I like to think of myself as an early adopter, apart from when it’s trendy. Make something trendy and suddenly I’m like a stubborn mule: looking at you UK city breaks. International travel restrictions and all the uncertainty that comes with living and attempting to travel during a global pandemic has seen an exponential (is this not the word to linger from 2020) rise in the staycation – the search term ‘staycation’ increased by 511% in July 2020 alone (Pi-Diametrics July 2020).
Love it or hate it the word staycation appears is here to stay. Once seen as a poor substitution for hopping on a plane to the continent, a UK city break has enjoyed monopolising the travel market for the past couple of years; however as international travel is tentatively becoming easier, UK destinations will have to shake their money makers that bit harder in order to compete with their international counterparts.
But do they have anything to worry about? I’ve been guilty in the past of dismissing UK destinations in favour of heading abroad, and whilst I’m not about to turn my back on jumping on a plane; does a change in pace of travelling have me missing the wood for the trees?
I’m surprisingly untravelled when it comes to sophisticated UK city breaks – I say sophisticated because I’m not sure visiting friends while at university and sampling the delights of student nights counts! The familiarity of some cities will be welcome but I’m also looking forward to discovering completely new destinations.
The undeniable and never ceasing excitement of a hotel breakfast (I refuse to believe I will ever tire of this underrated pleasure of life) and a morning of exploring that lays ahead, all while you have the customary cup of tea in bed. Just me?
Being London based, I’m particularly spoilt as the Capital’s connectivity, in particular the rail network means city breaks can be as short as one night – or as long as you wish to explore – and still pack a punch when it comes to an itinerary. Whilst I may be taking advantage of the transport to leave London for a few days, I’m not turning my back on the Capital entirely: I still enjoy getting lost in the city I call home, perhaps a micro-staycation without having to leave the TFL network is on the cards too?
And as much as I love an airport (there’s just something about them) you can’t deny the lure of turning up minutes before a train’s departure as opposed to the hours needed for air travel.
So yes, I’m late to the UK city break game, but maybe being achingly cool isn’t such a bad thing after all.
