Finland most popular destination for solo and family trips

AI travel planner Speakerspots.com drills down on winter trends

European travellers will be taking weekend trips around the continent this winter and spending an average of €775 (£642) per trip or €320 (£265) a day including daily expenses, according to data from Speakspots.com.

The research from leading AI-powered travel assistant reveals winter travel trends for travellers visiting Europe this winter. It is based on Speakspots.com’s own travel data, analysing plans for over 5,000 travellers planning trips between 15 November 2024 and 15 February 2025.

Chief amongst the findings – a European city break over winter is on average €121 (£100) cheaper than the equivalent trip during the summer high season.

The data analysis looked at trip duration, travel budgets and types of travel, as well as uncovering the destinations most favoured by couples, families and solo travellers.

“Winter travel in Europe tends to be more varied than traditional summer and school break travel, and according to our data, potentially better value! We analysed our data to understand where people are going, how much they expect to spend and how long they plan on staying,” said Andres Martinez Artal, CEO and Speakspots.com founder.

“And what we found was that people are squeezing trips in without taking annual leave, with weekend city escapes making up over half of the trips planned on Speakspots.com this winter.

“Another factor influencing winter travel plans is people taking longer breaks to visit friends and family during the colder European months. Perhaps the most interesting takeaway is the number of travellers hoping to incorporate a visit to nature into their winter travel plans. Cities who can offer travellers easy access to the great outdoors are sure to benefit!”

European Winter Travel Trends, according to Speakspots.com data

Travellers expect to spend an average of €320 (£265) per day this winter, with a weekend trip averaging at €775 (£642) per person.

Travellers expect to spend an average of €775 (£642) per trip (2.8 days) this winter, which is €121 (£100) less than an equivalent trip over the summer months. The data highlights that many European destinations offer great value for money if travellers visit in low season.

On average, travellers are allocating €150 per night for their accommodation, and a daily budget of €97 to spend on food and restaurants. Travellers expect to spend an average of €72 per day on activities and attractions while on their trips.

Shorter trips dominate plans for winter travel

Over half of the trips planned this winter are weekend trips (55%), followed by longer stays of 4 days or more (38%).

UK destinations Cambridge and Oxford are the most likely to have day tourists, with 53% and 40% of the visitors’ planning trips to these cities expecting to stay for just a day. Rouen (France), Toledo (Spain) and Lille (France) can also expect larger proportions of day visitors.

Northern European countries attract families

Traveller’s planning itineraries on Speakspots.com tell us whether they are travelling with families, as a couple, with groups of friends or on their own.

Itinerary plans this winter reveal which countries can expect a higher proportion of family trips and which destinations will be welcoming more couples.

Two in five travellers want to include nature getaways in their plans

Speakspots.com’s data reveals that despite visiting city destinations, two in five travellers are hoping to incorporate a nature getaway in their itinerary.

Croatia, Malta and Greece top the list of destination where travellers want to escape to nature as past of their travel plans.

Sweden, Norway, Spain and Finland are also up there, with Ireland, Belgium and Italy rounding out the top 10.

Speakspots.com offers travellers the ability to plan their trip using pioneering AI and real-time travel data from leading travel sources. The continually improving functionality means travellers will receive a fully personalised itinerary in under a minute, simply inputting their chosen destination, dates of travel and budget expectations.