Prefer 3* & 4*

Bathrobes, slippers and free mini bars are some of the amenities that can usually be enjoyed by upgrading to a 5-star hotel. However by shunning these indulgences, Brits appear to be saving cash to spend on other luxuries whilst away, according to new analysis this week from travel site momondo.co.uk.

Worldwide hotel bookings made between the 16th of January and the 20th of April 2014 were analysed, in which, well over three out of ten Brits booked 3- or 4-star hotels for trips, with less than one in 10 Brits booking a 5-star hotel. And 15% of Brits booked a hotel with a 2-star rating.

British hotel bookings sorted by stars*
3 stars  – 35 %
4 stars  – 33  %
2 stars – 15  %
5  stars  –   8  %
1 stars   –   4 %

City Breaks Win!

Travel search site  momondo has carried out an extensive survey of British travel habits and results show city breaks are more popular than ever, with 52% of those asked stating them as a preferred type of holiday.

Shorter in length than the average beach holiday, the three- to five-day city break classically is taken mid-week, or over a long weekend. City breaks encourage travellers to explore new parts of the world within a shorter space of time - often without the need for a full week's leave from
work.
The survey found a massive 56% of Brits went on one or more city break in 2013. And of these asked, a considerable 30% of Brits questioned, had been on one city break abroad during 2013. Furthermore, 15% had taken two city breaks in 2013, and interestingly 10% of Brits surveyed, had been on three or more city breaks in 2013.

New York leads the way as a city break destination for Brits in the research, with 57% of those surveyed listing it as a favourite. Rome came in second, with 49% of Brits listing it as a favourite, and Paris a close third with 45% of Brits opting for it. Joint fourth-most chosen were Barcelona and Venice, with 44% of Brits selecting these cities as favourites, and in fifth place came Amsterdam, with 36% of Brits listing it as a favourite.

However the survey also delivered a few surprises. As 17% of Brits choose Norway's capital Oslo as a preferred city break destination, 15% preferred Finland's capital Helsinki, 15% selected Germany's Munich, and 13% opted for Poland's Krakow.

 Other nations

In international comparison, momondo found Norwegians showed even more enthusiasm for a city break, with 69% of them citing it as a preferred holiday choice, whilst 68% of Italians, 61% of Finns, 60% of Spaniards, and 58% of Germans, stated city breaks as a preferred holiday option. Nations
who favoured city breaks slightly less than the UK were the Swedes, with 48% citing city breaks as a preferred holiday choice, 44% of Dutch, 23% of Russians, 22% of Americans, and just 11% of French, citing city breaks as a favoured types of trip.


Where is your favourite accessible city break?

Travel App Friend Finder

In a world first, Friend Compass from travel search site momondo connects your Facebook friends with flight searches to the places they live. Turning your smartphone into a compass, it instantly reveals where your friends live around the world, and how much it costs to go visit them.

As well as pointing out the directions in which all your friends live, the app tells you who lives in the hottest destination, who lives in the coldest destination, and who lives the farthest away. You can also see which friends are the cheapest and most expensive to visit by plane.

You can also setup Friend Compass to find your friends 'nationally', 'regionally' or 'globally'. You can also switch to City View, which enables you to locate many of the top destinations worldwide relative to your current position and find the best flights to these places.

 The app is available on iPhone and Android.

Wheel In To US TV

If you’re a TV addict with a desire to visit the places where your favourite shows are made, momondo have created the ultimate USA road trip, based on six of America'’s best-loved drama series.

1) MAD MEN, New York City, New York
Spectacular promotions, pencil skirts and whiskey-drinking men. Dive into
1960s New York, in a nostalgic tale of hard business and everyday intrigue.
Throw grand gestures with Don Draper and his gang, amidst a backdrop of
sexism, racism, adultery and alcoholism. In New York, start at Central
Station, where Don Draper takes his train every day - and visit the famed
Oyster Bar, and The Roosevelt Hotel, where Don Draper sips cocktails.

2) THE WIRE, Baltimore, Maryland
Learn more about America, through the unique sociological drama series The
Wire, recognised as one of the most realistic pieces of TV fiction. Through
topics such as drug trafficking, politics, the educational system and the
media, The Wire truly defines the human psyche. Start in West Baltimore at
Lexington and Fulton Avenue, where Snot Boogie was found dead on the street,
and then explore Baltimore's different neighborhoods, each of which forms a
backdrop for every season of The Wire.

3) HOUSE OF CARDS, Washington D.C., Columbia
In the world of fiction, continue south to Washington DC, where the world
eagerly follows in the footsteps of Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood, in
House of Cards. In the real world, we need to be in Baltimore, where most
scenes were filmed. Here you will find, among other locations, Francis and
Claire's home, Zoe's apartment, the abandoned building where Freddy’s BBQ
Rib Joint is - it is not in fact - and The Clean Water Initiative, Claire's
charity, found a few blocks away from Baltimore Inner Harbor.

4) MIAMI VICE, Miami, Florida
And one for nostalgia’s sake.  Throw back on that loose t-shirt, Armani
jacket with extra wide shoulders and those bare feet in boat shoes. Bring
your old Phil Collins cassettes and a partner in crime. So are you ready to
travel to the south and become detectives Crockett and Tubbs in action drama
Miami Vice, one of the first television series that seduced viewers with its
explosive visual effects. Run out to the coast, where you will find
Crockett's home in Bayside Marina - and proceed to Villa Vizcaya,
Jorgenson's House and OCB Building among a host of other Miami Vice related
opportunities.

5) TRUE DETECTIVE, New Orleans, Louisiana
The murder mystery of True Detective is based on a story of moral decay.
After a long stretch to the west is New Orleans - where two detectives
intensely hunt a serial killer. The roles of Detective Cohle and Detective
Hart are occupied by the two cinematic heavyweights, Matthew McConaughey and
Woody Harrelson, whose alluring characters play out the plot's dark
philosophy. Explore Louisiana’s bars, see its trailer parks (where some
scenes were shot) and dark forests.

6) BREAKING BAD, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The tour ends with a decent jolt to the west, where cult series Breaking Bad
seduced viewers worldwide with its catchy premise: What is the morally right
thing to do? And what I have to do to save my family? Chemistry teacher
Walter White is diagnosed with fatal lung cancer, and begins in desperation
to manufacture and sell the dangerous methamphetamine to secure his family's
future. See Walter and Skyler’s house at 3828 Piermont Dr., enjoy the sunset
over the Albuquerque downtown and go exploring in the beautiful and isolated
desert landscapes.

Have you visited the USA? Write about access here

Food Decides

Travel search site momondo carried out an extensive survey of British travel habits and results show dining out is most often cited as a preferred holiday experience for Brits abroad.

In fact, ‘eating out at restaurants’ was mentioned the most times, when asked which of 12 cultural activities associated with going on holiday Brits most liked to do when on holiday with family, friends or a partner.*

The travel site also found that 63% of Brits questioned responded that 'good food' is crucial to whether they feel that they have experienced a good holiday.

And 29% of Brits only choose a hotel abroad, if it has its own restaurant.

Brits have a healthy appetite for the unknown
momondo found Brits are not afraid to try something new - whether it’s travel destinations, or what’s on their plates.

 The survey showed that 85% of Brits either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ they ‘prefer seeing new things when they travel’.

And whilst abroad, Brits are not afraid to try the local cuisine either. With 26% of Brits questioned citing they prefer to try unfamiliar, local dishes on holiday, and 45% preferring to distribute their appetite equally between new dishes and well-known favourites. Only 15% of Brits prefer only eating food they already know.

Brits don’t like their own grub

And Brits don’t appear to regard British food that highly.

Interestingly, when questioned what they most liked about the UK, only 8% of Brits answered they liked the food most. This was after being given six options, including the people, weather, culture & sights, and nature.

Find out about wheelchair accessible London restaurants here and add your own review.