More and more people seem to be taking holiday in their own country, the current climates means that they are ditching the sun cream, the beach and the sea and taking holidays that are a little cheaper in their own country.
This is all well and good but there sometimes seems to be a lack of invention in the kind of holidays that they take. The UK is notorious for bad weather and you need to be prepared unless you want the kids screaming I’m bored every five minutes of the holiday! So here are 4 alternatives, 4 exciting and fund and slightly different holiday suggestions for your family. Think outside of the box and holidaying in your own country can be more fun than you imagined.
- Go to some music festivals
Contrary to popular belief there are load of festivals that are fun for the entire family, they aren’t just about the music either. Some of the UKs lesser known festivals have comedy tents, literature events, cinemas, kids fields and much much more. If you are taking the family you can visit a few over a couple of weeks with some sightseeing in between. Hire a camper van and take in some of the sights. Its worth checking out Bestival and Latitude for a start but there are more and more smaller family festivals popping up each and every year.
- Walking holidays
As our kids get more and more involved in technology, spend more time indoors than outdoors, why not consider a walking holiday. Refresh the soul and the feet at the same time and show the family how great it feels to be in the outdoors. Great walking holidays seem to be a thing of the past so it is about time that they were reinvented. If you don’t know where to start why not check out the websites of the Peak District and the Lake District.
- Canal holidays
It appears that there is a travelling them to these alternative suggestions but narrow boat holidays are a great way to spend good quality time with the family whilst also enjoying some of the lesser seen sights that are hidden away on the watersides of the UK. The leisurely pace that the boas travel out means that you don’t miss a thing and the whole holiday passes at the sort of leisurely pace that relaxes the soul and takes you away from the stress of everyday life.
- Do a theme park tour
Okay, the UK doesn’t have the same kinds of parks as the US (our excuse is that we just don’t have the space!) but if you told the kids that you were going on a two week tour of all the theme parks in the UK what kind of reaction are you going to get! This is something that I have been planning to do myself for some time and is definitely going on to my short list. Hire a van, plan a route and book some nice hotels (or even turn it into a camping holiday – staying two days in each destination) Need inspiration on where to start? Alton Towersand Blackpool Pleasure BeachDrayton Manor, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventure are great places to look out but why not look at safari parks and museums as well. If you enjoy planning then this could be a great project that turns into a holiday that the kids are never likely to forget!
So, next summer when money is tight put on your thinking caps and get inventive – no one is inventive with their holidays – and come up with an idea that will leave you with real memories (rather than sunburn and an empty purse).
[box]Wayne Barker is a keen canal enthusiast and writes for Hire A Canal boat who provide luxury canal boat holidays across the UK.[/box]
