Posted on Friday, 26 February 2016

Britons may be creatures of habit when it comes to booking a summer holiday, but this year is already shaping up to be rather different from 2015.

While Spain is a perennial favourite for UK holidaymakers, the peak season of 2016 will be a bumper one for the sun-blessed southern European country.

Increased Demand for Spain

Thomson and Thomas Cook have increased flight capacity to Spain, largely due to recent terrorist attacks in Turkey, which have dissuaded some Britons from visiting the historically popular destination.

Demand for holidays in countries likes Spain, Portugal and Greece – generally considered safe locations – has increased.

Pressure on the Pound

The pound has been losing ground against the dollar for some time, making a stateside holiday more costly for Britons. But due, in part, to worries over a UK exit from Europe, sterling is now worth less against a raft of other currencies.

At time of writing, a pound now buys 1.26 euros, just seven months after reaching a high of 1.44. However, there are a number of Eurozone and non-Eurozone countries that still offer great value to UK travellers.

Alongside Spain and Greece – historically affordable for British people – a number of eastern and south eastern European destinations offer some very affordable options for summer getaways.

City Breaks

Last year, Vilnius (Lithuania), Budapest (Hungary), Riga (Latvia) and Tallinn (Estonia) were identified by the Post Office Travel Money survey in 2015 as the cheapest city break destinations for UK holidaymakers. While the weaker pound will have made these destinations slightly less affordable, they still offer good value. And you don't have to worry about a lack of heat if you head east. Temperatures in Budapest, for example, frequently surpass the mid-20s (Celsius) in July.

Beach Holidays

For a low-cost beach-side break, consider Montenegro, just to the south of Croatia, where the nightly accommodation rate for 2 people in July is around 30 euros. Bulgaria's Black Sea beaches are already a big favourite with Britons and other European nationalities, but this year it may see even more UK holidaymakers, such is its affordability. A room for two in July will cost around 36 euros. Sarandë in Albania, Mamaia in Romania and Kos in Greece have also been identified as great-value locations for a beach break.

Take Control of Your Holiday

UK holidaymakers may not be able to control the geo-political events that are contributing to a weak sterling, but they can control where they go – which means if you're looking for an affordable holiday this summer, you can still find one.

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