Desert island
As January descends, thoughts turn to summer Wikipedia

As the UK continues to suffer flooding, power cuts, gales, torrential rain and landslides, perhaps it's no surprise that many of us will already be planning our summer holiday to warmer climes.

One of the UK's largest travel operators, Thomson, estimates that up to two million people will search its website on Sunday 6 January, peaking at around 8.45pm.

Having experienced the same phenomenon in each of the past three years Thomson is dubbing the first Sunday after New Year "Sunshine Sunday" - the day when Christmas decorations are packed away, New Year hangovers have finally dissipated and thoughts turn to the summer ahead.

A spokesman for Thomson said: "With Christmas firmly out of the way many people want a holiday in the sunshine to look forward to. Over the last few years we've seen a trend towards booking holidays earlier and with record bookings over Christmas we're expecting the rush to continue."

However, British Airways, which launches its January sales this week, say they believe Monday will be even busier as families return to work and school and frantically seek escape from the weather, rising commuting costs, and the general January gloom that is familiar to all residents of the UK.

BA's Holidays managing director Claire Bentley said: "We anticipate a bumper booking day next Monday, with the return to work and start of a new school term, signalling the need for families to have sunnier climes to look forward to."

Though they may differ on whether Sunshine Sunday or Move-it Monday will be busier this year, Thomson and BA agree that exotic long-haul locations such as the Caribbean, Thailand and Majorca will probably be some of the hottest destinations for 2014. For Britons mopping up, bailing out and hunkering down, it's possible that absolutely anywhere overseas would be an improvement - even an Antarctic ice floe.