Britons embrace holiday traditions

Britons are cherishing tradition and taking an increasing number of trips abroad to coincide with national holidays.

That is the finding from research by lastminute.com which says that more and more Brits are looking to mark national events and red-letter days in countries abroad. And January is no exception, with Britons boarding ferries, planes and trains to make their way to destinations across the world to mark bank holidays.

"Despite all the usual January detox talk, this year it seems people are keen to continue the celebrations," said lastminute.com managing director, John Bevan. "International bank holidays are the perfect excuse to indulge or in most cases ditch the diet, but they are also a great opportunity to book a holiday and learn and experience how different cultures celebrate their heritage," he added.

Spain sees Twelfth Night celebrated on January 6th with a national holiday, for example, while Scotland's Burn's Night – though not a public holiday – is another traditional celebration which is well marked by holidaymakers.

One of France's most popular national holidays is Bastille Day on Monday July 14th, with many people likely to make a short ferry trip for the event.