Heavy traffic is expected in the south of the Netherlands on Friday as the school holidays get underway.

The ANWB motoring organisation warned that roads will be busy and delays likely from midday, as holidaymakers head off for the summer break. Most congestion is expected on the A2 and A27 towards the south, while traffic is also likely to be heavy in France on Saturday.

School summer holidays in the Netherlands are staggered across three regions.Schools in the southern region will close on 5 July and reopen on 17 August. The northern region follows from 12 July to 24 August, and the central region from 19 July to 31 August.

According to the ANWB’s holiday monitor, 57% of Dutch people plan to travel abroad this summer, compared with 73% last year.

More than half of holidaymakers going abroad said they are taking climate change into account — including extreme heat and wildfires — and have chosen cooler destinations. Some 37% will stay in the Netherlands, up from 30% last year.

Meanwhile, the average price of a holiday home or chalet on a holiday park or campsite in the Netherlands has risen to €245,000, according to land registry office Kadaster. Around 80% of holiday homes are bought without a mortgage.

The Netherlands has around 127,600 officially registered holiday homes, mostly located in Zeeland, on the Wadden Sea islands, along the Noord-Holland coast and in Friesland.