ebookers reveals Brits are spending over �382 million on redundancy holidays to escape the recession

ebookers.com, one of Europe�s leading online tour agents, has identified a new trend of traveller � the recession escaper, also known as the �Res-caper� following research which reveals that almost one in five Britons (19%) made redundant in the credit crunch are heading off on an extended holiday to get away from the recession and over a quarter (26%), are using their redundancy package to fund their Res-cape!

The study, which polled more than 4,000 UK adults, uncovered that the nation�s unemployed are spending in excess of �382 million� on trips abroad, with the average Res-caper spending �2,678.69 on their dream trip. Furthermore, despite uncertain times, one in 20 of us (5%) would spend a staggering �9,000- �10,000 on our trip.

The research also uncovered: � One in five (18%) of us will take our entire families away on a Res-cape, allowing the children the opportunity to experience the trip of a lifetime � Britons will take an average of up to of three months out for their trip, and a staggering one in 20 (5%) will take off up to a year � Despite job uncertainty and worries over their financial future, two in five Brits (42%) are delving into their savings to fund their holiday � Australasia is the most popular destination with over a quarter of us (29%) heading to the sun, sea and sand of Australia and New Zealand � The lucky travel companion to take on the trip of a lifetime is a partner (44 percent) although one sixth of us (15 percent) will go it alone

Holiday Hot Spots Australasia is the holiday hot spot for Res-capers, with over half of travellers in Australia (56%) heading to Sydney to sample the sites and a third (3%) going to Fiji for relaxation. Although it�s not just the land down under that is experiencing the onslaught of the great Res-cape, with other popular destinations including the USA (27%), the Caribbean (14%) and Round the World Trips (7%).

Men�s Money Women lead the way in terms of jetting off to recover from losing their jobs with one in five (22%) saying redundancy has given them the perfect excuse to escape the 9-5 and enjoy a career gap. However, it is men that fork out the most on their Res-cape with the average male spending just shy of �3,000 on their dream trip spent compared to women who are a little tighter forking out an average of �2,528.93 for that trip of a lifetime � perhaps this can be attributed to men travelling further afield than women to destinations such as Asia, South America and the Middle East.

Young and Care-Free Those under 25yrs are the most likely to head off on their dream holiday (22%) with over half (55%) claiming they would use their savings to fund their holiday, compared to 15% aged between 31 and 45 yrs.

Claire Howard-Jones, Head of Marketing for ebookers.com, said: ��The recession is changing the way we travel with a new breed of traveller emerging in the Res-caper. It�s great to see that the credit crunch is not all doom and gloom and people are taking the opportunity to jet off, enjoy their redundancy money and see more of the world. What�s more, with some fantastic deals at the minute, it is even easier for travellers to head off and experience great destinations at a lower cost. Low season prices during peak season travel encourage smart bookers to fly off for the holiday of a lifetime, but within a realistic holiday budget.� -ENDS - For more information please contact the ebookers press office on 020 7025 6650 or ebookerspressoffice@redconsultancy.com

Note to editors � The overall spend for Res-capers in the past year was calculated using that fact that 142,500 people took a Res-cape (19% of the 750,000 who were made redundant) with an average spend of �2,678.69. ONS data provided the number of people who took a Res-cape. ebookers surveyed 4,000 UK residents in an online poll, conducted between 29th June and 6th July

About ebookers.com ebookers.com, one of Europe's largest online travel agents, prides itself on making travel booking decisions easier and offers excellent value travel with a best price guarantee. ebookers.com is a brand that is owned and operated by Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW). It has origins going back 20 years and has close relationships with leading travel suppliers of hotels and airlines. It offers a huge selection of choice from over 200 airlines, 86,000 hotels around the globe and car hire from most of the major international brands as well as providing both ski and cruise packages.

About Orbitz Worldwide: Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW) is a leading global online travel company that uses innovative technology to enable leisure and business travellers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products. Orbitz Worldwide owns and operates a portfolio of consumer brands that includes Orbitz (www.orbitz.com), CheapTickets (www.cheaptickets.com), ebookers (www.ebookers.com), HotelClub (www.hotelclub.com), RatesToGo (www.ratestogo.com), the Away Network (www.away.com) and corporate travel brand Orbitz for Business (www.orbitzforbusiness.com). For more information, visit the Orbitz Worldwide Investor Relations website at http://www.orbitz-ir.com.

Catherine Sharrott Account Executive 020 7025 6589 | 07545 933703 Email: ebookerspressoffice@redconsultancy.com