Australia for unemployment, Spain for divorce

Taking a trip abroad is an increasingly popular way of marking a major milestone or rite of passage, according to research by travel firm Expedia.

Three in four Brits have commemorated a significant life event, from births to deaths and from marriage to divorce, by going on holiday.

Wedding anniversaries were the biggest spur to breaks overseas, with 65 per cent of the 24,000 people interviewed stating they had taken a holiday after a number of years of marriage.

The top destination for couples reliving their special day was classically romantic Venice, while big birthday bashes tended to take place in Amsterdam.

The more recovery-focused holidays included Spain as the top destination for recent divorcees, and Australia, a seemingly more carefree place on the other side of the world, for those who had just been fired.

Since these big events happen only once, people seemed to be moved to open their wallets, with more than one in three happily spending more than £1,000.

In other news, Leeds/Bradford Airport is set to entice many more northern-based holidaymakers overseas from 2007-08 as low-cost airline Jet2.com launches flights to an array of hot European destinations including Crete, Cyprus and Madrid.