Nice – but if you want to avoid eating pot noodle and baked beans for weeks after your return, rein in your impulse spending and think of ways to cut back without missing out.

 “People work hard all year round so it’s understandable that they want to treat themselves whilst on holiday…it’s those last minute, spur of the moment buys, that can often catch people out and cause them to go over budget,” said Simon Bird, UK Director of Retail Partnerships at Savoo.co.uk.

New research from discount voucher website www.savoo.co.uk shows carefree British holiday makers overspend on their holiday budgets by an enormous £9 billion every year.

 “These results offer an alarming view of carefree British holiday makers, with over one in ten people still paying back their overspend 12 months after their holiday. Everyone likes to let their hair down on holiday but it’s important not to get into debt,” said Simon Bird, UK Director of Retail Partnerships at Savoo.co.uk.

He said it is concerning to hear that one in ten people have even borrowed money from friends and family, just to get by.

The research commissioned by voucher website Savoo.co.uk studied the attitudes of 2,500 18-65 year old holiday-makers and showed that two thirds shell out almost £300 more than they planned to every time they go abroad, with the typical Brit still paying for their break at least three months after they land back on home shores.

The study found that the typical household’s summer vacation lasts nine days and costs £1,405, with expensive meals, tacky souvenirs and day-trips, paid for using the 'come on, we're on holiday' excuse, which emerged as the main reason the nation over-spends by £8,950,800,000 each year. 

The most jet-setters have forked-out extra on holiday is £836, which has left 45% sticking everything on their credit card and 55 per cent desperately heading to the cash machine. And despite over 60% stating the recession had affected their spending, the research showed that a happy-go-lucky 52% aren’t worried about how much they spend on their break.

Men were felt to be worse than women at overspending at 35%, with seven in ten actually feeling it was worth it if it meant they had a great holiday.

But with more than one in ten people having to live off baked beans, pot noodle and other basic foods to recoup the loss, it’s not surprise that once the suitcases are unpacked and it’s back to the real world, almost 70% of people worry about what they’ve spent.