More than two million Brits are heading abroad this weekend as schools break up for the summer – and Spain is the No1 holiday destination, says travel association ABTA.
Temperatures are soaring again in Mediterranean hotspots, expected to hit over 30C in the next few days, so families are guaranteed sunshine.
Spain remains the No1 destination for families but ABTA members are also reporting strong demand for Bulgaria, Croatia, Turkey and Morocco while families looking for a last-minute deal should head to the Greek islands, the Canaries and the Amalfi coast.
Florida and Dubai are leading the way for long-haul destinations.
Overseas city breaks are always popular at this time of year for families looking to experience different cultures, cuisine and architecture. European cities are favourites, in particular Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest and Rome.
Holidays in the UK are popular too this summer, with travel agents and tour operators reporting strong interest in the West Country, Norfolk and Suffolk and seaside resorts such as Blackpool and Bournemouth.
Airports in the South East are expecting a very busy weekend with hundreds of thousands passengers expected to depart from Heathrow and Gatwick, 150,000 from Stansted, 95,000 from Luton and more than 12,000 from Southend.
Another 160,000 are flying from Manchester and although the Scottish schools are well into their summer holidays, hundreds of thousands will still be leaving from Scottish airports with more than 77,000 from Edinburgh alone.
Other regional airports, ports and the channel tunnel will also be extremely busy with hundreds of thousands leaving the country.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA Chief Executive, said: “Thousands of families will be jetting off this weekend as the majority of schools in the UK start their summer break. Good temperatures and sunshine are guaranteed at all our favourite hotspots around the Mediterranean and ABTA advice is to slap on the sun cream and copy the locals by heading for a long, leisurely lunch when the sun is at its strongest.
“The roads in the UK will be very busy and families should leave extra time to get to their departure ports and if using public transport, check in advance for any engineering work.”
