Scots spend even more than their counterparts south of the border, shelling out more than £850 per person on an average holiday.

On average, British families holiday twice a year at a cost of £855 per person each time.

Based on the average spend, a family of four could be paying out £3,420 each time, or £6,840 a year, equating to a quarter of the family budget, or three months’ disposable income, based on the annual UK median disposable household income of £27,3003 (£2,275 per month).

Therefore, more than £2 in every £10 of income goes towards vacations, according to the Nationwide Spending Report’s poll of more than 2,000 UK holidaymakers.

Scott Manson, Nationwide’s head of banking and payment strategy, said: “Holidays are about enjoying ourselves and spending quality time with loved ones. We all want to ensure we have a good time, which means it’s very easy to ditch the budget in favour of relaxing and having fun. But with many people saying they have to borrow money to be able to go away, it’s important that full costs are considered when setting a holiday budget, including the extras, such as excursions and the items you need to buy before you go.

“Even saving small amounts of money can often turn into something substantial if you give it time and plan ahead, particularly if you like to holiday regularly. Useful mobile banking app tools such as our Savings Goals or Impulse Saver can help encourage an enduring savings habit, respectively helping you set that all important holiday or Christmas gift, or helping you to save small but regular amounts without the need to log in.”