matecations could save you money
A new money-saving trend is evident amongst British holidaymakers, as just under a third of Brits are choosing to stay at a ‘friend’s house’ when travelling abroad this year, says new research from MyVoucherCodes.
The discount website’s latest study revealed that holidaymakers are doing all they can to save money, despite many friends charging for their stay.
According to the study, ‘cost’ is the most important factor influencing where Britons intend to stay this year; with just under a third admitting that they’ll be staying with a friend to save money.
Mark Pearson, Chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said: “Planning a holiday abroad can be tricky when you don’t know the country you’re going to, or if you’re simply not sure about where to stay.
“If you are lucky enough to have a friend already living where you plan to go then there is nothing wrong with considering this as an accommodation option for your holiday; and it seems that matecations are popular amongst a fair few Britons this year!”
Even if your friends decide to charge you for staying over, it will probably still end up cheaper than what you would normally pay for...
The study, conducted by www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, polled 1,919 people aged 18 over from across the UK and initially asked them ‘Are you planning on going on holiday abroad this year?’, to which just under two thirds answered ‘yes’.
These respondents were then asked to choose, from a list of possible answers, what type of accommodation they were planning on booking for their holiday abroad this year.
According to the research, the top five types of accommodation that British holidaymakers are planning on using for their holiday abroad this year include 34 per cent staying at a hotel, 32 per cent opting for a friend’s house, while 27 per cent will choose a villa for accommodation, and 21 per cent a B&B, meanwhile a modest 17 per cent will go for a camp site.
Of respondents who claimed that they were planning on staying at a friend’s house for their holiday, 39 per cent claimed that this was in order to save money, whilst over a just over a quarter, admitted that they simply couldn’t be bothered with the ‘hassle’ of looking for a hotel.
Furthermore 14 per cent admitted that they could ‘kill two birds in with one stone’ and visit their friend at the same time as holidaying; whilst just over a fifth explained they could not afford to go on holiday otherwise.
Mark added: “Even if your friends decide to charge you for staying over, it will probably still end up cheaper than what you would normally pay for a regular hotel or villa.
“It’s all about finding the best price when going on holiday, so if you can spend a little bit less in accommodation, then you can save yourself a little bit more for your spending money.”
When the respondents were asked if their friends would charge them for their stay, 58 per cent said ‘yes’. Furthermore, when asked if they would ever opt to stay at a stranger’s house when holidaying abroad if it were a cheaper option, just under half of the respondents said ‘yes’.
For 61 per cent of respondents the cost of accommodation came out on top as being the main factor that influences travellers’ decisions on where to stay, followed by location for 55 per cent and star rating for 26 per cent of British holidaymakers.
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