Forget the years when we were travelling for shorter period, the classic week or fortnight break as a standard is a thing of the past.  Now, travelling for six months is the new norm when going on an international trip. Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money in the UK has released a new study revealing that the traditional gap year may have been supplanted in popularity by a new trend christened the ‘half gap year’.

New data from Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money has found that people who go travelling for extended periods are typically away for just under six months – an average of 169 days – challenging the notion of the gap year.

According to the Office of National Statistics in the UK, 312,000 Britons went abroad for a period of three to six months during 2018 compared to 84,000 who went overseas for six months to a year.

Analysis of Sainsbury’s Bank’s data shows 18-25 year-old are most likely to head overseas for an extended period, potentially making the most of their time between leaving education and entering the working world.

“Travelling is a fantastic opportunity”

Thailand, New Zealand and Mexico are proving to be popular long-haul destinations for travellers. Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Money rankings show the Thai Baht was its ninth most popular currency in 2018, followed by the New Zealand Dollar at number 10 and the Mexican Peso at 12. The Mexican Peso has seen a surge in popularity as it has jumped three places up the list of popular currencies in the past two years, from 15th in 2016 to 12th in 2018.

The currency data reflects travel trends with Mexico being the sixth most visited country in 2018. Thailand outranks every other nation in Asia when it comes to tourism spend and New Zealand was named as one of the top 10 countries to visit in 2018.

Simon Taylor, head of Travel Money at Sainsbury’s Bank said: “Travelling is a fantastic opportunity to spend quality time exploring new countries and cultures. It can be expensive to go away for long periods So savvy travelling enthusiasts should make sure to check out the latest currency deals to ensure they get the most for their money.”