1 in 3 travellers seek 'out-of-this-world' destinations for next holiday

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Saturn | Getty Images
Opodo shares alternative destinations that replicate out-of-this-world experiences for adventurous travellers wanting to visit unusual places

New research from Opodo, leading online travel agent, uncovers epic, planet-like destinations on Earth that mirror the landscapes of our solar system after insights revealed Brits are opting for unique destinations.

A survey of 1,500 UK holidaymakers was run to understand travel preferences and trends in destinations and holiday types people seek. The survey uncovered that nearly a third of respondents are keen to visit places that resemble landscapes from other planets.

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With over 1 in 3 travellers feeling more adventurous on holiday (39%), and the same number willing to travel to space (32%) or other planets if they had the opportunity, it’s no surprise that respondents are increasingly interested in visiting unique and unusual destinations (38%).

In response, Opodo analysed destinations on Earth against factors like terrain, climate, and colour palette to uncover five destinations for each celestial planetary pairing.

Moab, Utah, is a match for Mars, while travellers should visit Saxon Switzerland National Park for a likeliness to Saturn.

The research asked travellers what planet they would most like to visit, with Mars coming out on top, followed by Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Neptune, Uranus and Mercury.

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Each location was scored against several factors, including cost, landscape factors for similarity to their planetary pairing, the number of UFO sightings, and a stargazing score from 0-10 (10 being the highest) for those interested in seeing celestial events.

Over half of those surveyed (54%) prioritise visiting places of natural beauty on holiday, and these destinations offer great opportunities to tap into nature. For example, Lake Chott el Djerid is a vast, shimmering salt flat that turns into a surreal, colourful, mirage-like landscape after rainfall.

You can see the full list of out-of-this-world destinations on Earth here: https://www.opodo.co.uk/out-of-this-world-travel-destinations/

Pablo Caspers, Opodo Chief Travel Officer, added: “With 65% of the people we surveyed feeling that going on holiday is a form of escapism, there’s no better place to escape the stresses of everyday lives than some of the most unique, beautiful and out of this world destinations on earth.

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"Our new research can help people to discover new places that they’d maybe never considered before. Exploring new places is a great way to gain new experiences - from the salt flats of Lake Chott el Djerid in Tunisia to the Norwegian Fjords in Norway, there’s a whole world of new discoveries waiting for travellers, without even leaving our own.”

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