Can’t you go on holiday without cash? This is how Poles pay

The first week of the 2026 holidays is passing. We can’t complain about the weather, which makes many of us think about leaving. A PayPo survey conducted just before the start of this year’s holiday season shows that nearly half of Poles (47%) plan to spend this year’s holiday in the country. Slightly less, 37 percent. are thinking about going abroad, and 16 percent respondents have not yet made a decision on this matter.

Holidays 2026 abroad. We choose this direction most often

Among people planning a trip abroad, the most popular destination is Croatia (indicated by 16 percent of respondents), which is ahead of Greece and Italy (14 percent and 13 percent, respectively). Every tenth respondent intends to go on holiday to Spain and Turkey.

The study shows that many of us plan foreign holidays well in advance. More than one third of respondents (37%) declare that they book their trip three to six months before their vacation. Every fourth (25%) survey participant does it even earlier – more than half a year before the planned trip. A similar percentage of respondents (24%) organize their holidays a month or two before departure. Last minute bookings are much less popular. Only 10% choose last minute offers. respondents who decide to leave less than two weeks before the start of their vacation. Only 4 percent Poles admit that they do not plan their holidays in advance and decide to go spontaneously.

How much will we spend on this year’s holidays? The largest group of PayPo survey participants (25%) indicated that their budget for the trip was between PLN 2,000 and 3,000 per person. Slightly less, 19 percent. estimates their expenses in the range from PLN 3,000 to PLN 4,000, and 16 percent claims that it will range from PLN 1,000 to PLN 2,000. Only 9% of respondents plan to spend between PLN 4,000 and PLN 5,000. respondents. Slightly more, 14 percent. declares that it will be more than PLN 5,000. Every tenth respondent cannot yet estimate the amount of their holiday expenses.

Let us recall that in a survey conducted by SW Research for “Wprost” conducted a week ago, the largest group of Poles declared their holiday expenses this year to be between PLN 3,000 and 5,000 per person (19.1%).

Can’t move without cash?

PayPo research shows that cash is still popular when traveling abroad. As many as 58% use it on site. respondents. 34% use a traditional payment card. respondents, the same percentage chooses a multi-currency card enabling payments in foreign currencies, and 18 percent declares the use of a credit card.

When choosing a payment method abroad, respondents pay attention primarily to the convenience and speed of transaction execution (55%), no additional fees for currency conversion (52%), and payment security and protection against fraud (50%). For 47 percent of respondents, an attractive currency exchange rate is also important, and for 40 percent – no additional costs related to the use of payment instruments.

DIY study performed on the Omnisurv by IQS platform on June 16-19, 2026. Nationwide trial. Included in the analysis: Responders, N=500.