New data from travel insurance specialist AllClear further underlines people’s increased confidence to travel, with 57% of the 2,011 respondents to a YouGov poll commissioned by the firm indicating they planned to take an overseas holiday in the next 12 months.

While uptake for breaks in November, December and January is broadly similar to 12 months ago, 6% of respondents said they planned to travel overseas for a holiday in February – up from 3% last year.

It is a similar story for much of the rest of spring with March (7%) up 3% year-on-year, April (11%) up 5% and May (14%) up 6%.

Given the greater confidence people had to travel last summer, the uptick is not so pronounced over the peak travel season with June (16%) up 6% year-on-year, July (13%) up 3% and August (16%) up 4%.

However, the greatest year-on-year increases came for September (17%, up from 11%) and after September (18%, up from 10%), indicating a proportion of the adult travelling public is still taking a slightly longer-term outlook.

Chris Rolland, AllClear chief executive, said: “Our latest findings underline how desperate many people are to get away for a decent holiday. We are all conscious of the Covid risks this winter, with parts of Europe currently experiencing a rise in case numbers.

"That said, this survey shows that UK holidaymakers are taking a long-term view, and the position for 2022 is one of confidence. Compared to this time last year, the amount of people planning an overseas holiday for the year ahead has almost doubled – and many are planning more than one break."