Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Freezing Temperatures Drive International Travel



It’s that time of year again.  It finally feels like winter here in New York City, as temperatures have crept down to the low 20’s, and city dwellers have yet again begun to wonder why they put up with winter after winter.  Though we think we have it bad here, we still have a lot less to complain about than many places in the UK.  This is UK’s coldest December so far since 1981.  Some Britons have already been putting up with sub zero temperatures for weeks, and many have had enough and decided to head to warmth.

Many travel sites such as Lowcostholidays, Travelmatch, and TravelSupermarket have reported spikes in holiday travel reservations out of the UK this year.  These websites say that holiday travel from the UK to warm-weather destinations such as Egypt, Turkey, Spain, Dubai, Thailand, and the Canary Islands have grown significantly since last season, most likely due to the extreme cold.  Perhaps the most popular destination has proven to be Miami, Florida, which Hotels.com has reported having a 700 percent increase. 

The British aren’t the only people trading in their boots for sandals this winter season.  Canadian travel to popular sunny destinations like Florida, California, Jamaica and Mexico has also significantly risen this season, as about 55 percent of Canadians said that they plan to take a vacation in the next three months, as opposed to only 6 percent who are planning a “staycation” close to home. 

Luckily for all of you British and Canadian folks who plan to get out of your freezing countries around the holidays, Stanacard has a great rate for almost any sunny destination you want to soak it up in.  Check out our rates below for the countries that are popular this season in the UK and Canada. 

UK to…………………………………………...Egypt: 11.88-14.28 cents per minute
          …………………………………………..Turkey: 3.0-8.9
          …………………………………………..Spain: 2.32-21.38
          …………………………………………..Dubai: 13.99
          …………………………………………..Thailand: 2.28
          …………………………………………..Canary Islands: 2.39
          …………………………………………..Miami, FL: 3.12

Canada to………………………………………California/Florida: 3.12 cents per minute
                ………………………………………Jamaica: 9.99-19.99
                ………………………………………Mexico: 2.70-10.99

Traveling to or from somewhere else this winter?  Check out all of our super-low rates here.