{"id":48235,"date":"2025-02-19T09:38:18","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T09:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/?p=48235"},"modified":"2025-02-19T09:38:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T09:38:59","slug":"how-to-have-a-fully-fledged-holiday-in-your-own-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/events-festivals\/how-to-have-a-fully-fledged-holiday-in-your-own-country.htm","title":{"rendered":"How to have a fully-fledged holiday in your own country?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69ff6b6f60f3c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69ff6b6f60f3c\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/events-festivals\/how-to-have-a-fully-fledged-holiday-in-your-own-country.htm\/#disconnect\" >Disconnect<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/events-festivals\/how-to-have-a-fully-fledged-holiday-in-your-own-country.htm\/#explore\" >Explore<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/events-festivals\/how-to-have-a-fully-fledged-holiday-in-your-own-country.htm\/#staycations\" >Staycations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/events-festivals\/how-to-have-a-fully-fledged-holiday-in-your-own-country.htm\/#trains\" >Trains<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Greetings, everyone! I\u2019m back with another set of top travelling tips for you, only this time they hit a bit closer to home \u2013 literally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst it would be great if we could just pack our bags and fly away at a moment\u2019s notice, this might not always be possible. You may have trouble getting time off work, or you may have other responsibilities that prevent you from being able to leave. And let\u2019s be totally honest \u2013 flying to a different country can be <em>expensive<\/em> (though fortunately, you\u2019re always going to get a great deal when you\u2019re using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/\" title=\"\">Travel House UK<\/a>!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why today\u2019s post is all about how to have a holiday right here in your own country! I\u2019ve had this conversation with my friends countless times, and, unsurprisingly, many of them have never really thought about it \u2013 let alone considered it a proper holiday. But here\u2019s where I step in to gently tell them they\u2019ve got it all wrong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, without further ado, let me guide you on how to enjoy a holiday right here (or there!) in your own country!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"disconnect\"><\/span>Disconnect<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s address the elephant in the room \u2013 social media. Look, I love endlessly scrolling to my heart\u2019s content as much as the next person, but it\u2019s never going to feel like a proper holiday if you\u2019re still spending too much time looking at <em>other people<\/em> having fun on their social media pages. Whilst this may seem like an inconsequential step, it is important to let go of social media (just for a little while!) whilst you embark on your own domestic travels to tell your mind that you are doing something different for a change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"explore\"><\/span>Explore<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re preparing to go to a different country, you\u2019ve probably looked at a list of different restaurants and venues for your chosen destination. Maybe you\u2019ve scoured the internet for information on museums, famous landmarks, and other must-see locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But have you ever done this for your city?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m in my mid-twenties and I\u2019ll be honest \u2013 I had not even thought about doing this until a couple of years ago, and when I finally did, my mind was blown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was amazed to see such an array of dineries, hiking and running routes, and some notso-secret clothing stores that I had never come across before. I also came across food vendors that were all the rage online, yet I\u2019d never visited, even though they were just a stone\u2019s throw away. Not only that, but when I started being a bit more attentive to my surroundings, I noticed a myriad of locations that don\u2019t have a strong online presence, such as independent cafes and antique shops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"staycations\"><\/span>Staycations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Possibly my favourite tip on this list \u2013 the <em>staycation<\/em>. Back in the day, if you were travelling somewhere, you either had to have a friend you could stay with or you\u2019d have to book a hotel. Sure, either option would get the job done, but let\u2019s be real, neither one is a particularly exciting option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These days, you\u2019re no longer confined to a dull selection of indistinguishable hotel rooms, and you don\u2019t need to worry about offending your friend by <em>politely <\/em>telling them the bedroom they gave you smells like mould. Or <em>worse<\/em> (I\u2019ve been there, trust me!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re diligent, you\u2019ll be able to find some <em>magical<\/em> places on websites such as Airbnb, and when I say <em>magical<\/em>, I really mean it. With a range of filters at your disposal, the possibilities are endless. If you\u2019re yearning for a whimsical, cosy log cabin hidden amidst verdant foliage, you\u2019ll find it with ease. Perhaps a charming cottage with sweeping views of the mountains? Or even a quaint farmhouse, where the symphony of clucking chickens greets you with the dawn?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My friends and I recently decided to spend a weekend in one such cosy log cabin, carefully choosing one that was off the beaten track. This meant that when we weren\u2019t outside basking in the beauty of the picturesque green fields, we had no choice but to entertain ourselves with tales from books and stories shared between us. All of this combined to make us feel as though we\u2019d been whisked away from the pressures of everyday life, despite being only an hour\u2019s drive from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"trains\"><\/span>Trains<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Who likes driving? <em>Not me!<\/em> &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you live in a country with good rail transport, you really have no excuse not to go travelling (well, except the train fares, but that\u2019s a topic for another day).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In today\u2019s world, it\u2019s easy to feel as though social media, and big corporations are trying to steal your attention. On top of that, these companies have figured out that everyone likes videogames (okay, not everyone \u2013 my best friend thinks they\u2019re a waste of time, but whatever), and so now they\u2019re starting to tactically employ game-like techniques and systems to boost user engagement. Would you believe that I earned a Reddit achievement for logging in five days in a row? Yes, you read that right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I began to wonder: what if we started using these tactics to our own advantage? It recently struck me that there are countless towns and cities within my own country that I\u2019ve yet to explore, so I decided to do something about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to the rail service, I have now visited over 10 cities that I otherwise would not have within the last 4 months, and with the help of my top tips that I\u2019ve shared above, each trip has ended up feeling like a mini holiday! And each time I visit a new place, I make a note of it on a spreadsheet, along with the date visited and a quick one-liner on how it went (for example, my entry on Lichfield reads: <em>Bad weather, ate two sandwiches and stepped in poop). <\/em>I sometimes feel as though I\u2019m a character in a videogame, on the prowl for more opportunities to level up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s all there is to it&nbsp; \u2013 consider this a friendly push from one friend to another, gently urging you to get out there and explore. If you thought this would be an overly complicated process, hopefully this guide has put those thoughts to bed. So get on out there, because your next trip might be closer than you think!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greetings, everyone! I\u2019m back with another set of top travelling tips for you, only this time they hit a bit closer to home \u2013 literally. Whilst it would be great if<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":48236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4321],"tags":[2599,2741],"hashtags":[5860,5851],"class_list":["post-48235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events-festivals","tag-travel","tag-vacation","hashtags-travel","hashtags-unitedkingdom"],"aioseo_notices":[],"fimg_url":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-06-at-73802-PM.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48235"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48237,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48235\/revisions\/48237"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48235"},{"taxonomy":"hashtags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelhouseuk.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtags?post=48235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}