Here's Where Everyone's Been Booking Holidays So Far This Year

As we all know, the most popular time to book holidays is in January. It makes sense - you're depressed, it's cold, the year's looming ahead of you like a big, bleak, never-ending cloud of doom... Obviously you want something to look forward to.

If you didn't get organised enough to book a holiday in January though (hello) don't worry - you may actually have the upper hand. See, rather than having to do all the research about where the best places to go this year are, all you need to do is copy those people who were organised January bookers and figure the rest out later.

So, where have the Hermione Grangers of the travelling club been looking to go this year? Well, according to new trend report from travel company Kuoni, some of the big destinations from last year are still going strong (Sri Lanka), new flight routes have opened up new destinations and even politics are playing a part in where we want to head on our hols (a trip to Canada involves a personal visit with Justin Trudeau, right?).

When it comes to short-haul holidays, Greece seems to be the big winner of 2017 with Kuoni reporting a 30% rise in bookings from last year - despite the shoddy state of the pound. I mean, you could do worse - the blue Aegean sea, the mercifully car-free island of Hydra, the fancy-pants luxury of Santorini... Sign us up.

Croatian currency the Kuna is offering a rather delightful exchange rate which Kuoni are claiming is helping to lure travellers in. The good thing is, there's something in Croatia for everyone - from historical sightseeing to backpacking partying to remote beaches - you'll be able to keep everyone happy.

If you're looking to go further afield, Costa Rica (with help from a new direct flight from Gatwick) has seen bookings rise a silly 310%. Although, with a nice mix of rainforest and beach, rugged terrain for hiking and waves for surfing, it's easy to see why people can't wait to get there.

Canada finds itself in the top 20 for the first time this year which is probably something to do with their rather dreamy Prime Minister and his wonderfully liberal approach to welcoming people to enter his magnificent country (unlike perhaps a certain country to Canada's south). Toronto is the big city that everyone loves but spare a thought too for Montreal, the half-French speaking capital of Quebec and also Vancouver, the laid back, super-diverse hipster hub which isn't a world away from it's equally cool American neighbours, Seattle and Portland.

After the turmoil with the South African Rand in recent times (I mean, you thought the Pound was having a nightmare), people are looking to South Africa for a cheaper-than-usual long haul holiday - it's moved up three places on the list to number 15.

1. Maldives

2. Mauritius

3. Sri Lanka

4. Thailand

5. USA

6. Indonesia

7. Italy

8. Antigua

9. Barbados

10. Malaysia

11. India

12. St. Lucia

13. Vietnam

14. Mexico

15. South Africa

16. Cuba

17. UAE

18. Australia

19. Canada

20. New Zealand