Going on a staycation is the act of going on holiday in your home country, and for us Brits, we are completely spoiled for choice. There are so many amazing staycation destinations within the UK with lots of areas of interest for you to visit depending on your family’s favourite things to do. Since the start of the pandemic, established children’s shoemakers, StartRite, have noticed a changing trend in family holidays. No longer are Brits scrambling to the airport at 3 am for their long haul flights, instead many families are opting to stay closer to home and partake in staycations.
Regardless of whether you choose to holiday abroad or enjoy a UK staycation when it comes to taking a holiday with children, it’s best to always be prepared. With UK staycations, it’s easier to cover all the bases regarding your children’s health and well being, so let’s take a look at some of the best tips on preparing for your UK staycation.
Travel Sickness
A major family staycation nemesis is travel sickness! This can be a particularly bothersome issue when travelling around the UK on holiday as your mode of transport will often be vehicles such as cars, coaches, and trains. It’s best to be prepared so here are some tips on what you can do before setting off to ensure travel sickness doesn’t get the better of you or your family.
- Medication is available if you are worried that you will consistently suffer from travel sickness; there are even dissolvable tablets for children.
- Acupressure bands can be purchased online or from your pharmacist. These bands do not work for everyone, but they can relieve the symptoms for others.
- Be sure you’ve planned plenty of rest spots along the way that allow you to get out of the vehicle and do some deep breathing exercises.
- If possible, ensure you’re seated near the front of the vehicle, for example, sit in the passenger side of the car instead of sitting in the back.
Spare Clothes and Shoes
Accidents happen – it’s a fact of life. From particularly unpleasant travel sickness to accidentally falling over in a muddy puddle, sometimes it really helps to have a spare pair of shoes and some fresh, clean clothes on standby. I always used to pack spares whenever we went on a staycation as I knew one of my children would always, inevitably, fall over in the sea or spill something down themselves. If you have accident prone children too, it’s always a good idea to ensure you pack them spare socks and shoes as well as clothing, because there’s nothing pleasant about having to walk around all day with soggy feet.
Plan Your Activities
Most families want to make the most of their UK staycations by cramming in as many activities as possible. The easiest way to make sure that you get everything you want to do ticked off the list is to create a holiday plan. Talk to your kids and your partner and come up with a plan of action in regards to which attractions and places you definitely want to visit. Sometimes it can be tricky to narrow down the list, so think about other factors that may sway the decision either way, such as cost, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, and how far away it is from your base. It’s usually a good idea to make sure that you have a few backup options in case anything goes wrong or you’re just no longer feeling that particular activity again.
Final thoughts…
Wherever you choose to go on holiday, always make sure that you are prepared. When travelling with children, all sorts of things can happen and knowing that you have prepared yourself for most eventualities makes dealing with difficult situations much easier. What are your best family staycation preparation tips? Let me know in the comments!
*This is a collaborative post
