I’ve always covered ‘days out’ and being a tourist in your own country on my blog, but I haven’t really touched the subject of weekends away in the UK on my blog before. It’s something that my boyfriend Stuart and I have got really into lately, and now that we’ve been on a few different trips, I’m definitely on board with the idea of arranging more holidays in your home country. In today’s post I’m going to talk about the reasons why I like to book a cheap hotel or cottage for the weekend and explore a different part of the country. Hopefully it’ll convince you that these weekends away aren’t anywhere near as expensive as flying anywhere and you can get that holiday feeling when you’re away Friday to Sunday.
1. There’s so much history on our doorstep, just waiting to be discovered.
I live in Canterbury and the Cathedral is only 10 minutes walk from my flat. I’m always trying to persuade friends and fellow bloggers to visit my home city, as there is so much to do and it’s the perfect place to visit for a weekend away. In the UK we have the historic cities: London, Manchester and York to name a few and we also have several National Parks, such as the Peak District, Lake District and the Cotswolds, which have been conserved and left as they were years ago. All you have to do is google ‘places to visit in the UK’ and you’ll find tonnes of places that you either haven’t heard of or haven’t got around to visiting yet.
2. You can bag accommodation for next to nothing, if you book it far and advance and are prepared to avoid luxury hotels.
Take Premier Inn and Travelodge, who both offer rooms for very low prices. The rooms are basic yes, but if you’re sightseeing all day, surely all you need is a bed for the night?
Alternatively, you can book self catered accommodation such as holiday cottages or Airbnb’s. This is an affordable option if you’re going away as a group over a bank holiday, as individual hotel rooms can be so expensive over bank holiday weekends.
3. You don’t need to take any days off work for a UK-based weekend away.
When you’re not flying anywhere and the distance you’re travelling is less, you can go away either after work on a Friday or first thing Saturday morning and come back on a Sunday evening. You can have a mini holiday without taking up any precious annual leave, which you can save for longer trips where you’re much more likely to need to take time off.
4. You can travel by car and pack food for your time away.
Eating out all of the time is expensive, but if you’re travelling by car, you can easily fill the car up with packed lunches and snacks for your trip. Stuart and I are firm believers in the fact that when you’re away, you should try and at least have one meal in per day to save money and this is much easier to do when you’re away in the UK.
5. You get to learn why so many people love coming to the UK on holiday.
Whenever you’re at a tourist attraction in London, international visitors always seem to be having a whale of a time. If you plan weekends away in the UK more, you’ll learn what other areas of our country are like and find out what makes the UK such an attractive tourist destination.
Hopefully this post has convinced you that you don’t always have to go abroad, when you’re planning weekends away. The UK is such a beautiful country, with so many amazing tourist sights to visit. We’re honestly spoilt for choice here!
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