The clock is ticking! Picture by Flickr User Ben Sutherland

Over 1 in 10 Brits will be going abroad on holiday specifically to avoid the London 2012 Olympics. 12% of the 2,018 adults asked in the ABTA commissioned poll, said they would b going overseas between 27th July and 12th August to get away from the games. Whereas 9% said they were looking for a holidays in the UK that was Olympics free.

Of those who were staying put, 30% said that they ignore the Games completely, whereas 11% are planning to take time off to watch the Games on TV, and 5% will take time off to attend events. 31% said that although they will not take time off during the events, they are excited about them nonetheless.

ABTA head of communications Victoria Bacon said: “With only six months to go until one of the biggest sporting events in our country’s history, it’s clear that hundreds of thousands, especially the young, will be taking time off to enjoy London 2012. However, for those who don’t love sports or want to escape the crowds, going abroad will provide a welcome alternative.”

The research was conducted by Arkenford Ltd, which specialises in tourism and leisure market research.

So, will you be staying for the Olympics, going away, or ignoring them? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

January started with the troubled BMI threatening to withdraw its Heathrow – Glasgow route after passenger charges at Heathrow were raised (this was confirmed a month later). Ryanair returned to Manchester with four new routes. And the political troubles in Egypt disrupted flights.

Spiraling conflict in Egypt caused complete cancellation of routes to popular holiday destinations in February. Meanwhile, Which? launched a super complaint on airline card fee charges,the cost of Qantas’ engine troubles were revealed, and airlines flying from the UK finally started to show clearer air fares.

March brought faster flight times under a deal signed by traffic controllers. But by far the biggest news of the month was the huge tsunami which hit Japan and led to re-routing of flights to avoid possible radiation risk, and advice to leave Tokyo.

A Skyscanner survey found Spain back in favour for British holidaymakers in April.

In May Belfast Airport started to charge for going for a cigarette break, and the ongoing battle between Unite and British Airways was finally settled!

More natural disasters happened in June with violent aftershocks in Christchurch, New Zealand and volcanic eruptions in Chile.

The News of the World phone-hacking scandal broke in July with airlines withdrawing their advertisements as a result.

In August research revealed the use of smartphones were ruining people’s holidays.

The Rugby World Cup was held in New Zealand in September, where Wales’ hopes were dashed.

The first biofuel passenger flight took place in October, however green campaigners claimed it wasn’t as environmentally friendly as everyone thought.

Europe announced a ban on body scanners at airports in November, but the UK decided to go against the decision.

Finally, December saw 150mph winds hit parts of Scotland, which is where we are now at the start of 2012 as tremendous winds continue to batter the UK once more.

So, what travel news is in store for 2012? Keep up to date here!

Top of the short-haul category with a customer score of 76% was Swiss International Air Lines, Aer Lingus came second with 67%. The worst scores were those of Thomas Cook Airlines with 37% and not far off with 38%, Ryanair.

Thomas Cook Airlines scored only one star for cabin environment, whereas Ryanair scored one for boarding, both scored two stars for value for money.

In the long-haul category, Singapore Airlines with 89% and Air New Zealand with 88% headed the pack.

Rochelle Turner, Head of Research, Which? Travel, commented on the importance of a good flight to a holiday:”The airline you choose can have a big impact on your trip, making the difference between arriving feeling tired or refreshed.

“The top-rated airlines all score highly for both the cost and value for money of the flight and most still include free hold luggage, plus onboard drinks and snacks in the ticket price – something clearly prized by travellers.”

City breaks, cultural trips and activity holidays lagged a long way behind the option of sitting on a sunny beach and relaxing. 37% said the beach was the way to go, and only 17% chose a city break. A further 11% picked cultural trips and  8% were romantic souls who said they most looked forward to romantic getaways. Even fewer, 4%, chose to go on sport filled adventures.

Beach holidays were the most popular among the 35 to 44 age group, with 44% choosing this type of holiday above any other, while the 45-54 were the most romantic, with 13% of them choosing a break away with that someone special.

The ABTA Consumer Trends survey also found that most prefer to holiday with family or their partner, with only 16% choosing to go with friends and just 9% of men and 2% of women opting for solo travels.

Smartphones are going to be an increasingly important tool for those involved in the travel industry, according to research from the 2011 SITA – Air Transport World Passenger Self-Service Survey.

Mobile phone ownership jumped from 28% last year to 54% this year, with at least 74% of first/business travellers stating that they owned a smartphone.  With the number of travellers owning these devices on such an increase, those in the travel industry will need to take note as to how to harness their usage.

The survey found that of those carrying smartphones 73% would like to use mobile boarding passes, with 17% already admitting to using them at least once. SMS flight information is also growing in popularity, over 50% of first/business class travelers and frequent flyers receive SMS notifications.

These are not the only uses for smartphones, three out of four users would connect to a free airport Wi-Fi network for real-time information regarding  flight information, wait times at security, time to reach departure gate from current location, location of nearest lounge, and airport parking.

SITA chief executive officer Francesco Violante said: “We are now entering the era of the mobile-centric passenger, who is not only able to manage his or her journey independently but also expects personal and timely communication from airlines, airports and other providers of travel-related services.

“Smartphone penetration is opening up new frontiers for passenger self-service across key steps of the passenger journey from check-in to boarding. Technology on mobile devices, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, can be used to improve passenger flow, alleviating areas of passenger concern such as queues at border control and security.”

Smartphones are ruining our holidays, relationships and not helping with the work life balance according to research from Spring Technology. The IT recruitment company polled 1000 workers on their attitudes to checking emails on holiday and outside work, and found that the technology which is meant to free us from the shackles of the office is really backfiring.

Almost a quarter of people (24%) confess to checking their work emails once or more a day while on holiday, continuing to work while they should be working on their tan. This phenomenon is creating tension in our personal lives, as 70 per cent agree that checking work emails while on holiday damages relationships.

Men and women alike are frustrated as romantic moments are ruined by the familiar ping of a smartphone. Over a third of respondents in Yorkshire (39%) felt particularly strongly that the habit could ruin relationships. Personal relationships may not be the only ones under strain, responding to emails while on holiday can also create tensions with work colleagues.

Richard Protherough, director at Spring Technology says: “Many employees may feel they are just being conscientious, but responding to work emails on holiday can infer a lack of trust in your team. After giving a thorough handover, it’s important to let go and let colleagues deal with any queries.

“Alongside sticky notes and the PC, smartphones have earned their place as a standard piece of office equipment. But smartphone etiquette is still unclear. Employers need to make known their expectations around employees’ smartphone use outside of office hours. For most, smartphones are intended to allow employees to remain productive when travelling between offices, not when lying on the beach.”

So, have you fallen victim to the smartphone holiday phenomenon? I don’t own one for just this reason, I find it difficult enough to have my computer in the living room at home to be able to switch off from work, let alone having something I can carry with me!

When you go on holiday, do you properly plan a budget for while you are away? People tend to think about the initial cost of booking flights and accommodation, but according to a Thomson Holidays survey, over half don’t budget their spending money while abroad. Despite the economic climate, 57% said they spend whatever they like, and over a third also said they didn’t save for their holiday spending money.

Over 65% said meals and days out were the main activities they spent their cash on while away, followed by wine and beer. The most expensive souvenir British tourists buy is jewellery, with some of the most popular items being diamond rings and watches. Ornaments, furniture and handbags were also among the most popular.

The research also found that 41% of holidaymakers return with around £50 worth of unused currency. I wonder whether they exchange the money back or leave it for another time? What do you do?

The study also found:

- 10% have arranged their own holiday after hearing about someone else’s trip.

- almost a fifth have booked an identical trip, right down to the same hotel, apartment or villa.

- a quarter also admitted to regularly updating their social networking profile with details of the weather and the fun they are having.

- 13% have gone on to book a similar holiday after seeing the Facebook photos on a friend’s profile

Mark Bloxham, marketing director, Teletext Holidays said: “It’s not surprising that holiday envy is on the rise. Social networking sites make it easier than ever to gloat about where you’ve been or where you are going.”

Australia made people most envious, followed by the Caribbean islands of the Bahamas and Barbados. The USA, Maldives, New Zealand, Mauritius, Seychelles and Canada also featured in the top 10.

The study took a representative sample of over 2,000 consumers exactly a year before the start of the Games. The results were mixed,  37% of UK residents felt positively about the Olympics,with the percentage rising to 46% in London. However, with regards to the economy the results were flipped the other way with only 48% of Londoners believing the event will have a positive impact on the economy, compared to 54% of the rest of the UK.

Of those surveyed, only 4% of the UK successfully purchased tickets with an average of £196.42 spent on each ticket allocation.

Another PwC survey assessed the attitudes towards the Olympics of over 500 managers of more than five employees. 63%, believe the Games will have little impact on their business, while 69% believe there will be a positive impact on the UK economy in the short term.

Passenger traffic in June was up 4.4% compared with the same period last month, but the annual rate of growth is close to 10%.

“Compared to May, both passenger and cargo markets contracted by about 1%, for passenger traffic, this is a speed bump in a gradual post-recesssion improvement,” said IATA’s director general and chief executive officer Tony Tyler.

European airlines registered 8.9% growth in June, compared with June 2010, with load factors of over 80%, the highest in the world. IATA attributed this to a weak euro supported by a strong inbound travel trend and the growth of business travel.