Staycationers give up luxuries

Survey reveals what you would give for a trip to a B&B

Would you give up your morning takeaway coffee to save for a trip to a B&B? How about your daily cigarettes? A new survey has shown that over 40% of us would.

It appears that these little luxuries – along with ice cream, massages and manicures – are all deemed less important to people than the indulgence of getting away from it all.

A survey by bedandbreakfast.com has found that people are determined not to lose out on their holidays even if the type of holiday they can afford to take has now changed.

The survey asked travellers “How important is B&B travel to you? Would give up or curtail any of the following to bolster your travel budget?” The majority (52.7%) said they would give up their morning coffee to save money for travel. Going out for ice cream was next (47.7%), then massages and manicures (45%), followed lastly by cigarettes (40.1%).

As the staycation becomes the norm, Sandy Soule, Marketing VP at bedandbreakfast.com, notes, "Clearly, travel patterns changed in the last year, as travellers tightened their belts and stayed closer to home. Yet these patterns worked out well for inn-goers, as B&Bs tend to be an easy one-tank trip from most metropolitan areas, and add so much extra value to a getaway."

It seems that many people are adapting to the gloomy economic climate – not by cutting out holidays altogether but by changing how they travel. Gone are the exotic holidays to far flung destinations and instead people are holidaying closer to home. Of those questioned, 44.8% said they would spend less on vacation while 37.2% said they would vacation for fewer days in order to save.

Despite the fact that 54.7% of people questioned admitted that the recession was having an effect on their travel plans, 84.1% said they would take the same or more trips as last year.