Nearly a third of Irish holiday-goers are culture vultures

A survey carried out by AA Travel Insurance has found that 32.14% of Irish holiday-goers consider culture/sight-seeing opportunities as the most important factor for them when choosing their main holiday destination each year.

The survey of over 3,000 people, conducted in April 2017, found that it was younger generations who mainly chose culture/sight-seeing opportunities, with just over 37% of those in the 25-35 age bracket choosing it as their top priority. In comparison, 27% of those in the 46-55 age category chose culture/sight-seeing opportunities as their prime motivator.

Conor Faughnan, Director of Consumer Affairs at the AA said: “It’s interesting to see how people’s priorities when choosing their destinations changes depending on their age. Just a few years ago we would have seen many people avoiding a holiday or choosing the lowest priced option but it certainly appears that holidays are now back on the agenda.”

“Perhaps surprisingly younger generations have actually expressed more interest in experiencing the sights, sounds and culture of their destination compared to older demographics. However, one point we would stress for all travellers is the need to have travel insurance in place so that you’re fully covered should anything go wrong while you’re on holiday.”

The 46-55 age bracket of Irish holiday-goers proved to be the biggest beach bums, with over 29% choosing the typical weather conditions in the area as their main reason when choosing a holiday destination. 25% of those in the 25-35 age category chose this as their main priority when picking their holiday destination.

“Whether you’re a beach-bum or a culture vulture it’s really important to take out travel insurance before you go on your holidays to prevent any unexpected nightmares. If you’re a frequent traveller then taking out an annual policy will help keep the costs down compared to purchasing a new policy each time you go abroad, leaving your with more money to spend visiting your favourite landmarks or beaches,” Faughnan added. “Cancelled flights or lost baggage can wind up being very expensive but having travel insurance in place will help ensure that you get to spend your holiday doing what you want to do, whether its relaxing or sampling local food, instead of being worried about finding replacement clothes!”

Separate to travel insurance, the AA is also advising those who opt to take their car abroad when travelling within Europe to ensure that they have breakdown cover in place to prevent any holiday nightmares.

“Having a European Breakdown Cover policy in place means that you’ll have access to roadside assistance for the duration of your holiday and, in the worst case scenario, the AA will assist you in returning your vehicle to Ireland. It also guarantees you have access to a 24 hour English-speaking telephone service, which means you won’t have to dust off your rusty French or German when trying to explain your breakdown.”

In the market for travel insurance? With AA Ireland you can get travel cover from just €24.99