By William Coleman
Rewind to 10 years ago and a lot of people still turned their noses up at the idea of a caravan holiday and saw the caravan as a second tier holiday option. Yet here we are today with lots of new plates being registered, more second hand van sales going through and campsites having to extend their seasonal hours to match the demand. But why the change?
It does seem that since this Brexit issue raised its ugly head we as a nation we have been a tad more reluctant to head off around the world for our down time. Is it a coincidence or are there compounding factors causing this?
We are in uncertain times, mainly due to politics, and it is quite unclear what the next 12 to 18 month hold for us here in the UK. Are we opting to stay within our borders for our holiday time due to this rocky period? Are we afraid of paying out a lot for a holiday that may be wrapped up in red tape by the time we go on it? I for one think there are a few factors that may prove that theory correct.
The Poor GBP
Rewind once more with me to around 5 years ago. The GBP was robust and you could at certain times get almost 2 Euros to every £1. Nowadays you’d be lucky to get 10 cents for every quid you exchange. This also goes for the US dollar!
With price hikes all across the EU and the weak GBP it can sometimes be a lot more expensive to spend a week abroad. Add up eating out costs and your general day to day to day holiday costs and you’ll find that it is just simply too expensive, and quite frankly not worth it.
More Options At Home
With these extended warm summers we are having it seems as though forcing yourself through the airport rush is not really necessary anymore. We are now seeing record breaking summers, which could be an early indication of global warming effects but that is a conversation for another time, which means you can stay home to get some much deserved summer fun.
Now add to that all of the sites, events, parks and options we now have right here in the UK and what do you get? The perfect and cost effective staycation for the family.
You can now rent yurts, glamping pods, statics, touring caravans, campers, motorhomes and even the American Airstream for your holidays. There is so much to do and see here at home nowadays. And it does seem like a lot of us are picking up on this as the UK tourism economy is going through another massive boom.
Air Travel Madness
In the past two years we have seen airport strikes, travel companies folding and even protests trying to stop people from flying. There seems to be so many issues and costs involved with air travel now that a lot of people are simply not bothering.
Who wants to get up 2-4 hours earlier and stand in line to then be told to take off your shoes, belts, watches and any other item that could be seen as “dangerous”?
I loathe going to airports now because of all the checks and nonsense. I do understand it is due to security issues and we’d be the first to moan if something went wrong, but my goodness it has put me off of the whole thing.
