Brits are increasingly favouring going overseas for Christmas and New Year's celebrations, a new survey reveals. Over half the country would rather go overseas for Christmas than stay at home, and as much as 88 per cent would rather go to Sydney or New York rather than London to see in the new year.

And as many as 43 per cent say the main reason they want to go overseas in the run-up to Christmas is to do their festive shopping.

'These survey results show the importance of travel in our lives and with such reasonable travel offers available over the Christmas period, more people than ever before are being tempted into going abroad to do their Christmas shopping,' commented Neil Mott of Opodo, who conducted the research.'

Plus, shopping abroad makes it that much easier to find that all-important Christmas gift that nobody else is going to have bought.' The top destination for the 2006 Christmas season was New York, followed by Prague, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome.