According to research by insurer SunLife, seven in ten UK households took at least one holiday in the past year, with four in ten (42%) going away at least twice.

The research defined a holiday as a break of four or more nights away from home.

The findings suggest ‘empty nesters’ – those who have adult children who’ve left home – take the most holidays, with eight in ten going on at least one, 33% taking two and 25% taking three or four every year.

Older households shell out the most on their holidays, with retirees spending £2,679 and empty nesters spending £2,696, over £700 more than the UK average (£2,000).

The survey found those who live alone, the 45-54 age group, and childless households are least likely to go away.

Regionally, Londoners take the most holidays with 77% going on at least one holiday a year.

The research also found that holidays have a very strong correlation with wellbeing and happiness; those who were the most happy with life take 2.7 holidays each year compared to 1.8 for those who were the most unhappy.

Ian Atkinson, head of brand at SunLife, said: “While we have always known that holidays are good for us, our study now shows that people who take holidays are considerably happier than those who don’t, so it is worth putting a little aside each month to pay for a holiday because it really is good for our emotional well-being.”