Research from the Post Office has found as many as 77 percent of UK holidaymakers are planning to travel somewhere new in the next 12 months, with 82 percent hoping to visit one of their DREAM travel destinations.

And more than eight in ten UK tourists have a travel bucket list, with seeing the Northern Lights (44 percent), Niagara Falls (40 percent) and staying in an over water bungalow in the Maldives (34 percent) topping the list of dream holidays.

It comes as peak viewing season for the Northern Lights in the northern hemisphere approaches – running from September to March – with the longer and darker nights creating stronger displays.

Many want to walk through the Rome Colosseum (29 percent), enjoy the best beaches of Bali (29 percent) and experience the cherry blossom season in Japan (30 percent).

Also on the ultimate bucket list, according to Post Office, is Greek island-hopping (31 percent), visiting the Amalfi coast in Italy (30 percent) and soaking up the atmosphere in the middle of New York’s Times Square (29 percent).

And for the more adventurous, there’s flying through the Grand Canyon in a helicopter (27 percent) and ticking off the “Big Five” animals on safari in Kenya (24 percent).

According to the poll, Australia is the country most UK travellers would love to visit next (45 percent), followed by Italy (43 percent) and the USA (43 percent).

Eighty-five percent of those surveyed reckon they are better travelled than their parent’s generation, with Gen Z (16 – 24-year-olds) the most likely to be planning the trip of a lifetime (60 percent), compared to just 32 percent of Britons over the age of forty.

Yet despite wanting to head off on a wanderlust adventure, more than a quarter of tourists (26 percent) don’t bother taking out travel insurance, with those over 55 more likely to put holiday insurance cover in place (83 percent) compared to just two-thirds of 16 – 24-year-olds.

In fact, of those who said they didn’t take out travel insurance, 24 percent said it was too expensive, while 16 percent insisted, they’d never needed it, and 15 percent said they were prepared to “take their chances” and save the cash.

Meanwhile, 13 percent admit they never read their insurance documents and have absolutely no idea what they’re insured for.

It comes as Post Office is urging UK travellers to check what their travel insurance covers and when to buy it to ensure their trips are protected in the case of any unexpected turn of events.

Paul Paddock, Head of Travel and Protection insurance at Post Office said:“With Brits intending to travel further and to new travel destinations, it’s essential to have holiday protection and ensure this is purchased at the right time so that you’re covered financially if things go wrong while you’re away, or even before you leave.

“It’s also important to check exactly what your travel insurance covers to avoid any nasty surprises. Not everything is included as standard. For example, trip disruption cover caused by extreme weather can often be added but for an additional premium – and sports travel insurance may not include activities like jet skiing.”