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Gift CardsThanks to Covid, staycations are more popular than ever.
If you’re keen to steer clear of airports, a staycation is your kinda holiday. It’s important to explore your home country and discover what it offers, whether just around the corner or hours from home.
So, what makes the perfect staycation holiday? We are focusing on those breaks away, not the stay-at-home holiday, though these can be ideal, especially if you are someone that has to venture out to work every day. Enjoying your home space can be the most rewarding break of all. But we’ll talk about that another time.
You might opt for a classic British holiday lodge in the Northern hemisphere. Perhaps you regard a hot tub as an absolute priority. If so, these relaxing cabin retreats in the forest come with private hot tubs!
When it comes to the beach, it’s not always about the weather, but the all-important fish and chips on or overlooking the beach can be top of the list. Everyone tends to have a mental checklist for activities that ‘feel’ like holiday.
So, we won’t list the award-winning places (not on this blog anyway) because we are focusing on the ‘it’s what you make it’ approach.
The takeaway from a pre-pandemic study conducted by a source that we wouldn’t usually rely 100% on for life or death theories but can probably trust on the subject of holidays (The Sun) – is that,
make for the perfect holiday.
We can work with that (the good weather part may be hit and miss in the UK, though)
Another study published in Hospitalitynet states that over half of respondents opt for longer holidays post-pandemic. People want more time or at least the feeling that they have had more time.
77% said that spending time with family is important, and a third are keen to holiday with a pet.
Let’s imagine hiring cottages, lodges, and large houses for the big, classic British family gathering. What makes for the perfect break?
Here you have a home-from-home type of lodging. Perfect for planning everything in advance – setting agendas for activities, meal planning, and divvying out chores to keep things fair.
Sometimes you want to bring your home conveniences along to make the experience all the smoother. Add to that some treats and culture, and you’re moving into perfect holiday zone.
Seems obvious, but if you’re a tap water drinker and venture into a zone where the water is not to your taste (water tastes different in different areas), the last thing you need is for you and yours to avoid drinking water.
Water is the thing that keeps us flowing nicely – the brain, digestive system and of course, there’s the important matter of staying hydrated, particularly in summer.
The advice on water is that the average person should drink around two litres per day, but during the summer months, it’s worth ramping that up to two and a half litres.
Some food can count as a nutrient-rich water source. Some vegetables, particularly fruit, are hidden water sources, so if you struggle with guzzle, chomp on some fresh cucumber and feel that hydrating boost.
A smoothie is another great way to contribute to your two-and-a-half litre requirement, and Love Struck smoothies work well with water if you want to avoid adding fruit juice or milk. For an extra boost of hydration, try adding coconut water and benefit from the energy-boosting electrolytes.
You can even count coffee and tea in your daily tally, though (spoiler alert) don’t be tempted to include alcohol as it is a huge dehydrator.
Pro-tip: Stick to the rule – an extra glass of water for every glass of alcohol. How about that? An extra tip in your tip!
Basic, yes, but this is an important one, especially when considering lots of different tastes and dietary requirements if there’s a whole bunch of you to consider.
Trying to feed kids the healthy nutrients they need is a mission in itself, but when they are away from home and routine, it can feel like an impossible task.
It’s tempting to choose the safe option of ‘Mac n Cheese’ on the restaurant menu, but the average chef knows kids turn their nose up at anything green, so they rarely add any veg, leaving just pasta and cream sauce. Not so much as a green pea in sight!
Then you’re wondering how long it is before they skip their daily trip to empty their bowels. Sorry, but these are the things that can happen on holiday – to adults and kids.
The break from familiarity can bind us up, and the pasta and bread make a good contribution, too.
That’s why we love our Love Struck bundles. Handy, pre-sliced frozen packs of fruit and vegetables and other types of goodness, from our freezer to your staycation freezer, fill the nutritional gaps we all need during a break from life.
A Dr Beet Smoothie a day will keep the actual doctor away (or, in this case, an emergency trip to the chemist for some fibre gel!)
Just because you are maybe an hour’s drive from home does not mean you should continue working. Keep your work phones and laptops at home. Explore the surrounding nature. Take a book and lay on the grass to read it.
Patricia Page-Champion, senior vice president and global commercial director of Hilton, says,
“There is a huge amount of pent-up demand for people to take much-needed breaks from their everyday lives to recharge, relax and experience the world around them once again.”
Who are we to argue with such an expert? So, relax, recharge, regroup with a fresh scene and be sure to get outside to enjoy it.
Wherever you are going, you will be away from your usual surroundings and should explore new ones. It’s time to do all the things you have been dreaming of doing (during your carved-out holiday time. This is your time!
An itinerary allows for factoring some much-needed personal time, alone or with others, to do something you want. It may not even require leaving your holiday home. It could be –
To add in some local culture, reach out to someone who has been or lives nearby. This will help you map out your itinerary by factoring in the most popular things to do.
It’s all about visual nowadays, so create an enticing itinerary on Pinterest or Instagram to get everyone on board.
This is a great way to organise meals and activity planning. You can ensure everyone has a chance to add something to the list of what to do.
For kids and those big kids among you, an eye-catching tasty treat will be on the agenda. Point five covers treats but to whet your appetite, why not plan to pimp up these family-friendly Livin La Vida Cocoa?
Create a section where each person is allocated a job in the house as well as their preferred game or activity. This makes for a fun and collaborative staycation.
What is a holiday if there aren’t treats in abundance?
In reference to point four, make sure those treats are added to the itinerary.
Anything that you enjoy.
The word treat often brings with it connotations of negativity. In terms of food, it infers that the food is not healthy. Why?
A spa day automatically evokes the idea of an expense. There is often some guilt involved in treats. Holidays are for indulgence, so treats are simply part of the package. Enjoy.
A massage doesn’t need to be enjoyed in an expensive spa – why not pack your favourite essential oils and get a holiday bud to indulge you?
Equally, a tasty treat need not be unhealthy. Sometimes you can enjoy a treat so much more when you know there are elements of ‘healthy’ in it.
Well, it’s in the name – Kale Kick, but if you need more,
What does it do? We hear you ask. In summary,
Being mindful as you consume, for example, in the hot tub after the longest day, such as an adventure-packed day out with the family, you are more likely to congratulate yourself when sipping an ice-cold superfood smoothie that hydrates and adds some much-needed nutrition into your system before the big family meal that almost always involves far too many empty carbs.
You can devour each and every mouthful of cheesy garlic bread, knowing that you have at least had your fill of veg, fruit and fibre in your smoothie.
Some holidaymakers want to eat out for main meals; others want to enjoy the merriment of prepping a huge family meal together, taking turns to project manage. Either way, there’s still the question of hunger gaps, and in the case of kid world – ‘snacks please’.
What if those snacks could do more than just fill a gap?
What if those snacks could account for some of their five a day?
What if snack time could be the social marker for late afternoon catch-ups before the food prep begins?
Bring everyone together to enjoy a treat before the kiddies dash off for their own version of holiday fun and the adults divert to less healthy treats.
Love Struck Smoothies, shakes and cocktails do just that. So create your own bundle to be delivered direct to your staycation door.
They can bring a staycation group together to enjoy some real, refreshing ingredients, leaving you all to splurge elsewhere.
Create some Love Struck moments for the memory bank while keeping hydrated. And if you’re more of a cocktail lover, treat yourself – there’s usually some fruit in there, too.
Undecided on where to plan these cocktails and shakes socials? Well, we have thrown in an extra treat with a link to the trusty Good Housekeeping and their take on 30 of the best UK staycations.
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