A third of Brits 'to take off-season holidays'

The British summer was such a disappointment this year that a third of adults are planning a holiday over the autumn and winter to get away from more bad weather, according to a survey.

Abbey polled more than 1,000 people and found that 34 per cent, which equates to a total of 15 million Brits, will take advantage of ferry crossings and other travel options to go abroad during the coming seasons.

Despite the effects of the credit crunch, Brits are set to spend a collective total of £8 billion on these out-of-season getaways.

For 1.1 million people planning a trip over the coming months, it will be their first foreign holiday in three years, according to the survey.

Callum Gibson of Abbey said: "Clearly many Britons are in need of escaping our gloomy weather and heading overseas."

People looking for a change of scenery over the coming months can choose from options such as ferry crossings to France, with many locations in the south of the country offering winter sun, or services to the Spanish ports of Bilbao and Santander.

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