The top holiday destinations for Saga customers
Saga customers reveal their favourite countries to visit and who gets to decide where you go.
Saga customers reveal their favourite countries to visit and who gets to decide where you go.
My family always give me a strange look when I tell them I like planning a holiday almost as much as the holiday itself, so it’s a relief to find fellow feeling among Saga customers. In our survey of just over 2,000 people, six in ten women agreed, as did half of men.
There’s even a name for it: “anticipatory consumption”. It’s when the mere act of looking forward to something pleasurable gives you a boost which can be as strong or stronger than what you get from the actual event or purchase.
Perhaps that explains why our survey respondents tend to book their holidays so far in advance. Almost half (44%) book 6-12 months ahead and a truly committed 16% do it a year or more in advance. Only 1% leave it to the last minute. That might be a legacy of the pandemic, says clinical psychologist Dr Linda Blair.
“Over those years uncertainty was sky high,” she says. “It may be that planning further ahead with holidays is an attempt to create some sort of certainty, and certainty makes us all feel safer.”
It’s no accident that Saga’s women are the main holiday planners, either, says Blair. In our survey, 52% of female customers say they take the lead, compared to 35% of men. That might be because more women say a holiday is really important to them and they are readier to sacrifice other things to safeguard their holiday (44% vs 35% of men).
“I can see why,” says Blair. “When it comes to retirement in a household run on traditional lines, women do not retire. They are still doing more of the housework, caring and organising. So, for them, a holiday is more significant a break than it is for men.”
Another reason might be that in terms of personality traits, women traditionally score higher than men on what psychologists call ‘conscientiousness’.
“It could be genetic, which I doubt, or socialised, which is more likely,” says Blair. “Organising is just what we do.”
As Saga customers, it’s perhaps no surprise that our respondents are really into their holidays: 40% are planning to take 3-4 trips this year (including long weekends and UK breaks), 20% are going on 5-6 and a lucky 10% 7-10+.
Almost half (46%) are going abroad once or twice, with 36% taking 3-6+ foreign trips this year.
Top destinations – visited over the past 12 months.
Enjoy winter sun in the Canaries with Saga Cruise onboard Spirit of Discovery, departing 20 January 2027.
Those who treasure their time away will be glad to hear that scientific research is on their side. Holidays have many health benefits, including the power to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and even premature death.
And the kinds of things our survey respondents like to do on holidays (interesting sightseeing was top with 79%; cultural activities such as museum visits were up there too, on 38%) will also contribute to wellbeing.
“Cognitive stimulation and social stimulation are two of the three factors most aligned with maximising your healthspan [the life years spent in good health],” says Blair. “The third is exercise, and your step count may be high if you’re sightseeing.”
Dutch research has also suggested that holidays reduce health complaints and stress. However, the boost in life satisfaction they give tend to disappear annoyingly quickly: within a week, according to one study, and in 2-4 weeks according to another.
Clearly the answer, jokes Blair, is to book more frequent holidays.
(Hero image credit: GettyImages)
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