Tailor-made travel specialist Audley Travel has conducted research* into what defines a luxury holiday experience and has concluded that a ‘5-star feeling’ is indeed a more measured personal preference, with almost a third of people explaining that spending time in nature provoked a feeling of opulence (29%), and 38% saying time spent with family on holiday was the luxurious gift they crave.

For many Brits (60%) the classic combination of indulging their taste buds and relaxing by the pool (43%) whilst on a break was front of mind when thinking about what luxury means to them during holidays taken in the past (in the UK or abroad). Almost half (46%) explained visiting ‘new places and cultures’ was important, and for almost a fifth of people asked, indulging in a good book and meeting local people (18%) felt lavish to them. Being away from the crowds is a luxury for more than 3 in 10 (31%) with 14% going further to say spending time completely alone is a holiday luxury.

The findings showed however that when trying to please others when planning a trip that luxury feeling can be lost. Unsurprisingly deciding where to go on holiday can be a stressful experience when trying to please a group with 35% of those asked struggling to fulfil everyone’s wishes. The findings showed that 21% explained the cause of family and friends wanting to do different things was to blame, with 20% mentioning it is difficult to identify a destination that will meet everyone’s needs. To help combat this, more than a third (34%) of people said they would like to seek the advice of someone who had visited the destination before so they could plan better…
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