Staycation, all I ever wanted...
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- Category: Blog Monday - DadTalk
During the month of August, we've invited a guest blogger to man the Monday DadBlog. Allow us to introduce Lee Sharp: husband, father, and founder of a great resource called Familiesrecommend. Enjoy his series of blogs on alternative holidays for your family, and we'll be back in September with your regularly scheduled programme!
Looking back on family holidays as a kid, I can honestly say we were the original “staycation” family. My parents never took a holiday abroad, but not many people did back then.
My Mam and Dad had a great holiday in Newquay years before I was born, so in 1979, they decided they should go back – but this time with me in tow. I was five years old and traveling some 350 miles in the back of an Austin Allegro. Two weeks of great weather were only marred by a case of tonsillitis that struck me not long after we arrived, and subsided not long before we were to come home.
Other holidays included Scarborough, Blackpool and Torquay, and all had one thing in common: we had a fab time and still have great memories (even allowing for hideously infected tonsils).
However, 30 years on and the world has moved on considerably. You can now fly to some parts of Europe for less than 20 quid (or so they tell you…) or fly to the other side of the globe for the price of an old and rusty used car. The draw of exotic foreign destinations is not surprising; my own family and I have fallen for its charms over the years and, to be fair, we have had some really great experiences.
But as I have said, the world has moved on a lot and continues to do so. No one can ignore the current economic climate and, in recent months, the wonder of Mother Nature as she lights geological fireworks designed to halt air traffic. Add in striking cabin crews, record company losses and holiday companies going bust, and it does not inspire confidence. So, people now want to spend their hard-earned cash and holiday time nearer to home and we include ourselves as a family in this.
The tourism industry coined the term “staycation” last year. It was a buzzword born out of the poor economic climate but is still going strong in 2010 and does not seem to be going out of fashion anytime soon. Now, we could have been accused of jumping on the staycation bandwagon and only holidaying at home because of the wider problems and not through choice. I accept that this is a good point. However, we have a three-year-old boy and foreign travel is not a practical option. Couple this with the great resource that we have in our website (we use it too) to find great places to go and things to do, and we’ve got what is commonly termed a “no-brainer.”
Holidaying at home or “staycation-ing” has been made an awful lot better by places upping their game and making themselves indispensable - especially in difficult times. The benefit of this is that when times do get better - and they will - people will not forget the great times they had on their own doorsteps and will think twice about going abroad. I am a realist though and people will take to the skies again in search of sun, sand, sea and water that cannot be consumed directly from the tap without first boiling it! The only difference this time is that there will be a credible choice.
With this in mind, we made the decision to take our family holiday in the UK this year. The problem was where and what? We have, in the past, stayed in a cottage in North Yorkshire and had a cracking time exploring the villages, towns, castles and museums. In fact, had it not have been for our holiday in 2008, Familiesrecommend would not be here today. We have already had a week at Butlins in Skegness and had a terrific time. This measure of satisfaction is made on the basis that our three-year-old son was adequately entertained, fed, watered and rested. He loved it, and thus so did we.
However this was a couple of months back, and the weather was not brilliant. We are now off for our summer break and have Big Plans involving sunshine, public transport, packed lunches, museums, cities, parks and probably an argument between me and the missus.
It is the Sharp Family staycation, Summer 2010…
