How the crowd score works
The crowd score is the share of UK schools on holiday that week, shown as a percentage. Lower means fewer families travelling. Higher means busier resorts and usually higher prices. Pick a destination and the score also accounts for whether schools in the countries most likely to visit there are on holiday at the same time, based on international tourism data.
The scale
The warm paper tone on the left marks the quietest weeks. The bar turns blue as more schools break up. Most of the year sits well below 50%.
What the number means in practice
Term time, e.g. mid-September
All four nations back in school. Quietest roads of the year. Resorts, airports, and theme parks at their least busy. Prices typically at their lowest.
Scotland off, England still in term
Scotland breaks one to two weeks before England. Some rise in family travel, but most UK families are still at home. Noticeably quieter than a UK-wide holiday week.
UK-wide half-term, e.g. October
Most UK schools off at once. Hotels and family attractions price to match. Busy, but not at summer levels.
Summer peak, e.g. first two weeks of August
Virtually all UK schools on summer holiday. Maximum family travel demand. Prices at their highest. Popular destinations at full capacity.
With a destination selected
Each destination has a set of countries identified from international tourism data as its major visitor markets. The score weighs school holiday pressure from all of them. These three examples show how that changes the picture.
September · France
Schools in the UK and in all of France's major visitor countries are back in term. The quietest window of the year from every direction.
Late June · France
Most UK schools still running but schools in several of France's major visitor countries have broken for summer. Resorts fill from multiple markets despite low UK demand.
October half-term · Spain
UK families are travelling but Spain has no October half-term, and neither do most of Spain's other major visitor countries. Destination pressure stays low.
The data
UK figures are drawn from 218 local authority council calendars across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, sourced from official council and government publications. Nothing is estimated. Destination figures use national school calendar data from official education ministry publications.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have different term dates to England, so the UK % on any given day reflects the real mix across all four nations.
English academy schools can set their own term dates, so your school may differ from the council average. Confirm your specific dates before booking. Dates last verified June 2026.