Brits go in search of winter sun

03 January 2013 09:11

Los Gigantes, Tenerife. The Canary Islands are a popular attraction for British tourists this Christmas

Los Gigantes, Tenerife. The Canary Islands are a popular attraction for British tourists this Christmas

While huge swathes of the population are slumped on the sofa watching the Queen's Speech, almost four million Brits will be celebrating Christmas overseas. Many of those going abroad are heading to ski resorts to make the most of mammoth snowfalls, while others are following the winter sun in places likes the Canary Islands, Tunisia, Cuba and Mexico.

Weather-wise the outlook does not look too good for those staying in the UK, with forecasters promising rain rather than snow. The numbers travelling home will place a heavy strain on the UK's road, rail and aviation networks, with today expected to be the busiest day of the festive period. Heathrow Airport is anticipating 123,000 passengers will leave from the west London airport, with an additional 114,000 departures on Sunday and another 88,000 jetting out on Christmas Eve.

With such large numbers travelling, it's vital that fliers take out travel insurance to cover themselves against the possibility of missed or delayed flights. Between today and January 3, some 700,000 passengers will fly out from Gatwick Airport, 320,000 from Manchester, 300,000 from Stansted, 125,000 from Luton, 116,000 from Birmingham and 75,000 from Glasgow.

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