The most Googled travel destinations of 2020 revealed

Exclusive: Brits were most keen to escape to Spain this year

Madrid: Spain was top of the search list (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The UK’s most searched-for travel destinations in 2020 have been revealed.

Google has announced the results of its Year in Search, breaking down trending topics and the most Googled queries, recipes and celebrities, among other things.

Spain was top of Brits’ lists when it came to online travel searches, with the term “Travel to Spain” the most popular of the year.

“Travel to Italy” was next in line, followed by “Travel to France”.

After that, stir-crazy residents desperate to escape the UK opened it up more broadly, with the question “Where can I go on holiday?” the fourth most Googled travel term.

In at number five was “Travel to Greece”.

Things got a little more political for the sixth place travel search, which was “Boris Johnson holiday”.

Portugal, Wales, Turkey and Thailand – the only long-haul destination to be included in the list – make up the rest of the top 10.

Unsurprisingly, many of the trending lists were dominated by the pandemic, with “Coronavirus” named as the top trending query, while the top “How to” searches had the same focus: “How to make a face mask?”; “How to make hand sanitizer?”; “How to make bread?”; “How to get tested for coronavirus?”; and, a classic during lockdown, “How to cut your own hair?”.

Kirstin Wright, a Google Trends expert said: “The 2020 Year in Search lists not only reveal the most popular trends from the past 12 months, but also give insight into the biggest events in the news, politics, sports, entertainment and popular lockdown trends.  

“As people continue to look for information in new and different ways, Google Search keeps evolving to make the world’s information accessible and useful to all.”

Top 10 travel search terms

1. Travel to Spain
2. Travel to Italy
3. Travel to France
4. Where can I go on holiday?
5. Travel to Greece
6. Boris Johnson holiday
7. Travel to Portugal
8. Can I travel to Wales?
9. Travel to Turkey
10. Is it safe to travel to Thailand?