Holiday abroad or in the UK, why visiting the UK is a must!

As we have just had a prolonged warm spell the question asked is why go abroad, flying and increasing your carbon footprint when on your door step is a wonderful country?

I think one argument which will always be voiced is cost and another will be weather.  I also think it depends on what sort of holiday someone wants.  If you want a fortnight clubbing, sleeping during the day and cheap booze then maybe the UK can not cater for your holiday ideals.  If you want Culture, Relaxation, Good Food and the occasional drink then the UK can provide this and much, much more.

On a personal level my parents could not afford a European holiday when I was a young child and I did not go abroad until I was 10 and did not fly until I was 21 and working.  How many of those under 30’s can say they have holidayed in more than a handful of geographical locations?  I am guessing not many.

The UK has diversity in not only Culture at a regional level but as a relatively small island arguably the widest variation of flora, fauna, geographical and geological features which are sightseeing must see locations.  Dramatic coastlines and beaches, hills and mountains, moorlands and not to take anything away from the patchwork of agriculture and forests that you drive past or through.

The UK needs to up its game! Hotels and restaurants need to step up to the mark, cost does not always mean quality and vice versa and attracting visitors is fundamental and expectations on standards normalised as high as a minimum.  If you talk about 1-star versus a 5-star standardisation is fundamental, if you pay for a 5-star service and get a 1-star product then you should not have to pay, and the establishment should understand that.  Experience and expectations are obviously the perception of an individual but clearer standard published and people know what they are paying for.

What about international travel and broadening your experience of other nationalities.  Yes, there is a place for it and I would encourage but this is not the Magaluf’s, and Ibizia’s of the world.  It is also important that the travel is done with integrity, so the destination gains from the influx of holiday makers economically across the population.  Countries with poor human rights who persecute much of their population typically the tourist income is filtered and directed to the few.

What concerns me the most is that people go to foreign destinations and see a small subset of the countries population and other UK visitors and develop opinions about both the destination and the UK areas without seeing first hand.  This is not healthy! 

Have you visited the Jurassic Coast?  What about the mountains and glens of Scotland’s West Coast with dramatic skylines and beaches of coral and fine sand? The oldest national park of the Peak District with rolling hills and moorland? Smugglers coves and cliffs and beaches of Cornwall? The valleys of Wales and Offa’s Dyke?  Castles and historical building across the whole of the UK?   A cultural trip to London, Cardiff, Belfast or Edinburgh? Quaint fishing villages across the UK such as Pennan, Polperro, Whitby and so many more?

I am proud to say I have and along the way met some wonderful people in all these locations.  I have visited many more UK locations and feel that when I do occasionally travel abroad I appreciate the country but also the place where I call home and what it has to offer to others and can wax lyrically about the UK and encourage other to make the journey and experience it for themselves.

UK