View Look Familiar? Same Waiter as Last Year? Identical Snaps? Hotdog and Fries Again? -- Maybe You're One of the 8 in 10 Britons Stuck in a Holiday Rut

LONDON--(Marketwire - Jan 15, 2013) - Cheapflights Media

• 39% go to same resort & eatery; 20% eat same meal; 14% talk to same waiter; 13% take same snaps

• UK, US, Spain, France and Italy are top 'deja vu' destinations for Brits' summer holidays

• Australia, New York, Hawaii, the Maldives and California are 'dream destinations' to break the habit

We think of holidays as a break from routine, but when it comes to getting away for our big annual break it seems we Brits are stuck in our ways, with around eight in ten (79.6%) saying they are likely to return to the same summer holiday destination more than once.

Popular Holiday Habits
And when we reach our "déjà vu destinations" we like doing the same things while we're there. Around four in ten of us choose the same resort (39.3%) and restaurant (38.9%) while over three in ten (31.5%) go to the same attractions. And a significant number of people seem to want to recreate the same experience of previous holidays, even down to the smallest detail: 20.4% eat the same meal, 14.2% talk to the same waiter; 13.4% take the same pictures and 7.6% even opted for the same room. And it might be worth keeping an eye on your partner; the one thing they might change about their holiday is you: perhaps shockingly, almost one in ten (8.2%) said they had visited the same destination again with a new partner or spouse.

The findings form part of Cheapflights' Holiday Habits Research, carried out by leading holiday inspiration and deals comparison site, Cheapflights.co.uk, which polled 1,027 people in the UK.

Why we go back again (and again)
In line with the national mood and our obsession with the weather, prices (2^nd) and great weather (3^rd ), were amongst the top reasons for getting into a regular 'holiday habit' -- with most adamant that their déjà vu destination was 'just the best holiday I've ever found' (1^st). Convenience factors rounded off the top five with people ranking 'easy to get to' as their 4^th biggest motivation, ahead of 'easy to get around' and 'peace of mind' in joint 5^th.

When it comes to repeat bookings, partners come before children, with 'my partner likes it' ranked as 8^th in motivation terms, ahead of 'my children like it,' in 15^th overall. Interestingly, pleasing their partner was more important for men (who put this in 4^th) than women (9^th) in terms of driving their decision to return. Food (overall 9^th) also came ahead of 'sports/activities' (16^th) in terms of motivations to return to a previous destination -- with 'safety' (overall 7^th) and 'feels like a second home' (overall 10^th) rounding off the top ten.

Where we go -- our most popular déjà vu destinations
Brits named the UK (1^st; 24.2%), United States (2^nd; 17.2%), Spain (3^rd; 14%), France (4^th; 7.9%) and Italy (5^th; 4.8%) as the top five 'déjà vu destinations' for summer holidays. Other popular repeat holiday destinations were Greece (4.4%), Cyprus (3%), Turkey (2.7%), Portugal (2.6%) -- and India (2%).

But it seems there is some disagreement between men and women on countries they choose to visit repeatedly; with men putting the US second -- 20.5% chose this as a déjà vu destination -- significantly more than women, who put the US in third with a comparatively low 13.9%. Women preferred the UK (both placed this 1^st: 25.7% of women vs 22.5% of men), Spain (14.9% at 2^nd for women vs 13.2% of men on 3^rd) and Italy (6.1% in 5^th versus 6^th with men on 3.4%).

Kicking the habit -- what would make us break the cycle?
Given the state of our finances it's perhaps not a shock that we're a cost-conscious lot -- but, more surprisingly, for most people cost now outweighs any other factor, including enjoyment, as a reason to break their holiday habit. 'Price' was named as the primary reason why people would stop visiting the same destination, ahead of 'bad experience' (overall 2^nd) and 'place has changed too much' (overall joint 3^rd). Also in joint third, a hard-core group were adamant that nothing would make them stop their déjà vu habit -- and that they intended to continue to visit the same destination regularly. In fact, women were significantly more set in their holiday habits than men here, making "nothing -- I intend to go regularly" the 2^nd most popular choice; compared to men who ranked it 4^th.

Dream destinations to make us break the habit
Britons named Australia (18.8%), New York (11.7%), Hawaii (10.6%), the Maldives (9.6%) and California (6.2%) as the top 'new' dream destinations which would convince them to break their established holiday habit. Ironically, overall, those choices put the US in pole position as the top foreign aspiration destination country, on 28.5% of the aspiration vote.

Making up the top ten new aspiration destinations were: Japan and Thailand (joint 6^th on 3.7%), South Africa (8^th; 3.6%), Russia (9^th; 3.1%) and Fiji (10^th; 2.4%).

Patterns of behaviour -- and insights
To get a better idea of why people return to the same destination and engage in this repeat behaviour time after time, Cheapflights asked Chartered Psychologist, Dr Jane McCartney, to analyse the data. Here she offers some insights and advice if people want to try to break out of a rut.

"Most of us are creatures of habit; it is not unnatural for us to want to know what we are doing, when we are doing it -- and with whom. However, as in many things, balance is crucial. Choosing a holiday destination is an excellent way of trying out something new and different -- and stepping outside your normal patterns of behaviour," said Dr McCartney.

"Researching and booking a new type of holiday destination is a really good way of keeping yourself stimulated, interested and energised. If you want to break out of a rut, use your imagination to its absolute limits. You may not be able to afford the most exotic holiday destination, but play with your options. Perhaps try to explore your options in a different way; challenge your partner to help you research destinations -- and beat your price. All of these are great ways to engage and make an active choice in deciding where to go on holiday -- and give yourself a real break."

Cheapflights.co.uk travel expert, Oonagh Shiel, said: "If you're a little too familiar with that balcony view -- or you've been on first name terms with your holiday waiter for a few years now, perhaps it's time to give each other a break and look at some other options -- and swap your destination déjà vu for something new.

"Whether you fancy a beach holiday, a spot of culture or some new gastronomic delights, there are some great reasons to break out of your regular holiday habits this year. For a bargain, check out Croatia before it enters the EU, affordable Lithuania or, for a real spectacle, the Northern Lights in Iceland, which is tipped to be close to its best this year. If you want to push the boat out and go further afield you can always go Gangnam Style to Korea -- or check out Myanmar ahead of the crowd.

"Even if you've got an established holiday habit, with new taxes, fluctuating exchange rates, and destinations competing for the pound in your pocket, it's worth checking out new holiday options to ensure you're getting exactly what you want from your holiday -- and the best possible deal. A little homework reveals that a lot of exotic destinations aren't as pricey as you might think. "

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