Holidaymakers ‘spend nearly £100 more per day than they would at home’

Half of those surveyed said they overspend when holidaying abroad, Starling Bank said.

Setting a budget and checking your balance can help avoid the post-holiday blues, according to Starling Bank (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Archive)

Holidaymakers spend nearly £100 per day more typically while they are away than they would at home, a survey indicates.

On average, people spend £95.40 more per day, in addition to travel to and from and accommodation at their destination, while they are away, compared with their spending at home, Starling Bank found.

This equates to around £688 more spent over the course of a holiday lasting one week.

Half (50%) of those surveyed said they overspend when holidaying abroad, with 11% of them going into debt as a result. Wanting to enjoy themselves and getting caught out by items that are more expensive than anticipated were among the reasons why people said that they overspent.

One in six (16%) holidaymakers make a budget and stick to it, according to the  survey of 2,000 people across the UK carried out by Opinium in July.

Four in 10 (41%) people wait until the holiday is over to check their bank balance, or until their bank statement comes through to look over their total spend. More than one-third (37%) said they are “surprised” about their holiday outgoings when they do check their bank balance.

More than one in seven (15%) people said that as a result of overspending, they have been forced to cancel future social plans. One in 11 (9%) have struggled to buy groceries, 8% have had to borrow money from friends or family members to tide them over, and 7% said they have struggled to pay their rent or mortgage.

Rachel Kerrone, brand and marketing director at Starling Bank said: “Setting a holiday budget and frequently checking your bank balance might not sound like fun, but it can help soften the post-holiday blues by reducing the worry of overspending.”