PRESS RELEASE

Release date |10 July 2008
Source | Isango Media Department

11th-13th JULY VOTED PERFECT DATE TO GO ON HOLIDAY

Nationwide study reveals essential mix of ingredients for the perfect holiday

We spend all year dreaming of a break from the rat race, so how can we make sure we make the most of our time away? According to a nationwide study1 commissioned by global travel experiences company isango! (www.isango.com), you are more likely to have a perfect holiday if you can tick off the following seven factors:

1) You go away this weekend. 40% of Britons state that 11th-13th July is the best time to go away.

2) You take a two week break. In order to feel properly relaxed, most of us would choose to take the traditional two week holiday (25%), rather than a 10-day holiday or long weekend (18% and 15% respectively). Less than 2% of people would choose to go away for 3 months or longer

3) You choose a location in the UK or Western Europe. Forget travelling to the far corners of the world; isango! uncovered that Brits would much prefer to holiday closer to home. Whether it’s the credit crunch tightening our purse strings, the fear of foreign food, or we’re trying to reduce our carbon footprint, 41% of people think the UK or Western Europe is the ideal holiday location compared with 8% choosing Asia.

4) You seek a mixture of adventure, culture and sun. Activity holidays, city breaks and road trips are rapidly increasing in demand (67% cumulatively) next to the ever popular beach holiday (66%) .

5) You divide your time wisely. With one fifth of people saying they dislike going on holiday because they argue about what to do, and just over a quarter (27%) saying they come back from holiday feeling tired and in need of another break, the research measures how much time to spend on holiday activities to ensure you come back refreshed and energised, having made the most of your time away:-

Perfect Holiday

6) You go with your partner. No surprises here with 69% saying their partner was the person they’d most like to go away with, over their children (37%), friends (35%) and parents (21%). We may get on well with our work colleagues, but after spending 8 hours with them every weekday, only 2% of people want to go away with them!

7) Avoid the pain points! Alongside the obvious travel delays and the British tendency to sunburn, isango! uncovered a number of common additional travel complaints, including going over budget (36%), long queues (32%) , unreliable local touts (12%) and not having enough to do (11%)

“We use our holidays to unwind from the stresses and strains of life, so it’s crucial that we use the time we have to best effect,” said travel expert Sarah Heaney. “Whether it’s planning and booking activities in advance, absorbing all the local culture has to offer from the food and drink to the nightlife or just catching a few rays every day, it can bring us one step closer to having a perfect holiday.”

Ranjan Singh, CEO of isango!, commented, “Our research shows that for many people, if you want the perfect holiday, it’s not enough to just flop on the beach. The things you see and do while you’re out there, as well as the people you meet along the way are what really make long-lasting memories. The average Brit has 21 days holiday a year and with the current credit climate, it’s really important to make those days count.”

The Perfect Holidays study also investigated what people dislike most about going on holiday, how they feel once they return and how soon after their holiday has finished that they feel they need to take another break. Full statistics of the Perfect Holidays report available on request.

Notes to editors:
(1) Research conducted by 72 Point Ltd. 2,000 people were surveyed across the UK between 18/06/08 - 25/06/08

About isango!
Don’t travel the world… Experience it!

isango! (www.isango.com) is a market-leading provider of global travel experiences. Launched in late 2006 by former consultants and executives from Expedia and Cendant/ ebookers, it provides consumers and business partners with an authoritative online resource for planning and booking unique experiences and activities.

The site gives the low-down on each country, providing detailed information about the destination and the activities as well as suggested itineraries. With the ability to tailor make trips according to personal interests and preferences, isango! provides holiday makers with easy online access to previously hard-to-book products.

isango! offers more than 4,000 activities in 60+ countries and not only sells direct to consumer but via partner companies such as airlines, car rental firms, hotel groups and travel portals including Ryanair , Hertz, Yahoo, Teletext and WAYN

Why choose isango!?

Value for money: we are committed to offering you the best experiences at the lowest prices, and with no hidden costs
Quality: we only work with reliable operators
Flexibility: we accommodate changes to your holiday with an easy cancellation policy
Security: book with peace of mind

For bookings, please refer to www.isango.com directly.
For more information, please contact Heather Forty on heather.forty@skywritecomms.com or call on 0207 608 4658