Summer days, drifting away

As we move into October (where is the year going?!), the temperature has noticeably dropped here in the UK. Autumn is upon us, but I’m not quite ready to let summer go just yet.

While reminiscing about my getaways this summer, I stumbled upon new research which revealed that Italy (19 per cent), France (14 per cent) and Thailand (11 per cent) are the top three destinations for Brits embarking on a ‘foodie’ holiday – a trip abroad for leisure with the main draw of the destination being the cuisine on offer. These were followed by India (nine per cent) and America (seven per cent).

What’s more, the average person travelling abroad for a foodie holiday admits to consuming twice as many calories during the trip than they would at home. 86 per cent of those questioned put on weight during their foodie trips, with the average amount of weight gained being seven pounds. Now, I’ve only ticked off three of the top five destinations, but the holiday ‘diet’ is certainly something I can vouch for!

According to the research, which was undertaken by online travel agency sunshine.co.uk, food/eating (15 per cent) is among the top three things Britons most look forward to about a holiday – regardless of the holiday type – behind relaxation (27 per cent) and sunshine (22 per cent). Food/eating was ranked above spending quality time with co travellers (12 per cent) and seeing more of the world (eight per cent).

Chris Clarkson, managing director of sunshine.co.uk, says, “Those heading to places like Rome are likely to be just as excited about the Italian cuisine as the historical sites and those going to New York probably look forward to their first slice of pizza as much as they do a trip to the top of the Empire State Building.”

Let me know your favourite foodie destination in the comments below.