Izmir, Turkey has been identified as a popular apocalyptic escape. Image: Skyscanner

If the world comes to an abrupt end later this month you’ll be able to catch the British basking in the south of France or on the west coast of Turkey, following a surge in one-way flight searches.

December’s doomsday predictions encouraged a 42 percent increase in the number of UK travellers searching one-way flights to southern France ahead of 21 December 2012.

The Turkish province of Izmir witnessed a 30 percent increase in pre-apocalypse flight searches.

Skyscanner has reported immense interest in the townships of Bugarach in France and Sirince in Turkey as the end of the Mayan Calendar approaches.

“We were amazed at the large increase in searches for flights to the South of France and to Izmir in Turkey leading up to the 21st December: the date of the Mayan Prophecy,” Skyscanner regional director Asia Pacific Ewan Gray said.

“Regardless of this auspicious date, the day after has seen the highest number of flight searches all year for flights suggesting that not everyone is convinced by this the end of the world theory.”

Obviously not everyone is expecting the worst, as Skyscanner revealed the highest volume of flight searches were for 22 December 2012.