The past couple of years have restricted a lot of us from holidaying abroad, luckily there are plenty of beautiful places to explore in the UK. Our weather may not be as predictable as somewhere like sunny Spain, however staycations definitely have their benefits. Below are just 5 of the many reasons to take a staycation in the UK this year.
Discover new places
Quite often you’ll be surprised when you holiday at home about how many places you weren’t aware of before! For example if you know the county of Kent well, it is likely you’ll have visited the bigger, well known cities like Canterbury. But you may not have discovered the little towns or villages littered in between. For example the small town of Tenterden has lots of things to do and you could spend a whole weekend there alone. If you live in London, you may discover lots of countryside and coastal options that are only a couple of hours away – but feel a world away from the city life you usually live! Perhaps you’ll even make new UK-based friends too who you can meet up and stay in touch with.
Be more sustainable
Flying causes 75% of all tourism-related emissions, so reducing the amount of flights we take is extremely beneficial to the environment. We are much more likely to bring leftover food, drink or cleaning products home at the end of a staycation (if we are flying this often isn’t allowed by customs), in turn helping to reduce wastage. It also tends to be much easier for us to recycle packaging if we are holidaying at home. Quite often there will be instructions on where to put recycling, or we can simply ask someone which isn’t as easy abroad if language is a barrier. Hurray for a holiday where we can look after the planet too!
Help the local economy
You can help boost the UK economy on a staycation as you’ll be spending your money here rather than abroad. Places such as Rye in East Sussex are full of independent shops and places to eat that rely heavily on tourism to make their money. The same goes for family-owned hotels or B&Bs too. By taking a staycation you can feel good knowing that you’re helping to bring in revenue for UK based businesses that really need it, especially after the effects of the pandemic.
Waste less time
You don’t need to worry about jet lag or adapting to a new time zone if you holiday at home. This means you can get straight into enjoying yourself and exploring your holiday destination, without feeling like you might fall asleep at any point! You also won’t have the hassle of having to go through airport security, or having to factor in a certain amount of time to be at the airport before boarding your flight. If you’re driving, you can set off whenever you like. If you’re going by train then a lot less time is still needed than catching a flight (and again, this is a more sustainable way to travel too).
Options to save money
Not having to factor in expensive flights could help save you money. You also won’t have to change any of your money up into a foreign currency, potentially losing some when you change it back again. If you have a dog, you can bring them with you so you don’t need to spend money on a dog kennel. There’s plenty of incredible dog walks in the UK so you’ll get to enjoy making memories and exploring new places with them too!
Less stress overall
Let’s face it, travelling abroad is a fantastic privilege but can also be quite stressful. Remembering to pack passports, not knowing the local language, driving on a different side of the road – none of these are a problem if you holiday in the UK.
Although travel is starting to open up more again now, we have a new-found appreciation for staycations in the UK. We hope by sharing these 5 reasons with you that you will consider a staycation this year too, and appreciate all the beauty that the UK has to offer!
Have you had a memorable UK staycation before? Let us know in the comments.
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