Darren

The British Isles has a lot to offer, I have taken 1 British Holiday every year for 20 plus years and there still places I have not seen. It is not that expensive, in fact can be great value.. I recently handled an enquiry for a 2011 may break and the price (in a caravan) worked out to be 2.44 per person per night for a family of 4. Even normally as a family you can enjoy a break at around the £100 for the weekend for all of you.

My view is that because UK holidays tend to be advertised as say £300 per week, people look at the price and go I can go to Majorca for £299 and forget the 300 is for 4 and the 299 is each so £1196 for 4. Compared to the closer city’s you mentioned there no real difference in the weather and no worries about loosing your passport or changing money (except Eire).

So go on enjoy what is Great in Britain.

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It funny but I feel the same way. If I can’t afford to fly on a real airline, I don’t want to go. There is no reason to try to go on a relaxing vacation and take a fling bus where you are treated like cattle.

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Great blog

Yes, I do believe travelling short-haul by air is now the most stressful element of a trip and devoid from any real travel enjoyment.

Having just returned from Cornwall and recently enjoyed a sail-rail trip to Ireland, plus several jaunts around the UK in between, it’s going to take quite a lot to encourage me to take a flight any time soon.

That said, for first class ‘shorthaul’ service my suggestion is to take the train. Earlier this year we visited eastern Germany by train and couldn’t fault the service and support one bit.

So yes, short haul flying for me is an increasing turn off, but for added excitement and exploration value, the train is the way to go

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One of the reasons foreign holidays got so popular was the value for money or perceived value for money one could get. Since the removal of duty free in EU, the pound getting devalued and costs (hidden extras!) going up I don’t think people have the percpetion that going away is “cheaper than staying at home” – a phrase I used to hear when I worked in a travel agency.

The current economic conditions present a golden opportunity for domestic tourism (as well as for raising our game and attracting more inbound visitors).

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Britain has so much to offer but the weather is the problem.

I don’t fly – too much hassle. When I’m travelling in Europe I take the train.

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Hi Darren

British holidays in many ways have been tarred with images of ‘Carry on Camping’ and the like. Granted, the weather is a big negating factor when it comes to home-based holidays, whilst I can vouch for British holidays personally through working in British tourism and having taken many British holidays, I can also confirm a very healthy market for British Tourism.

We started our website after the recession started, late 2008 with the expectation that more British people would look for holidays in the UK (combined with rising flight costs). We’ve seen an exponential rise in traffic as more and more are looking for deals for uk holidays. Holiday Parks remain as popular as ever in chalet, caravan and lodge apartments as do hotel breaks with families for example. I think if anything, the global problems have forced the UK holiday market to increase their quality (have you been to a Butlins recently?) whilst making their prices more competitive and I believe the UK holiday market is now seeing earlier investment pay off.

Also as a mother of 2 I know how stressful it is taking the kids on car journeys and on aeroplanes but I know which I prefer! There is a lot to be said about ‘branding’ where you might have the sunny coast of Spain at £299 per person for a week, Vs a beach holiday park in England for lets say £199 per person for a week. The images conjure up something quite different however there are many pros of staying local.

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I took my holiday this year in Scotland. The forecasts weren’t good but by checking the rainfall radar I was able to be in the right place at the right time to avoid the rain.

Britain has great history, wide spaces, great restaurants, what more could you want?

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I love UK. Weather tis problematic but biggest problem I have is poor quality of the hotels. I know I am a hotel critic but so many are poorly designed, have lousy service, are not clean, have unsmiling staff etc. etc..

I have just visited 11 hotels in 7 countries in Europe (driving) which have ranged from poor to terrific. In all staff were markedly more smiley than in the UK.

If I have the money though i’d go to Namibia, South Africa , Botswana, Tansania every time for the space, friendliness, interesting food, wildlife and teh feeling that my tourist money is helping people out of poverty.

The UK? Could do a whole lot better. Oh- and short haul air – i’d rather drive or take the train, don’t like being treated worse than an animal

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[...] British holidays are not that bad, from Darren Cronian‘s Travel [...]

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I love holidays in the UK, we’ve had two this summer. Sadly, to get there, I have to fly (otherwise it takes 2 days, 2 trains and 2 ferries)

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