For obvious reasons, staycations seem to be on the rise.
There are two types of staycations; the type where that you literally stay at home, and the type where you drive off to somewhere in your own country. As so many of us have engaged in the former over the last few months, today’s topic is going to look at the type where you galivant towards a UK destination of choice.
Suffice to say, the difference in a Mediterranean break are substantial to say the least. There’s unlikely to be much sea, little sand, and perhaps an even smaller amount of sun!
This is the reason we have penned today’s guide. We’ll now take a look at some questions that you simply must pose as you prep for your UK staycation.
Is your location weather dependent?
Some might suggest that this is almost a silly question when it comes to a UK vacation. After all, the country is renowned for perhaps every rain joke and quip in the book (and arguably, for good reason!).
However, it’s something that you should most definitely be posing. When you book your hotel, whether it is in Bournemouth or at the opposite side of the country, make sure it will safeguard you against the elements. In other words, if the week turns out to be a washout, you need to rest assured that there will be sufficient activities to keep you, and probably the family entertained.
This might mean ensuring that you are located near indoor attractions, or anything else that is not going to be spoiled if the conditions take a turn for the worse.
Have you thought about the traffic?
Quite often, UK staycations are spread across long weekends with one of the big reasons to save that precious annual leave. However, when taking the plunge to travel to your destination of choice on a Friday afternoon, you are of course dicing with the dreaded rush hour traffic.
If you haven’t read the news, there are some parts of the UK that are notoriously bad for this. When we say notoriously, we mean some of the worst in the world. If you’re not careful your staycation can be consumed by the car journey itself and clearly, this isn’t the type of break that anyone is looking for.
What about the local tourists?
On the subject of the crowds, never forget the local tourists. Particularly if you have planned your getaway in the peak of the school holidays, you’ll be surprised at how busy some attractions can get.
If your circumstances dictate that you must travel during these times, at least try and hit the more popular attractions during the week. This will limit the number of local tourists somewhat, and hopefully allow you to experience the area without hustling for space.
Remember, it’s not just the local attractions that can be blighted by crowds, but the roads as well. In a similar vein to the previous point mentioned, try and travel outside of the peak rush hours – even when you are taking a simple ride to a local attraction in the region you are staying.