How we hit the sun

Expedia's annual 'Fly and Flop' report is out and it again underlines how much Kiwis love to travel for sunshine.

Almost two thirds of Kiwis are planning to take a beach holiday in the next 12 months, a year-on-year increase of 26 per cent on 2013.

Expedia's Louise Crompton said: "Living in a culture renowned for its sun, sand and surf and with some of the world's best beaches on its doorstep, it's not surprising that Kiwis love to make the most of beach when on holiday to relax, unwind and spend time with loved ones."

When we go and why
• A typical holiday for New Zealanders is less than seven nights (in line with the global average), with 3-4 days proving to be the most popular length of beach holiday

• The top three most influential communication streams when deciding where to go for a beach holiday are: Word of mouth; Desire to visit a new destination; Travel reviews

What would you give up?
• Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of Kiwis would sacrifice their morning coffee or tea purchase for an entire month in order to get an extra beach holiday each year.

• Globally, 24 per cent of people would work weekends for a month

Preferred spots
• Kiwis like to stay close to home with Australia, Fiji and the Cook Islands topping our international beach holiday destinations.

What do we spend it on?
• Flights (24 per cent) - the highest allocation globally
• Accommodation (23 per cent)
• Food (18 per cent)
• Shopping and souvenirs (7 per cent)
• Excursions, tours, events (6 per cent)

Top five beach activities
• Swimming
• People watching / drinking alcohol
• Walking
• Reading
• Listening to music