Stressed Brits 'planning summer holiday getaways'

British people will be embarking on some 56 million ferry holidays and other getaways over the coming months, despite the fact that so many people are feeling the effects of the recession, according to a recent survey.

Sainsbury's Travel Insurance carried out a poll which found that, rather than discouraging holidays, the economic situation is making people even more eager to get away.

Some 670,000 people plan to take more trips than usual this year to escape 'recession depression', according to the research, with more than 16 million intending to take more than one break over the summer.

Ferries to Belfast, the Isle of Man and other British destinations look set to prove popular, with 63 per cent of travellers saying they are planning at least one holiday in the UK.

Sam Marrs, manager of Sainsbury's Travel Insurance, said: "Despite tough economic conditions, it would appear that rather than sacrificing our holidays, we Britons may even be taking more breaks in a bid to put all the credit-crunch doom and gloom behind us."

More than a third (36 per cent) of respondents to the poll said they intend to take a holiday in the eurozone this summer.

Travel options for those planning to visit the continent include LD Lines' ferries from Dover to Boulogne and the Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry service operated by Stena Line.

Written by Mark Robinson