This year, more families will be taking their holidays in the spring rather than in the summer, as people are forced to change their plans due to the rising cost of a break, and because of the London Olympics, a report says.

Some 2,000 adults were surveyed by savings company ING Direct, and the results found that almost one in three people are planning to go on holiday in the spring.

This is in comparison to an average 20% who holidayed in the spring over the last three years.

ING Direct claim its research has confirmed that summer holidays have been less favoured by people in recent years.

The past few spring seasons in the UK have seen the mercury soar higher than it does during the summer, so those who fly abroad during the spring and take airport transfers to hot locations could be missing out on fun in the sun at home. However, the increases in temperature have be mirrored in European locations, so it may be a wise decision after all.

Richard Doe, the firm’s chief executive, said: “It’s understandable that families are choosing not to go on holiday during the summer months when they can get away in the spring for much less and save money.

“This is compounded by the fact we’re set for a outstanding summer of sport, with one of the greatest sporting events in the world taking place on our doorstep.”

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Travel agents and cruise lines are thought to have a February bonanza in the pipe line in an effort to boost bookings and improve the public’s view of the thriving cruise industry after the Costa Concordia disaster near the coast of Tuscany.

According to Dave Mills from online agency iglucruise, February is now the new January in the cruise and fly-cruise world, with airports such as Gatwick and Stansted preparing to fly travellers across the globe to their ports of departure.

“Traditionally, the cruise industry has a massive annual campaign starting in December called The Wave – to shift the following year’s stock at good prices,” he said.

“This year, that didn’t happen, with Costa Concordia causing a clear one-week wobble in bookings in January.

“Individual cruise lines never like to be first to move on price, so the buzz is now that February 1 onwards could be the start of something rather special.”

He added that people who go on regular cruises, expect very reasonable deals, and that some cruisers are asking about going on a trip in the Costa.

Mr Mills said, however, that there are no updated prices for cruises in that area yet.

In April, fly-cruises with MSC, mainly ex-Genoa, begin at £549, which is very good value, as this amount also includes return flights.

Another bargain can be found with RCCL’s Azamara, an upmarket 11-night cruise that departs from New York in mid-April. It costs from £1,049.

And customers are being offered a free pamper day with Cruise Thomas Cook, who has joined up with Marriott Hotels.

Those who book with the cruise agent – who has a 16% share of the market – between February 9 and 14 will receive the free session.

Holidaymakers celebrating Chinese New Year at the tourist resort of Lushan Mountain will have been treated to a winter wonderland as a thick layer of gleaming white snow covered the area during the three-day celebration.

This year’s Spring Festival Golden Week saw the mountain resort record its heaviest snowfall of the winter season this year as tens of thousands of tourists celebrated the year of the dragon.

Lushan Mountain has been promoting itself to families in recent years as the ideal location for a winter holiday. And its efforts have seemingly paid off this year as visitor numbers to the mountain resort increased by 11.8% from last year, to reach 40,000. The number of tourists visiting the area has been steadily rising over the last few years, with the resort proving particularly popular over Chinese New Year.

The resort’s popularity is also likely to have been boosted by the large number of cheap flights to China from the UK. There are numerous flights available to the country from British airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick.

The area’s well-known scenic spots such as Lushan Central Park, Blossom Path, Jinxiu Valley and fairy Cave, have received the highest volume of traffic, with families of all ages enjoying the beautiful views.

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More British plan holidays abroad this year in spite of the grim economy, a survey by a discount travel site has revealed.

However, they will still look for ways to save on their travel needs, said the study commissioned by Hotwire. As many as 75% of those surveyed were not put off by the gloomy economic predictions for 2012 and, indeed, said they meant to continue travelling.

Almost a fifth of Britons (18%) spending more on travel this year saved up last year for a holiday in 2012. But the average spending of holidaymakers from the UK will be down 4% from £2,009, to £1,920 per household.

The millions of holidaymakers will fly out from a host of sites including Stansted Airport and Luton Airport.

Travel deals will be searched out by 30% more of holidaying Britons than in the past, while 18% plan their choice on price, not the travel brand. Meanwhile, 14% will travel in the UK rather than overseas.

Hotwire found that 955,092 more Britons plan trips this year – amounting to 75% of the adult population. The corresponding figure for last year was 73% – but the average spend will be slightly less this year.

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Winter-weary travellers who want to escape the British weather and head for the tropical paradise of Barbados could do worse than consult British Airways about its range of flights from London Gatwick.

Flexibility is one of the key considerations in the BA schedule, with 12 direct flights every week going from London Gatwick to Grantley Adams international airport in Bridgetown on the Caribbean island.

All flights operated by British Airways now run out of the £76 million extension to Gatwick’s North terminal. The revamp also includes a new approach to customer service designed to give travellers more control of their journey as part of a more innovative experience.

Customers at the North terminal are now able to do more things – like checking in, picking seats and printing bag tags – on their own. The design and organisation of the new system has been drawn up to make things simpler for passengers.

With flights to Bridgetown taking about nine hours, and with most departures in mid-morning, sunseekers can be relaxing by the pool in the Barbados heat by early afternoon.

British Airways can also make travelling to Gatwick accessible and hassle-free for customers from all over the UK through its extensive network of connections from regional hubs the length and breadth of the country.

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The 2012 Games commence in six months’ time and details of a specially designed terminal to deal with the thousands of athletes expected to pass through Heathrow Airport have been unveiled.

The airport’s owners BAA has drawn up plans for an Olympics terminal in order to cope with the 10,100 competitors expected to arrive in London prior to the start of the sporting extravaganza, which gets under way on July 27.

August 13, the day after the closing ceremony, is widely expected to be the busiest in Heathrow’s history, which has prompted BAA to introduce a number of measures to ensure that things run smoothly. It is estimated that the number of bags handled on this day will be 35% higher than usual.

BAA plans to offer check-in and baggage collection services at the Olympic and Paralympic Village and will train 1,000 volunteers to welcome those people arriving for the Games.

Nick Cole, head of Olympic and Paralympic planning at Heathrow, said the Games will represent a “unique operational task” and a “massive challenge”.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways passengers who want to avoid the Olympics frenzy might want to escape to its new lounge for first and business-class passengers in Terminal 4.

The lounge offers five-star service, including refreshments, entertainment and free WiFi.

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More and more people are opting for adventure holidays in far-flung destinations, experts have suggested.

Industry figures show that more than 400,000 people jet off on high octane holidays every year, from trekking on the Inca trail to living alongside locals in Madagascar.

It’s not just young people on gap years who are opting for such expeditions either, with agents reporting plenty of demand from older travellers looking for life-changing experiences. To this end, Audley Travel has launched a new magazine offering experiences in remote parts of Australia and Burma among other exotic destinations.

Recent years have seen big travel firms set up dedicated arms for adventure holidays, as growing numbers of holidaymakers opt for thrill-seeking breaks that will be as demanding as they are relaxing. However, such travellers will want to ensure their airport transfers from airports such as Heathrow and Stansted are arranged to ensure their weary bodies can make it home with the minimum of fuss.

Wild Frontiers Adventure Travel head of sales Natalie Morris said: “We run groups of 12 people – often for people who hate the idea of joining groups. They haven’t got the time to tackle these difficult journeys by themselves.”

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Celebrations are beginning for the Chinese New Year, with many people around the world looking to jet off from the most convenient airport to join family and friends.

The celebrations, which begin with the Year of the Dragon breathing fire into the Chinese New Year and run until February 6, mark the most lengthy and the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays.

The festival, which starts on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the date of the full moon, is recognised by Asian populations around the world in countries including Singapore and Thailand.

It’s the sign for buying presents, clothes, food and decorations covering themes such as wealth, happiness and good fortune, and travelling to the best spot to celebrate, often by bus or coach.

Various zodiac animal signs represent different years, with the most familiar image in Chinese culture being the dragon representing power, strength and good luck. Dragons are considered to have auspicious power looked on as positive, in contrast to Europe where dragons are looked on as evil.

And in Chinese tradition, people born in the Dragon years often reach the top of their chosen profession, tending to be brave, innovative and highly driven.

Former US president Bill Clinton, film star Reese Witherspoon and artist Salvador Dali are among the famous born in Dragon years.

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If you like the idea of visiting Greece and Turkey but find yourself swerving them in summer because of the temperature, why not opt for a winter break in one of the destinations instead?

The call comes after strong winds brought temperatures crashing down in both the south-east Europe countries recently.

Temperatures in parts of Greece fell to as low as -21C on Tuesday and Wednesday, suggesting that while you should arrange airport transfers for flights to the country, you can forget about the sun cream for now. Florina, which sits in a part of northern Greece known for its rugged terrain, saw mercury plummet sharply.

The Aegean island of Limnos throngs with tourists in the July and August period, however on Monday its sandy beaches were covered with a dusting of snow. People on city breaks in Istanbul also saw snowfall.

On the other hand, if you’re a sun-seeker there are still plenty of options available. South Africa is currently midway through its summer and temperatures are soaring.

For instance, people enjoying winter sun breaks in Vredendal in the Western Cape saw temperatures soar to a high of 45.4C. It was nearly as hot on the coast too, with 39C recorded at Table Bay in Cape Town.

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This winter’s quiet skiing holiday season in Europe seems to have been given a new lease of life thanks to recent huge snowfalls across the continent.

Just two weeks ago travel companies had almost halved their prices for some package deals because of the hitherto mild winter.

But large volumes of snow falling across the Alps may well indicate the rescue that many tour operators have been waiting for, and is likely to also increase business for airport transfer firms.

Crystal Ski’s Marion Telsnig said: “If your lifestyle lets you drop everything to head for the slopes, it’s the perfect scenario now.

“Prices have fallen because of weak demand in January, so you can get last-minute seven-night breaks in Arinsal, Andorra from £129; Cervinia, Italy from £196 (B&B) and Ruka, Finland from £190 (self-catering).

Travelsupermarket’s Bob Atkinson said: “For weeks, the big grumble was: Not enough snow – full stop.

“In many households, dropping the ski holiday seemed an obvious and easy economy to make.

“Now many resorts have enough snow to last the season, with Ischgl in Austria cut off at times by a freak 5ft snowfall in four days.

“While big operators have cut capacity significantly, the accommodation is still there and so are cheap flights.

“On living costs, the big downside is Switzerland: astronomically expensive for lift passes, meals out, and bars. France, Italy and Austria are more realistic as the pound edges towards 1.20 euro.

“Half-term is showing some ridiculous prices but there is decent value available on either side of that.”