Is anyone becoming a "staycationer"
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I have just booked three weeks in Switzerland and Italy this year with my wife and granddaughter. Son and daughter are flying down to join us in Italy.
we like to explore and our granddaughter loves to come away with us. The weather is a big consideration as well. Cost is not as much a consideration at this time.
we still enjoy our short stays in the U.K. As we do our normal 2 week all inclusive winter sun holiday.
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HD
Assuming there are no other medical complications a hip replacement can be very liberating. I had my right hip replaced seven years ago and it was life changing so hope she gets on OK and does not have to wait too long.
David
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We usually go to France each year but in 2016 we decided on a 'staycation'. This was partially because of the problems that we had at Dunkirk when returning in 2015. 7 hours on the docks is not much fun.
In 2016 we had the same usual three weeks from mid June spending 2 weeks in Cornwall and then 1 week in Dorset. Generally the weather was quite miserable and very wet for the last week. Why didn't we go to France? Unlike in France all the three sites had to be booked in advance so moving or even going home was not really an option.
From a cost point of view, we think it costs us only about £300 to £400 more to go to France for three weeks than staying in the UK. Strangely, the total mileage covered is quite similar wherever we are.
Looking back over a few recent years the exchange rate now at €1.16 to the £ is not that different to 2012 = €1.20, 2013 = €1.16. 2015 = €1.31 seems to be the exception. Overall, costs for France especially as prices in the UK are likely to escalate a lot this year are probably not that different to previous years.
Needless to say, we are off to France in June.
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In 2016 we had the same usual three weeks from mid June spending 2 weeks in Cornwall and then 1 week in Dorset. Generally the weather was quite miserable and very wet for the last week. Why didn't we go to France? Unlike in France all the three sites had to be booked in advance so moving or even going home was not really an option.
Some times it can work the other way round. Last year we went to Scotland in May / June and they had some of the best weather on record. Where as in central France, where we would probably have gone instead, they had terrible floods. So although we would have been able to move, there would have been a certain amount of disruption.
I have nothing against over the water, we are off there this year. Just saying the grass isn't always greener.
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we, too, stayed (vanning) in the UK for the first time since we got into this 'lark' about 8 years ago....again, for specific reasons nothing to do with holidays/costs etc...
Steve's right, it isnt always greener, we had some great uk weather last year.....and even now, the sunshine here is fabulous and the Costas are having some strange cold/wet stuff that theyre not much used to,,,,
however, we will be off probably thursday, by when, the forecast is looking far more normal.
we dont normally worry too much about costs as we tend to just allow €100 where we would have to spend £100 here, and this seems to buy easily as much...
so porting across our normal 'living' budget effectively saves us around 10%....
ok, we have to pay a ferry fee (£134 to Cherbourg is pretty good) and will use more fuel, but we didnt spend it last year so looking all right..
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yes, David, it works for us.....keeping it simple with everyday expenses rather than trying to do some conversion all the time...
i bet that delay at manchester didnt put you off going to Cuba again
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Even at the current exchange rate going to Europe is a no brainer for us. Even if we factor in the cost of the travel from Edinburgh down to the tunnel and the cost of the tunnel (great saving being a Frequent Traveller) we still save money.
We will spend around 3 months staying on Aires and Stellplatz at an average cost of 8Euros/night in comparison to an average cost of 25GBP on a CC Site. In general fuel is still cheaper and the cost of eating out the same. But the big plus for us is we do not have to book the year before to get on a site, we turn up and happy days, move when we want where we want and not have to worry about a booking sequence made in December the year before.
We are all different but for us the freedom of not booking and changing your mind at anytime is far more important than the cost
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Family commitments are the only thing preventing us from touring overseas. You can't get far with a tourer in the four days that I have, so staying in UK and me commuting to easy places is our only option at the moment. We live in the middle of the U.K As well, so ferries/tunnel are a good few miles away. Our chance will come, hopefully, but first I want to do Canada or New Zealand, then we will potter around Europe. Something to look forward to.......smiley!
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All being well I'll still be going to France. As already said exchange rates fluctuate and are no worse than a couple of years ago. Diesel and camp sites can be cheaper than UK. Brexit still being blamed for price increases but I notice apples produced in UK have increased by 25p per kilo in the past couple of weeks!
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Looking back on our travels I've worked out that we've been caravanning now for just over 26 years and in that time we've not gone abroad at all during the year about 5 times, this year being the 6th,
So 80% of the time we've made a trip abroad and I can't see the percentage changing much. I do like a change in scenery and do think we have some great places in the UK. I would never take the weather into the equation of whether I travel abroad or stay at home. Last year we took thermals to the Baltic coast and didn't use them at all and we've been freezing in Spain on more than one occasion.
Whilst I can afford it and whilst health issues don't get in the way we'll carry on as usual but I must admit I'm a little jealous of Rocky going to NZ. Trying to persuade Mrs WN that it will be wonderful.
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It's interesting that you state its still a thrill yet you consider it as living as opposed to holiday. We're all different but even returning occasionally to a well loved place still feels like holiday to us and we wouldn't want it to be just living somewhere else. I guess it could just be a state of mind.
As I said though we're all different thank goodness.
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We don't eat out all the time when we go abroad or if we stay in the UK, but we've decided it's a 'staycation' for us this year. We could probably manage it financally, but with a daughter at uni and the 'associated costs', plus the fact that we are now both 'retired' (sort of!!), we're playing safe. I think it's probably more than that though: We had a long trip through France in 2014 and a long trip to France, Germany and Italy in 2016. Because of the way we organise other things we're still restricted to July and August too. A year off from the heat and the travelling is no bad thing. A holiday once in a while in the UK gives us the appetite we need to go back across the water. I reckon we'll be 'back over' in 2018.
David
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So far I plan some more Scottish Islands this year but I suspect I will need to visit my brother in Brittany as well. Unless this is a quick visit I will probably take the dogs and caravan via a shorter crossing than Plymouth Roskoff which is the most convenient but I am more landlubber than sailor!
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If you'd gone to France in May last year you would have experienced terrible floods in a large swathe of the country.
We find the weather is becoming more unpredictable wherever we happen to go, be it warmer than expected or drier or wetter so I'm not going to pin my holiday just on a weather factor. We'll decide where to go and hope for the best.
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It was too hot for me last year when the temps soared to 35° In Henley.
Oh, sorry, this thread is supposed to be about changes to the routines of those who normally go abroad and not another here v there debate. Now look what you've done, Jamsdad!
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Changed plans, not now off to Holand, decided on South west Ireland instead. Not worried about the weather, you get what you get, holidays abroad for us is all about soaking up the local scenery and culture. Will still get in plenty of short and long breaks in UK as well.
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Yes, obviously it has been better but then again there have been times when it has been worse.
Lets hope that a normal thread doesn't once again dteriorate into a UK v Europe debate with obvious slights against either place as it's becoming very monotinous.
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why be sorry, it happens all the time in the UK section?
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True. OK, I retract that.
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isnt this the 'chat' section, not the 'uk sites section' (where all things 'over there' are banned....) and so the odd 'chat' and 'digression from the OP' is part and parcel of things , isnt it?
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David, mostly always been a Staycationer, had to travel abroad a lot in my job, so now happy to explore far flung parts of the UK, and we always take our dog with us, also done hotels in hot places...it no longer appeals, weakness of the pound makes no differance in my travel plans neither does Brexit.
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We did a lot of vanning across the channel back in the 80,s and 90,s but we dont have the appetite to drive those distances anymore so i,m quite happy with the UK these days and use CC sites almost all the time.The exchange rate is no real problem and brexit certainly would make no difference to me.
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