The traditional two-week holiday is on the decline, with week-long holidays increasing in popularity.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show a big rise in foreign holidays between 1996 and 2016, but with shorter holidays becoming the norm.

UK residents went on more than 45 million foreign holidays in 2016 - up from 27 million in 1996. That represents a 68% rise in holidays over the last 20 years, as reported by the BBC .

Here at Punchline, we're not surprised to see the rise in shorter holidays, because it coincides with the rise in freelancers and people running their own businesses.

As a business owner or freelancer, most people cannot afford to take long holidays and lose out on two weeks' worth of pay. For many just starting out, even taking a day off is risky, without the safety net of 20 days or more paid holiday a year provided by most employers.

With around 600,000 new businesses started up every year, that's an awful lot of people cutting down on longer holidays.

What do you think? Can you afford to take a holiday as a business owner? Email mark@moosemarketingandpr.co.uk