Your hobby haven: The top places to invest in your dream overseas holiday home
Written by intasure
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Published on 14th October 2024
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Last Updated on 14th October 2024
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Read time: 11 minutes
Imagine having your favourite hobby right on your doorstep. Whether you’re into wild swimming, skiing, beach-side lounging or hiking, buying a holiday home overseas can make that dream a reality.
To help you find your hobby haven, we’ve analysed data from the world’s top tourist destinations. By looking at Google search interest in buying a second home, average property prices, climate, and the prevalence of English speakers, we narrowed down the top 50 most in-demand holiday home hotspots.
Let’s see which countries made the cut.
Where’s the top places for hikers?
Hiking is more popular than ever, and it’s easy to see why. Challenging yourself with strenuous exercise and being rewarded with breathtaking views is a winning combination. In fact, a quarter of Brits consider themselves hikers, with15% of people surveyed in 2024 plan to hike at least once a month [1]. So, which country is the ultimate destination for hikers looking to buy a holiday home?
The USA takes the crown. With 97,792 trails to explore and an impressive average rating of 4.5 out of 5, it is a hiker’s paradise. From the towering cliffs of Yosemite to the legendary Appalachian Trail, America’s 63 national parks offer some of the world’s most stunning scenery [2]. Plus, places like Denver and Salt Lake City provide an affordable hub for hiking, with average property prices in the USA costing you £3,148 per square metre [3].
Buying a holiday home in the US is cheaper than the second-ranked hiking spot (the UK), where the average home around £4,385. For that price, though, you’ll have an abundance of trails to choose from in the UK – with over 31,000 epic hikes available, from Scotland’s majestic Highlands to England’s Lake District.
Canada takes third spot, with 26,396 walking trails, all rated 4/5 by nearly 3 million AllTrails users. With 38 national parks covering around 3.3% of the landscape, hikers will find plenty of terrain to traverse, including snow-capped mountains, serene lakes, and lush evergreen forests [4]. However, living here costs more than the top two, setting you back an average of £4,646 per square metre.
Where’s top for skiers and snowboarders?
If you dream of a holiday home close to the slopes, the USA is the place to go. With 700 resorts and an average ski season of 5.5 months, there’s something for every skier and snowboarder in the States, from the après-ski culture of Aspen to Vermont’s family-friendly Stowe Mountain Resort [5,6].
It’s becoming hot property too, with Google data showing over 5,400 searches each month for second properties in the US [7]. Aspen, recognised by Savills as the top second-home destination and the highest-ranked ski site, is particularly popular. You can expect to pay around £3,148 per square metre [8].
Rather stay closer to home? Consider Switzerland. Home to 356 resorts and a ski season that stretches for half the year, it offers ample time to enjoy your holiday home in picturesque locations, such as Verbier and Saint Moritz. You’ll also have a selection of fine dining and luxury accommodations at your disposal, plus an integrated network of ski lifts, cable cars, and funiculars to make travelling easy. For those looking to escape to the Alps, Switzerland is the priciest hobby haven location in our study, with properties costing around £11,897 for the average home price.
Another fantastic European option is Austria. While the ski season is slightly shorter than in Switzerland (5.5 months), you can pick from 442 resorts in Austria’s charming alpine villages, like the much-loved Mayrhofer [6].It’s also generally more affordable than Switzerland. For instance, Switzerland’s most expensive ski day pass in 2023 was €108, whereas Austria’s was €73.90[8]. Most ski areas in Austria are located in Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg, where the average property price is £4,539 for the average home price per square meter.
Where’s top for the beach life and ocean swimming?
While hiking and winter sports are perfect hobbies for some, many of us like the easy life by the beach. If that sounds like you, Croatia is the place to be. The sun-kissed Mediterranean nation boasts 5,835km of coastline and 894 bathing locations along the Adriatic Sea. Plastic waste is also well managed, with a 0% probability of mismanaged plastic waste being emitted into the waters [10,11,12]. Properties in Croatia cost an average of £2,139 for the average property, and interest in second homes here draws about 1,200 Google searches per month.
Italy is second. The beautiful country has 7,600 km of coastline and 4,855 bathing spots, so you’ll find everything from lively beach clubs to deserted alcoves. With the Italian coast becoming increasingly desirable for overseas holiday homes, Google searches for second properties reach a staggering 8,600 per month. A property here will also cost you around £2,683 per square metre.
Spain is another sunny haven, offering stunning beach destinations from San Sebastian to the Canary Islands. With a lower rate of plastic waste (0.34% compared to Italy’s 0.88%) and 1,994 bathing spots, the land of tapas provides plenty of pristine beaches for sun-seekers. Plus, it’s more affordable than other nations, with an average cost of £2,428 for properties per square meter.
Which country comes out on top for hobbyists?
Our study shows Switzerland is the top overall hobby haven hotspot. With 13k+ walking trails, and a trail rating of 4/5, it’s no wonder Switzerland receives over 2,000 monthly Google searches from people looking to buy second homes [1]. Plus, it has over 350 incredible ski resorts, with an average ski season of 6 months. Fancy some stargazing? Visitors also have the chance to catch a glimpse of Orion’s Belt or Ursa Major, thanks to Switzerland’s low light pollution [13].
France claims second place. This popular destination draws a lot of online interest, with 13,800 monthly Google searches for holiday homes. Its high score is partly down to its whopping 10,092 kilometres of ski slopes and 1,286 inland bathing spots. And with an average property price of £4,138 for the average property, it’s more affordable than other countries, like the USA.
Germany is the third-top country for hobbyists. It has a range of ski slopes on offer (657), as well as a wealth of walking trails (37,036) and wild swimming spots (1,292). Italy isn’t far behind, with an overall index score of 65, thanks to its high rating of ocean swimming, wild swimming, skiing, and snowboarding.
How to choose the right spot for your holiday home
Moving overseas can be pricey, so it’s worth taking some time to choose your dream holiday home location. You could start by weighing up your personal preferences, like how close you’d like to be to the beaches, mountains or main cultural attractions.
Try to understand a country’s lifestyle and decide whether it aligns with your perfect holiday home experience. For instance, buying a summer home in scorching Seville may not be the best idea if you struggle to stay active during the hot summer months.
It’s also important to know the area’s real estate market and any legal or financial issues, like Brexit, that could affect owning property abroad. To help bring you up to speed, we’ve put together guides on how to buy a holiday home abroad and the impact of Brexit on holiday homes.
Choosing overseas holiday home insurance
Once you’ve landed on your dream overseas destination, the next consideration should be protecting your property with abroad holiday home insurance. After all, insuring a holiday home overseas can be more complex than covering your main residence, as you’ll need to consider different legal systems, risks, and the potential for extended periods of vacancy.
When it’s time to secure your property, we’re here to help. With 20 years in the business, means we have extensive knowledge and experience with overseas insurance markets, foreign authorities, and international regulators. From alpine chalets to overseas villas, you can benefit from a policy specifically tailored to the regulations and risks of your holiday home’s location.
Derek Henry, Managing Director at Intasure commented:
“Buying a holiday home abroad can be an expensive process, therefore future holiday homeowners must carefully consider where their ideal location is. While of course the price of homes in a country will play a part in your decision, personal preferences including the range of amenities nearby and the accessibility of beaches, mountains and attractions will be a deciding factor for many.
Holiday homeowners must also consider how they protect their property, including purchasing adequate holiday home insurance which can protect against damage and theft which is increasingly important as the home is unlikely to be occupied all year round”.
Get a quote or contact our friendly UK-based team for guidance today.
Sources:
[5] Ski Resort Info
[6] Length of Ski Season
[11] Number of Coastal Bathing Locations
Legal disclaimer:
The opinions and views expressed in the above articles are those of the author only and are for guidance purposes only. The authors disclaim any liability for reliance upon those opinions and would encourage readers to rely upon more than one source before making a decision based on the information
Campaign Methodology:
To determine the hobby havens around the world. Intasure analysed all the countries around the world using WorldOMeters.info, KeywordTool.io, Numbeo, WorldPopulationReview and WorldDataInfo to determine the countries that were best to buy a holiday home based on: Population, land area, Google search interest to buy a holiday home, cost to rent an apartment, cost to buy per square metre, average temperature and percentage of English speakers in the country.
From this research, the top 50 countries were then further analysed to determine their Hobby Haven Score. AllTrails, City Population, eea.europa.eu, OurWorldInData.org, SkiResort.info, MaisonSport.com, LightPollutionMap.info, WorldPopulationReview.com were used to collect hobby data on: hiking and walking trails, reviews and average rating, amount of coastline and number of coastal bathing locations, probability of mismanaged plastic waste being emitted to ocean, number of resorts, km of slopes, number of ski lifts, average length of ski season, light pollution levels, average elevation of each country, water quality, percentage of excellent bathing waters and number of inland bathing waters.
The results were then compared alongside the Holiday Home Index score to create a list of the top 50 Hobby Haven countries around the world.
Campaign Sources:
The sole purpose of this article is to provide guidance on the issues covered. This article is not intended to give legal advice, and, accordingly, it should not be relied upon. It should not be regarded as a comprehensive statement of the law and/or market practice in this area. We make no claims as to the completeness or accuracy of the information contained herein or in the links which were live at the date of publication. You should not act upon (or should refrain from acting upon) information in this publication without first seeking specific legal and/or specialist advice. Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited trading as Intasure accepts no liability for any inaccuracy, omission or mistake in this publication, nor will we be responsible for any loss which may be suffered as a result of any person relying on the information contained herein.
FP1270-2023
