SUN, sea, and sangria. The people of Southampton want it - and they want it up to five times a year.

And, more so than many other cities in the country, they are hopping on a plane over to resorts in Spain, France and Greece to get it.

Results of a survey conducted by low-cost airline Flybe show that people in Southampton are among the most well travelled in the country.

Almost 75 per cent of the city's population take a holiday at least once a year while one in ten go on five or more short breaks and holidays in just 12 months.

Spain remains the hot favourite destination, with a third of Southampton holidaymakers flocking to enjoy the sun and sangria. France is a close second, followed by Greece, Germany and Austria.

Ian Taylor, general manager of market development for Flybe explained that the availability of low-cost travel out of Southampton has resulted in a significant change to the way people plan holidays, with a dramatic increase in shorter - three or four-day - breaks.

"It is quite amazing how all our travel patterns are changing," he said.

"Traditionally people were very fixed in their holiday plans and generally went away for two weeks. That was their major holiday.

"Now, the availability of low-cost travel out of Southampton has enabled people to take tasters of where they want to go.

"The length of stay has dramatically declined to three to four day breaks because what was perhaps once considered a long and expensive trip is now only a couple of hours and actually quite cheap."

In 2003, Flybe operated very few routes out of Southampton but now the company offers flights to 17 destinations including Malaga, Alicante and Mercier, with plans to add places including La Rochelle and Toulouse to the list.

"These are places that are very easy to get to and the frequency of flights means people no longer have to stay for seven days," said Mr Taylor.

He added that the company has also noted an increase in the number of people travelling to Southampton.

"Southampton has a desire to become a European city - a gateway into the UK," he said.

"It is very interesting that we are finding that not only are large numbers of people travelling from Southampton to these destinations but increasingly people from the other end, such as Spain and France, are coming to Southampton. And they too are coming for three or four days to have a look around."

In July, he said, Flybe will have brought one million passengers in and out of Southampton.

The research conducted by Flybe also revealed that despite Brits often being criticised for expecting people to speak English when they go abroad, Southampton people are increasingly making an effort to learn the lingo.