by This year, I am definitely looking at a holiday in the UK.
I am not comfortable stepping into an air plane just yet and still want to avoid people as much as I can in order to avoid contracting Covid-19. Some may say I am silly, but then again it is about my health, the people I care about and everyone else.
Still, I do not want to be stuck inside my flat for the rest of the year. I want to travel and I want to have a holiday.
Therefore, I am opting for a staycation.
Let’s have a look at some of the benefits of staying at home, in your own country.
CLOSE TO HOME
The first benefit is the most obvious one. You are closer to home, which can give you comfort and a sense of security. In case something happens you can get back home easily and often faster.
Or perhaps you are taking day trips from your home. So you really are staying home. You are the closest to home than you can get. 🙂
SAFETY AND HEALTH
Lots of people with health conditions and especially the elderly might prefer a staycation over a holiday abroad.
In case something happens, their doctor of trust and access to medical assistance and medication are easily to hand. You know where to go right away and do not have to figure out anything. Also, relatives and friends are there in case their assistance and help is needed.
LANGUAGE
Being able to communicate in your own language makes life much easier of course. If you are a native English speaker, you are sorted wherever you go the majority of times. However, the rest of us have it much harder and need to learn a second language to be able to communicate all around the world.
Of course, nowadays most people speak some form of English and you can always revert back to good old fashioned sign language, using your hands and feet to communicate.
Still, staying home knowing that you are able to communicate properly in your own language can be a decisive factor for many people. Again, the elderly might prefer to opt for a staycation because of this reason as they often do not speak a second language to the level where they are able to express themselves properly.
OFTEN CHEAPER
A staycation can often be cheaper than going abroad, especially if you decide to do day trips from home. You will not have to pay for flights, possibly accommodation, you can make your own food and you can opt for activities that are free.
I have several memberships for historic sites here in the UK, such as National Trust and English Heritage and I always try to incorporate a visit to these sites when I go for a weekend trip.
Hence, out of the many activities I have planned at least one will be free, possibly even more as I love visiting those sites. 🙂
Also, if you are a big family going abroad can be very costly. Especially flight and accommodation expenses can be very high and kill the bank, compared to fuel for the car for a day trip and free hotel Mum and Dad.
SUPPORT YOUR COUNTRIES ECONOMY
If you decide to holiday at home, all the money you spend goes back to your local economy and stays within the country, which as a result is better for the economy.
I mentioned several times now that I have memberships for historic sites and I love the idea that I am making a contribution towards their restoration, refurbishment and upkeep so that more people and future generations can enjoy them, just as I am.
Furthermore, it is more important than ever that we support local businesses, especially independent shops and cafes so they do not disappear from our streets.
EXPLORE YOUR COUNTRY
We often want to go far away from home for our holidays and we often forget to really explore our own countries.
Although I am living in the UK now for ten years, I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface of this country.
The UK is amazing. I love the history, the idyllic villages, beautiful countryside, old castles and all the fun activities you can do here.
Therefore, exploring my adopted country is high on my priority list.
NO JET LAG
One of the great benefits of a staycation is the absence of jet lag. When going abroad and taking long distance flights, especially across multiple time zones, we often loose a lot of energy and develop some sort of sleeping disorder for several days.
As a result, we may feel tired for some time and cannot fully enjoy the first few days of our holiday. You will not have this issue when opting for a staycation, I promise.
MORE TIME
When travelling abroad, we often loose valuable time before, during and after our holiday.
The arrival and departures days are often lost days as you are travelling all day long. You have to get up early, travel to the airport, be at the airport at least two hours before your flight and so on.
Even the planning phase takes up time as you need to look for accommodation, sightseeing, maybe restaurants, travel insurance, someone to look after your pet etc.
The majority of these tasks and actions will fall away or will decrease when exploring your own country, giving you more time back to relax and enjoy your hard earned time off.
LESS PLANNING
This depends on the individual I guess, but for me there is less planning involved when I go around my own country or when I am planning day trips.
Normally you can decide a few days before or even decide on the day where you want to go.
In addition, most of us know a thing or two about their own country so you might have a rough idea already where you want to go and what you want to see. Therefore, less research might be required to look up sights, accommodation and so on.
NO FEAR OF MISSING OUT
I do not know about you, but I often get stressed during holidays.
I do like culture and I want to see everything a city or destination has to offer. When there is a lot to see and do, I get super stressed that I will not be able to visit and experience everything. I have fear of missing out.
Going around the UK, I do not have this problem. I am in my own country and can visit everything and everywhere whenever I want, whenever I can and as often as I want to. Everything is accessible and more or less just around the corner.
REDUCED TRAVEL TIME
Okay, this of course depends how far you travel and if you get stuck in traffic, but in general you will waste less of your holiday time as you are not travelling for an entire day.
If you are opting for day trips, you will most likely only travel a few hours. Even if you are going a little bit further away you are more likely to break up your drive into sections with a few sightseeing and break stops along the way.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
There might be no need for travel insurance, which is an extra saving and one less thing to do. Anything medical related would be covered by the NHS in case something happens.
However, you can take out travel insurance to cover flight and train delays and/or cancellations, lost or damaged luggage, holiday cancellation and so on.
