2008 News Archive - Holidays - Travellers 'favour traditional destinations'

17 06 2008

Backpacking travellers favour the more traditional holiday destinations, one commentator has claimed.

However, according to travel guide publisher Lonely Planet, while destinations such as Australia, South Africa and Goa are traditionally favoured, backpackers are also influenced by places which offer good value for money.

The comment comes after Post Office, published research in April 2008, which found that Thailand, South Africa and Egypt are the cheapest destinations to travel to.

"The traditional routes are still very much the popular places to go but given the foreign exchange changes - for example the Australian dollar is much stronger against the pound than it's been in the past – if you're going to places like that maybe you need a bit more money up front," Tom Hall, travel editor at Lonely Planet, said.

Lonely Planet was created to appeal to low-cost travellers and is has now published roughly 500 titles in eight languages.

An InsureandGo report this month revealed that the average backpacker spends £3,764 on their break - covering food, transport, insurance, entertainment, clothes and medical costs.