WHO doesn’t love the thrill of planning a trip abroad?

As the summer holiday season gets into full swing, a new survey has found there is a big gender divide when it comes to booking the main trip of the year.

According to InvisibleHand online flight finder, women just don’t trust the men in their life to book the all-important summer holiday.

Seventy per cent of women insist on taking charge when it comes to choosing and booking a break — despite the fact that three quarters of men claim they actually enjoy the task.

Michelle Riley, Blackburn branch manager of East Lancashire firm Althams Travel said in her experience the female customers were most definitely in charge.

“You should hear some of the couples we get in bickering like mad,” she said.

“You tend to find the husband does all the talking and the woman makes the decisions.

“The women will butt in, saying ‘I want more luggage, I do want an in-flight meal’ so they are definitely in charge.”

And Michelle admits she is pretty typical when jetting off with husband Simon — they recently travelled to the Maldives for their holiday.

“I’m terrible when it comes to planning a holiday, it takes me about six weeks to sort,” she said.

“I go home with brochures and pick about 50 different holidays. I get my husband to have a look and give him some input — but I’m probably already decided.

“He will say ‘I like that one and that one’ and I’ll whittle it away a bit more then settle on my choice.”

InvisibleHand also found that while women feel obliged to take control of the holiday, 25 per cent secretly wish somebody else would take it on instead.

Caroline Dyrda, 33, manager of Happy Dayz Play Centre, Darwen said that she wouldn’t let her husband Chris book the family holiday alone.

Caroline, who lives in Darwen said: “It would go one way or the other. He would either go and book something totally extravagant or something really terrible.

“In the past we have gone to the travel agents' together. I couldn’t let him go alone. We would end up with a one bedroom caravan in Blackpool or, if he was feeling kind, a week in Barbados!”

Regular jet-setter pensioner Renee Black, from Blackburn, is also happy to be in control.

“It does take us a long time to decide where we’re going these days. We know what we want to do but we don’t always know how we’re going to do it at our age,” she said.

“We’ve gone to a lot of places in the past, but my husband Harry will go anywhere — he doesn’t really get a say.”

Denise Bradley, 43, a bridal shop worker of Lower Darwen, has just returned from a Caribbean cruise with partner Ian Dorricott — a choice made with some gentle persuasion.

“Ian wasn’t keen. He doesn’t like dressing up. I can’t think when he last wore a suit,” she said.

“But I showed him the webcams from the boats and said ‘Can’t you picture yourself on that beach?’ He was a bit of a pushover in the end and has said it’s the best holiday we’ve ever had.”

And dance teacher Tina Penswick, 28, of Sparkle Dance Academy in Accrington and Haslingden, said: “My husband and I have just returned from a very pleasant weekend away to Barcelona — which I admit, I booked.

“But our last one to Amsterdam wasn't so good: We ended up having my purse stolen with all our cards in. My husband booked, just for the record.

“We always say, ‘If this holiday goes wrong, you booked it’ so we’re both reluctant to book anything and take ownership.

“I suppose it’s just one of those ‘woman’ things, although I’m a little reluctant to admit it — we're not the easiest of creatures to please.”

Althams Blackburn branch manager Michelle added: “Our female customers aren’t as vocal about what they want but you can tell they have already decided.

I can usually get the gist of what she’s after and work to get the man to make the right decision. We’re all women working in this branch and we are pretty good at working out what women want.

“The men go away thinking they have been in charge the whole time but what they don’t know is the woman has made all the decisions.”