Property in Spain is just one of the western European destinations where more Brits may have been heading in recent months.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show an increase in UK residents heading overseas to places all over the world.

Between March and June of 2010, an extra three per cent of Britons left the country for reasons ranging from taking holidays to business trips.

In all, 14.5 million overseas visits took place in the second quarter, the report shows.

Property in Spain, France and other European countries accounted for 11.5 million of those trips.

Meanwhile, the ONS notes that those people who did travel spent more on average than in previous reports.

"The seasonally adjusted number of visits abroad by UK residents rose by three per cent … associated spending increased by five per cent to £7.9 billion," the office observes in its report.

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