ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

5 Tips for Making Your UK Holidays Really Great

Updated on April 3, 2019
Adventuretravels profile image

Giovanna is passionate about adventure travel and leaving no footprint. She is hopeful, but a few years seems too short to save our planet!

The White Cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover | Source

One thing is for sure - you'll be made very welcome

UK holidays vary so much and therefore they require specific planning.

When I am thinking about my holidays I never forget the important things, I am more than capable of finding and booking flights, or train tickets, but I often mess up on the small details.

Once I went to Bangladesh, which was very exciting, but I suffered greatly because I had nothing made of cotton to wear, which made the heat unbearable! So I ended up wearing men's clothes!

That was a long time ago and I have learned a lot since then, and I can tell you that UK holidays need specific planning and attention to detail too. What you need to make your holiday really great boils down to some very simple things.

I thank you very much for your visit.

Are you planning a trip in the United Kingdom?

See results

1. UK holidays | Adventure Travel | Responsible Travel

Stonehenge
Stonehenge | Source

Travel Responsibly

My husband and I love nothing more than heading off on trips in Britain. In no time at all we can leave London behind us and surround ourselves by beautiful countryside. It doesn't matter which direction we go, but usually we head up north because Scotland beckons! So we are free spirits and enjoy traveling together with our son.

But there are very many ways of seeing this beautiful part of Europe and I urge you to travel thoughtfully! When you choose a travel company, make sure it has a responsible travel policy.

Adventure travel is doing an amazing job of putting right the enormous harm that the mass tourist industry has done. If you are going to have a holiday in the UK then consider going with an adventure travel company.

Adventure travel differs from ordinary tourist holidays because it is concerned about the environment and the people who live in the places we visit. Adventure travel companies with sound responsible travel policies in place are the ones we should be supporting.

They are great fun you will travel in very small groups of like-minded people, you will have an expert guide who knows about the places you will visit like the back of their hand -so they really care about them -they know how to make sure you will be leaving only your footprint behind!

Below is a link to a fantastic adventure travel company that specializes in walking and cycling holidays all over the UK - for example.

Here is a Hub I that explains all this in more detail Adventure Travel Shop

2. Plan Carefully Before you Set Off - the UK can be very expensive!

Dorset, England
Dorset, England | Source

Be Prepared

It is a fact that people are at their happiest when they’re planning their next holiday however, that’s not the only reason why you should do this and actually planning properly is essential!

Yes this is basic, but it's easy to get carried away and take off unprepared only to end up in difficulties!

So the best thing to do is plan your trip in some detail before you leave home. This is exciting, a bit like living it all before you get there. It's a great way to pass cold winter days!

When you’re at home you can research things properly with your computer at hand.

I guarantee that if you start your trip without doing your homework you will miss so many things that will be just around the corner!

Also, by planning well you’ll find things that interest you.

You will need to know about practical things like what is the weather likely to be? What should you pack? Basic – I think so – but I’m trying to save you some cash here. Waterproof clothes cost a lot more in small specialist shops in the Lake District than they do online.

It’s nice to travel from town to town in the UK and if you’re coming from southern Europe the whole experience should be quite calm and relaxing as long as you don't make expensive mistakes with where you sleep, how you travel and where you eat. It doesn’t matter how well you plan – you can always change your mind when you’re there – it won’t be written on tablets of stone!

3. Buy an up to date guidebook - Don't skimp on this

Scotland
Scotland | Source

It’s amazing how many people travel without a good travel guide or buy ones that are out of date because they are cheaper.

If they're not up to date then they're almost useless.You will not find what they recommend because it'll probably be gone! The prices will be different too.

Make sure you have a new map too, things in Britain change very rapidly - new roads, signs, hotels,etc spring up all the time. Nothing is constant here.

I recommend Lonely Planet Publications, because they have been publishing guidebooks with very detailed maps for over 35 years and they use real travelers to source their information. The guides are really detailed, and the facts will always be up to date. They have accommodation and eateries that are in the mid to low budget category. They also have useful travel tips.

4. Taking the Kids

Mare with her Foal
Mare with her Foal | Source

There are many things to do all over Britain for families on holiday. You will never be stuck for something to do during the day, even if the weather is dire because the UK is set up for family vacations in bad weather!

However, if you go somewhere that is not expecting children then be prepared for strange looks. I’m afraid the culture of ‘children must be seen and not heard’ still prevails. My advice is to take your kids where they are expected to be seen.

Also, children are not expected to be seen after about 8 pm even in the summer months. It is not like Europe where they stay up and play till midnight.

Children are not allowed in pubs. The youngest age is 16 but they must be accompanied by an adult. Pubs that serve food will allow children in at lunchtime and early evening. Many country pubs have playgrounds attached to them.

Always take every safety precaution. Do not leave your children unattended, make sure you have a family noise like a special whistle you make if you get separated and tell your children exactly where you are heading when you’re on the move.

Here's a Hub about family adventure holidays with lots more on this topic.

5. Strike up Conversations with People

Source

Talk to People

People in the UK are very friendly and interested in visitors, even though they may not appear so at first sight. They are not gregarious or loud by nature, but they are typically very considerate and like to be helpful. People enjoy helping folk out.

So if you arrive in a new place and you would like to know something then just ask someone. Don’t be scared, you’ll be surprised at the reaction you get!

Once on our way up to Scotland we decided to stop and camp in England because the rain was pouring down and it was very windy! We came across a very small campsite and pitched our tent during a break in the rain and settled down. It wasn't until then that we noticed another very small tent in the field with us.

After a little while a woman came out of the tent and braved the weather to bring us 2 huge mugs of steaming hot tea! Now wasn't that kind and considerate! She asked us if we'd seen a man on a bicycle on the road, and it turned out that she was waiting for her husband to arrive for a pit stop because he was cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats - I've always wanted to do that!

Also, they were muscle farmers who lived on the Shetland Isles!! They told us what a wonderful place it is and that the way of life there was absolutely idyllic. The Shetlands have been on my bucket list for a very long time!

It was so nice meeting these incredibly adventurous people - so do take time to strike up conversation.

Let's have a heated debate!

Do you plan everything before you go on holiday?

Find me on Facebook and Google+

Google+ Visit my Google+ page and I'll add you to my circles.

Visit me on Facebook Adventure Travel Shop

Tweet me : TraveShopUK

and our website: Adventure Travel Shop

© 2014 Giovanna

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)