Spain, Italy and France dominate Scots holiday choices for Summer 2025
With schools soon closing for summer - and holiday peak season just weeks away - AllClear Travel Insurance surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults about their holiday choices for this summer – with 71% of Scots planning a break in mainland Europe.
Top country choices for summer 2025:
Given the dominant popularity of Southern and Northern Europe for summer holidays this year, AllClear also asked UK holidaymakers what their top European country choices would be for an overseas getaway this summer, and which places they rated highly for having good medical facilities.
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Hide Ad| Plan to visit this summer | Rated best for medical facilities | |
| Spain | 33% | 43% |
| Italy | 16% | 30% |
| France | 14% | 36% |
| Portugal | 7% | 25% |
| Greece | 7% | 11% |
| Germany | 6% | 41% |
| Turkey | 8% | 9% |
| Cyprus, Malta | 8% | 19% |
| Switzerland | 6% | 37% |
| Netherlands | 4% | 30% |
| Scandinavia | 4% | 28% |
| Croatia | 7% | 6% |
| Finland | 3% | 23% |
| Monaco | 3% | 16% |
Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at AllClear Travel Insurance commented: “Spain has always been a popular choice for guaranteed sunshine. What we see from our research this year is safety considerations are also important to Scottish holidaymakers. The safety record of a country and having good medical facilities are factors that more closely align with the top country choices - more so than how cheap or affordable the country is to visit.”
“That said, whilst UK holidaymakers acknowledge the importance of good medical services in the countries they plan to visit, in some countries, this can also mean medical costs are higher too.
"Spain, for example, can have higher travel insurance costs than some other European countries because many clinics and hospitals - especially in tourist areas - are private and often don’t accept GHIC. With safety top of mind for many this year, we encourage all holidaymakers to ensure they take out travel insurance with comprehensive medical cover before they head off abroad this summer.”
The AllClear research also revealed that for UK holidaymakers with medical conditions, 69% of survey respondents said they would be having a European holiday this summer. Their top destination choices - Spain (28%), Italy (18%), France (17%), Portugal (15%), Germany (10%) and Switzerland (9%) – align with destinations they regard to be safe and having good medical facilities. For this group, safety factors are more important than price.
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Hide AdEuropean countries that people with medical conditions plan to visit this summer – and which countries they rate highly for safely, medical facilities and for being relatively inexpensive to visit [column percentages]
| Plan to visit | Rated best for being safe | Rated best for medical facilities | Rated best for being less expensive | |
| Spain | 28% | 36% | 34% | 53% |
| Italy | 18% | 31% | 26% | 20% |
| France | 17% | 30% | 33% | 10% |
| Portugal | 15% | 29% | 23% | 41% |
| Germany | 10% | 26% | 33% | 10% |
| Switzerland | 9% | 26% | 30% | 4% |
| Greece | 9% | 17% | 10% | 20% |
| Netherlands | 8% | 26% | 28% | 7% |
| Cyprus, Malta | 7% | 15% | 10% | 14% |
| Turkey | 6% | 9% | 9% | 25% |
| Scandinavia | 4% | 21% | 21% | 4% |
| Croatia | 4% | 11% | 6% | 21% |
| Finland | 3% | 19% | 18% | 5% |
| Monaco | 2% | 14% | 14% | 5% |