Britons splash out less and spend less time planning than their European cousins when it comes to holidays.
Whether it is better money management or simply not having more spare cash, Britons spend roughly £500 less on their holidays than the French.
A survey from lastminute.com found Britons spend an average of £898 on holidays, which is more than the Irish at £716 and the Italians £613 - but is far less than French travellers who splash out £1,418.
And when it comes to planning their trips, while Britons spend a lot more time (45 days) on it than the Irish (11 days), they are still far quicker at making the arrangements than the Spanish, who take 86 days.
The survey found only 36% of Britons plan well in advance for their main summer holiday, and 10% wait until just before they fly off.
Twenty-nine per cent said they feel more relaxed if they know they have a lot of time to prepare for their departure, giving themselves plenty of opportunity to get the best travel insurance deal and the most generous foreign currency rate.
Lastminute.com UK and Ireland managing director Mark Maddock said: "It's interesting to see the difference in countries' holiday-booking lead times. The Irish are the most last-minute but seem to be among the lower spenders."
