| One of the most significant aspects of vacation travel | | | | respondents taking Friday off work to fly out and 34% |
| in Europe has been the recent explosion of interest in | | | | arriving back late Sunday evening, giving them some |
| the short break vacation market. No-frills airlines have | | | | 55 hours away. |
| led the way to opening up cheap routes from London | | | | Edinburgh and Glasgow were some of the most |
| and regional airports to destinations all over Europe. A | | | | popular weekend break locations in UK, while Paris, |
| short weekend break in some thrilling city has now | | | | Amsterdam, Palma, Dublin, Brussels, Venice, Nice and |
| become a viable alternative to sitting home in front of | | | | Madrid were their most popular European weekend |
| the television set. | | | | destinations. Other airlines have reported strong |
| A UK survey of Britain's vacation habits recently | | | | interest in Prague, Rome and Barcelona. |
| shows that this weekend escape plan is now worth a | | | | The key ingredients to a successful weekend break |
| phenomenal £34 billion a year. People are spending | | | | away were spending quality time with a partner, |
| an average amount of £760 a year on these short | | | | sampling local food and drink, cultural sightseeing, |
| breaks, flying off to European cities, cultural festivals | | | | weather and, (for the ladies), shopping. Nightlife, |
| and sporting events. | | | | perhaps unsurprisingly, was more important to the |
| The three-day break is most popular, with 21% of | | | | younger travelers than the more elderly. |