Living in the UAE? You have 14 days’ annual leave for a spontaneous holiday
Latest Skyscanner-OnePoll study finds last-minute travel on the uptick
According to a newly released joint Skyscanner-OnePoll study, UAE-based employees still have an average of 14 days of annual leave left to take this year, allowing them enough time to plan, book and take a spontaneous holiday abroad.
The Skyscanner survey was conducted in August 2023 in association with London, England-based OnePoll and polled 1,000 UAE-based adults who have travelled internationally for leisure.
The research also found that UAE residents embrace spontaneous travel, with 94% considering themselves spontaneous travellers.
Also, 80% of UAE respondents claim to be more spontaneous now than pre-pandemic.
From Edinburgh, Scotland
Skyscanner, the global flight, car hire and hotel marketplace headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, noted that spontaneous holidays are becoming the new norm in a world reshaped by a hunger for adventure.
About 42% of UAE travellers have arrived at an airport in the Gulf country without a destination in mind and booked flights at once, whilst 60% have booked a holiday less than four days before departure.
Also, 63% of UAE travellers polled by Skyscanner-OnePoll said they would feel happy, followed by grateful (23%), if a loved one surprised them with a spontaneous holiday.
In addition, 51% of UAE travellers say money is a key deciding factor in whether to organise a spontaneous trip or not.
Women take the lead
Even though most travellers would choose their spouse/partner for a spontaneous getaway, the study found that women also lead this charge and emerge twice as likely as their male counterparts to embark on an impromptu solo escapade.
Ayoub El Mamoun, a Skyscanner travel expert, observed: “Embracing spontaneity is not just about shaking up our routines; it’s about the sheer joy of discovering new horizons or reuniting with family and friends at a moment’s notice that sends ripples of excitement and creates memories that last forever.
‘From all corners’
“As the world embarks on a renewed era of global travel, countless new flight routes connect us from all corners.
“Add to this the growing number of visas on arrival and visa-free travel options from the UAE, and easily and quickly searching and comparing cheap flights through sites like Skyscanner, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for the soaring trend of spontaneous holidays,” El Mamoun added.
Flexibility counts
On the web, Skyscanner’s flight pricing data shows that flexibility with where and when one travels is the key to unlocking the best prices.
An ‘Everywhere’ search on Skyscanner for September 2023, for example, reveals value flights from the UAE for as little as AED78 to Kuwait, AED158 to Jordan, AED318 to Italy or AED365 to Greece; for travel in September 2023
Skyscanner tips for booking spontaneous flights:
- An ‘Everywhere’ search (ordered by price) on Skyscanner is a good starting point for that next spontaneous breakaway.
- Searching by multiple dates and airports will give the best bargain chance. Flight prices are all based on supply and demand. Because some dates are more popular than others, prices will vary. The ‘Whole month’ search tool on Skyscanner allows one to see cheap flights briefly and pick the right deal. Nite that flying on less popular days of the week is often cheaper.
- Being flexible in mixing up the airlines one chooses to fly with can seriously cut costs. Fares do not have to be booked as returns; look at flying out with one airline, back with another, or out of one airport and back into another.
- If you struggle to be intuitive and need that extra push to get out of your comfort zone, enlist the help of a partner, friend, or work colleague.
Skyscanner regularly connects millions of travellers in 52 countries and 30 languages so they can find the best flight, hotel or car hire options offered by 1,500+ trusted travel partners.
By deploying advanced technologies on its website, Skyscanner – founded in 20023 – simplifies the complexity of travel and provides honest and transparent solutions, searching more than 80 billion prices every day so travellers can see the best viable options, all in one place.
Featured image: Fly to Greece for as little as AED365. Image: Skyscanner
Last Updated on 9 months by Arnold Pinto
