Friendcation – new pandemic trend

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Like many other families, we too decided to postpone our annual holiday trip abroad and stay put this year. Ever since the children have been old enough, we’ve been spending our annual leaves sailing the Mediterranean. However, in the current situation it just felt too much. Although the vaccination programme here in the UK has progressed better than expected, a new covid variant has also been spreading rapidly, and with the second dose of vaccines booked for August, travelling abroad just doesn’t seem like worth the risk. Most of the European countries are also still on the amber list, which means mandatory covid-tests and quarantines upon arrival at both ends. We also calculated that the cost of the mandatory covid-tests for the whole family would cover the flights to our destination and back, twice. So instead of heading out of the UK we decided to check in and visit places closer to home. This way we can also support the local economy, which in the case of the pandemic and the extra strain of Brexit, seems more appropriate here in the UK than ever.

Finding places for a family of four that were still available to book has not been easy. Many were sold out as soon as the third lockdown ended in March. It seems like most people wanted to make sure they had a booking secured for this summer. Most of the self-catering places in popular UK holiday destinations such as Cornwall and the Lake District have been sold out until the end of August.

After talking with some friends, it became apparent that many of them were in a similar situation with no sound plans for the summer. Many had tried booking just to find out that even the camping grounds in some destinations were sold out for the summer.

With many friends opting to stay in London we came up with a plan. Instead of heading out of town, we decided to stay too and have a friendcation instead. It has been a long year with hardly any time spent seeing friends, so it sounded like the perfect plan.

With so much time spent together as a family during the three lockdowns, this summer our calendar has been filled with barbeques, walks and rounds of golf with friends. Outdoors, keeping it casual and safe of course. We have gotten the garden ready for visitors and managed to even scout out a local farm that does berry picking for those fresh strawberries to our Midsummer’s jordgubbstårta.

And the best thing – no tests or quarantines needed.

 

How are you holidaying this year? I would love to hear your thoughts and exchange ideas. Any tips around London and Surrey, or even further afield, drop me a note at janina.sibelius@tellmediagroup.se

It’s that time of the year again, Midsummer and summer holidays are finally here. For some in the Nordics, it’ll mean a temporary move to a summer house, while others have been preparing their bags for domestic travel or for yet another staycation. However, one thing is for certain – it seems like there won’t be much international travelling this summer either. With vaccine passports still in the making, the mandatory covid-tests alone can end up costing more than the return flights for a family of four. And if the cost is not a problem, many are still wary of the new covid variants making rounds in countries such as the UK.

Like many other families, we too decided to postpone our annual holiday trip abroad and stay put this year. Ever since the children have been old enough, we’ve been spending our annual leaves sailing the Mediterranean. However, in the current situation it just felt too much. Although the vaccination programme here in the UK has progressed better than expected, a new covid variant has also been spreading rapidly, and with the second dose of vaccines booked for August, travelling abroad just doesn’t seem like worth the risk. Most of the European countries are also still on the amber list, which