Extended holidays are now being considered by large numbers of “grey gappers”, a survey revealed.

Age shouldn’t be a barrier...

As many as a quarter of over-55s are thinking about taking a gap year-style break within the next two years, a survey showed.

These older tourists expect to fork out an average of £4,136 (€4,765) on their trips and spend an average of 3.7 months travelling.

In contrast, only 19 per cent of students are thinking about taking a gap year or an extended break.

Gappers under 35 will only be spending around £3,100 on their extended trips.

For those over 55, the most popular destination is Australia, followed by New Zealand, US, Singapore and Spain. The survey also found that three-quarters of parents thought an extended trip abroad was important for their child’s education, while 60 per cent were keen for their offspring to be able to speak a foreign language and that taking them abroad was a good way for them to learn.

Post Office Travel Insurance head Sarah Munro, who organised the survey, said: “Age shouldn’t be a barrier when it comes to experiencing different cultures and spreading your wings.

“While holidays are a fantastic way to explore a new country, taking that extra bit of time out to travel and really get to grips with a place is great fun no matter how old you are.”