Holiday surprises revealed by fascinating graphic from Direct Travel Insurance

A fascinating snapshot of British holiday habits has been produced by Direct Travel Insurance.

It reveals us as a nation who loves to travel but it also springs some surprises about our favourite destinations.

It presents crucial information about certain countries that could stop travellers falling foul of the law by mistake.

The infographic also shows how many Britons require hospital treatment abroad every year, underlining the need to take out travel insurance that covers medical emergencies.

It is an easy-to-read representation of fascinating facts and figures that could be of use to many – including schools, travel agents and even pub quiz teams.

The Direct Travel Insurance infographic highlights how Britons made an astonishing 54.9 million overseas trips last year. Two in three were holidays and a fifth were to visit family and friends.

Spain is our favourite destination and if that isn’t a great surprise, the fact that the Netherlands is more popular than Portugal and Turkey probably is.

A useful Did You Know? Section points out that drinking in the street is illegal in Egypt, as is driving without headlights in daytime in Estonia and using a metal detector in Turkey.

Most hospitalisations were in Spain, followed by Greece. Direct Travel Insurance can cover hospital bills, airlifts and repatriation. The policy wording should be consulted for details.

The holiday and business travel snapshot is a first for the insurer. A Direct Travel Insurance spokesperson said: 'We are thrilled to take this initiative to represent data in a new and engaging way.'

Notes for Editors

As the population of the UK is estimated at 62 million, either nearly every man, woman and child went abroad in 2010 – or more likely, some of us were lucky enough to go at least a couple of times.

Established in late 1992 and commenced trading in 1993, Direct Travel Insurance specialises in travel insurance for individual travellers, couples and families up to the age of 75. Direct Travel Insurance offers a range of cover options and added benefits including cover for over 100 sports and activities enabling customers to tailor their policies for single trip, annual multi trip, backpacking and winter sports.

All travel insurance policies are underwritten by Chartis Europe Limited. Direct Travel Insurance is a trading name of UNAT Direct Insurance Management Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA Number 312350). Chartis Europe Limited is also authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA Number 202628).

This information can be checked by visiting the FSA website.

[Reference for UK population stat: http://www.ons.gov.uk]