sterling. Nearly one in five (19 per cent) admitted to parting with over £25 in the airport on things they did not need.*

The Post Office® research also reveals a Top Ten of bizarre items bought as a result of Terminal Boredom Buying:

1. Ceramic lobster 2. Leprechaun doorstop 3. China sombrero chip and dip set 4. Plastic Viking helmet 5. Wooden spoon set 6. Plastic camel 7. China jersey cow 8. Statue of Liberty dressing up set 9. Bag of local gravel 10. Stars and stripes dog raincoat

John Howells, Post Office® head of travel services, said: “Buying items you neither need nor want just to get rid of that last bit of holiday money is not necessary. It’s so easy to change your notes back into sterling and you can then spend it on something you really want - or save your coins for your next trip abroad.”

Women are more likely than men to splash the airport cash, with 56 per cent failing to resist the lure of duty free compared to 52 per cent of men.

And it appears that the younger you are, the more likely you are to spend leftover holiday cash in the airport: almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of 18-24 year olds confess to Terminal Boredom Buying in the airports compared with only 43 per cent of over 55s.

The study also identified regional differences in the amount of people wasting money in airports:

· Londoners are the most likely to suffer from Terminal Boredom Buying with 64 per cent buying unwanted items to use up leftover cash and a quarter spending £25 or more

· Holidaymakers from the East Midlands and Wales are the least likely to buy things they don’t need in the airport, with only 48 per cent admitting it

The Post Office® is the largest bureau de change provider in the UK with a 25 per cent market share. Customers can buy euros over the counter at more than 7,500 “on demand” branches and additional currencies at 2,000 of these branches. The remaining 6,800 non 'on-demand' branches offer a next-day currency collection service.