IF you are planning a trip away, it’s worth making sure you don’t come back with a financial holiday hangover.

Nearly two-thirds (60%) of us get carried away when it comes to holiday spending, with holidaymakers blowing the budget by £220 on average, according to new research by Government-backed body, the Money Advice Service (MAS).

The findings suggest that if you go into debt to pay for your holiday this summer, you could still find yourself paying it off when Christmas arrives.

More than one in three (39%) holidaymakers say they usually return home with a debt as a result of their trip - which it takes them, on average, five months to pay off.

Many of us are also going on holidays we can’t really afford in the first place.

Nearly one quarter (24%) of the people surveyed have been on a holiday in the past year which stretched them beyond their means, with 25 per cent of these people going into debt to pay for it.

Often, people went on trips that went beyond their budget because they felt they deserved a break.

Meanwhile, others showed signs of feeling under pressure to splash out on a holiday, saying they felt obliged to go or that they felt it was their duty to provide a family holiday.

One in five (18%) people have booked a holiday knowing it will cause them financial difficulty, with young people being particularly likely to do this.

More than one in three (37%) 25 to 34-year-olds have booked a trip, knowing that they can’t really afford it.

Expensive stag and hen trips were a particular pressure point for young people’s finances.

Across all ages, the average debt generated solely due to holiday spending is £421, according to the MAS, whose research was based on two surveys involving more than 4,000 people.

So, if money’s tight, how can you make sure you stick to your budget?

Well, planning ahead is a good start. The MAS found that a savvy 68 per cent of people save up for either some, or all, of their holiday and 58 per cent put a budget in place for certain elements of their holiday.

Andy Webb, a money expert at the MAS says: “There are plenty of ways that you can avoid paying over the odds for holiday essentials and still have a great time, for example, buying items or exchanging money before you leave the UK.

“Even if your holiday is just a few weeks away, it’s not too late to start planning and putting some money aside for those unexpected costs.”