New way Aussies are funding their holidays

With the holidays fast approaching and savvy Aussies are turning to a new strategy to pay for their getaways.

Savvy Aussies are having their cake and eating it too by subletting their homes to pay for holidays.

As thousands of workers prepare to turn three days of annual leave into 10 days off over the Easter and Anzac Day holidays, research from banking group ING found Aussies on average are preparing to spend $216.91 each day, racking up to $17.6 billion nationwide.

More than one in 10 (12%) said they planned to fund their holidays by subletting their homes, bringing in about $156.45 a day.

“This idea of side hustling or maximising income on the assets people already have is certainly something that’s becoming more and more popular,” ING’s Head of Consumer and Market Insights Matt Bowen said.

“People are thinking of other ways to subsidise expensive family holidays or trips away. Subletting is a new one but with digital platforms like Airbnb people can now do that pretty quickly.”

Aussies are increasingly turning to subletting and side-hustles to finance their holidays. (Photo by Joel Saget/ AFP)

Almost half of those surveyed said they had planned to take leave over the period, with more than 40 per cent saying they plan to travel domestically, while one in seven said they are heading overseas.

And in what is shaping up as a much-needed injection to local businesses, three in four people said they planned to spend more money than usual eating out at local cafes, restaurants and bars.

Another holiday trend gaining traction is the combination and extension of business and leisure trips into ‘blesuire’.

A Flight Centre report revealed one in three corporate travellers are stretching this year’s Easter–Anzac trip to at least seven nights, an increase of 20 per cent during the same window last year.

Corporate travellers are seizing rare Easter-Anzac window for getaways. Picture - Sam Mooy holiday

Global Managing Director at Flight Centre’s Corporate Traveller Tom Walley said the recent uptake shows the ‘bleisure’ trend has taken hold.

“The average length of a corporate trip in the first quarter this year was five days, so to see that jump to eight over the Easter-ANZAC period signals a cultural shift in how we approach business travel,” Mr Walley said.

“There’s been a clear post-pandemic reset with travellers prioritising value, wellness and flexibility. Blending work with downtime is no longer just a perk, it’s the new normal.”

Mr Walley said the Melbourne-Perth route has been the most in-demand domestic corridor, followed by Melbourne-Sydney. For those heading overseas, Sydney-London has been the most in-demand.

For those already thinking about their next holiday, Mr Bowen said the best thing you can do is book early.

“We’re all busy but we leave it to the last minute to book a holiday,” Mr Bowen said.

“The unfortunate thing with that it’s actually the most expensive way to take a break.

“The more you can prepare in advance, you’re not only taking advantage of good holiday deals but you’ll also have time to then budget accordingly as well so you feel a lot less financial pressure.”