With the increase in temperatures, coupled with the ongoing chaos at many UK airports, many families may be questioning whether to ditch their plans for a break in the Spanish sun for a ‘staycation’ instead. Temperatures in July and August soared well above their average for the month, in part due to a spring of heatwaves across the UK, including the worst it has seen in decades. As a result, parts of the country recorded temperatures higher than 40C, a UK first.

Staycations surged in popularity in the immediate aftermath of Covid-19, as ever-changing travel restrictions made overseas holidays a logistical nightmare. However, as restrictions eased this summer many airlines were anticipating the return of the summer holidays. Now new research has shown families can save on average just over £200pp (approx. USD 226.68) per trip by opting for ‘train over plane’ and spending their summer holidays here in the UK. Meaning a family of four would save an average of almost £1k per trip before they’ve even added spends or baggage!

The research comes from Start-Rite, the UK’s oldest children’s shoe brand, who have compared popular holiday destinations and activities to UK-based alternatives. The company broke their research down into five distinct ‘holiday types’ before comparing multiple destinations overseas and at home that fell within each category. The holiday types Start-Rite looked at were; Adventure, History and Heritage, Beach, City Break and Countryside Getaway. Start-Rite then created an interactive map of the UK, so that families can easily compare the

different destinations for themselves. Jennifer Tyley, the head of marketing and E-commerce at Start-Rite adds: “With travel restrictions to many European countries easing this year just in time for the summer holidays, many families more than likely were looking forward to getting back to normal and enjoying a week or two in the sun. However, with the cost-of-living crisis only getting worse, major disruption affecting many of the most popular airlines and airports and now the UK set to have one of its hottest summers on record many families may be re-evaluating the appeal of a ‘staycation’. “Thousands of us flock abroad every summer in search of sun, sea and unforgettable memories but as the last few weeks have proven, the UK is more than capable of meeting all of our needs – and according to our research often at a significantly lower price.

Best UK Alternatives

For Adventure: Swapping out First Flyer Zipline in Grindelwald, Switzerland for Zip World in Llechwedd, North Wales could see you save a massive £479 (approx. USD 542.82) per person on travel and entry costs.

For History and Heritage: Music lovers could save themselves around £275 pp (approx. USD 311.64) opting to visit the birthplace of the Beatles in Liverpool over the ABBA Museum in Sweden.

For Beach: Many of the best beaches in Europe and further afield are free for the public to use, but some destinations such as Lagos in Portugal are infamous for certain activities; in this case hiring a boat to visit the world famous Benagil Caves.

But families looking for a similar experience here at home could save over £120  (approx. USD 135.99) by choosing to explore the many cave systems surrounding Llandudno beach in Wales – and that before you factor in travel costs!

For City Break: DisneyLand Paris is undeniably an iconic destination that would likely top many children’s bucket lists, but parents looking for a UK based alternative could save nearly £400pp (approx. USD 453.29) on ticket costs alone by opting for LEGOLand instead. For Countryside Getaways: Families that chose to swap stargazing in Tuscany for Clent Hills in Worcestershire could save themselves on average over £160pp. (approx. USD 181.50)