How to have your Dream UK Holiday WITHOUT Spending a Fortune

Cheap UK Holiday Ideas

Holidays aren’t just about scorching hot sunshine, white sandy beaches and the smell of fresh ocean air; they’re also a time for adventures and ticking a few items off your neverending bucket list.

 Cheap UK Holidays

However, with exotic destinations often costing a pretty penny, some people see the price tag of flying thousands of miles to a far-flung destination and are instantly put off.

Even though many of us spend hours on end dreaming of luxury holiday destinations, the truth is, we don’t all have the funds - or the time - to explore these locations and bring our dreams to life. But holidays don’t just have to be in far-flung destinations - it is actually possible to have your dream holiday in the UK.

You can certainly Save Money When Booking a Holiday Abroad or in the UK - The ferry company Stena Line recently took the time to ask the UK public about their dream holiday activities and found that the 5 most desired activities are

Surfing

Safari Experiences

Thermal Springs

Whale Watching

Skiing

But they didn’t stop there. Instead, they scoured the UK and Ireland for destinations where you can surf, safari, and ski for a snippet of the cost - and saving you upwards of £4,500!

1 - Surfing

Famous for its white sandy beaches, scorching sun, and gnarly waves, Hawaii is renowned for being one of the best surfing destinations in the world. But, it doesn’t come cheap.

Taking a mammoth 17 hours to fly there, return flights for one person cost around £1,244. And it doesn’t stop there. A hotel in Honolulu sets you back an average of £890 per room for a 5-day stay, and then you need to add on the cost of an ESTA and surfboard hire. In total, the trip racks up to more than £2,000 per person.

As another option, Llangennith in Wales offers incredible waves that are great for both experienced and inexperienced surfers. The Gower, a long stretch of beach, is a favourite amongst professional surfers who come to practice their moves and has been dubbed as the heartland of Welsh surfing. Not only is it unbelievably low cost compared to Hawaii, but it also gives avid surfers everywhere the chance to work on their surfing skills.

Hotels in Llangennith come at a pretty low cost of £425 for a 5-day stay, almost 50% less than Honolulu hotels. The only other cost you need to think about is surfboard hire which averages at £80 a day. Because there’s no need for flights, ESTAs, or airport transfers, the whole trip costs just £505.

 

 

2 - Safari Experience

When we think of a safari experience, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the Serengeti plains of Africa, camouflage jeeps, and some of the world’s most beautiful wild animals. Although this sounds like a dream, what we often forget is the price tag that comes with it.

Flights to Maasai Mara in Kenya, the best destination for a true African safari, cost an unsettling £564.20 per person for a return, and a 3-day safari is over £500 each. Expenses continue to mount up from there: Accommodation costs an incredible £250 per room per night and visa entry is £38.72 each. You’ll also need to fork out £141.95 for typhoid and yellow fever vaccinations which bring the cost of this holiday to £1,622.87 for one person that’s not including food, airport transfers, and spending money.

There is a UK-based solution though - the West Midlands Safari Park on the outskirts of Birmingham. This safari park means you have the chance to see practically every animal from the Serengeti plains in one place, and for a fraction of the cost of Kenya. They even offer VIP packages if you want a more immersive experience.

Just to sweeten the deal, entrance to the park is only £24 per person, and hotels in Birmingham only cost around £43 per night. You also don’t need to worry about paying for flights, transfers and vaccinations.

3 - Thermal Springs

The Blue Lagoon in Iceland is now one of the most famous thermal springs Mother Nature created, and it has rapidly gained popularity over the last several years after the dawn of the Instagram age. It’s an incredibly beautiful place to visit due to the stark contrast between the azure blue volcanic lake and the stark, igneous landscape that surrounds it, which makes it a great place for photographs.

However, Iceland is notoriously pricey and has even been cited as one of the most expensive tourist destinations around. If you book in advance, just one hour in the spring costs £44.60, and booking a room at the Silica Hotel nearby will set you back about £448.83 for a one-night stay.

A less expensive but fantastic alternative is the Thermae Spa in Bath, England. Bath is, in the eyes of many, the original thermal spa town because of its plentiful underground springs that enabled Roman settlers to create hot bathhouses. You can actually try one of these geothermal baths at the Thermae Spa for just £36 on weekdays, and the entry fee also gives you access to the Nierva bath, the largest of the thermal baths.

Accommodation in Bath is also low in cost at around £67 per night, and you don’t need to worry about the cost of flights. In total, this alternative option costs just £103.

4 - Whale Watching

Seeing whales up close can’t be achieved by heading to the local sea life centre, you have to go out into the wild and see them for real in their natural habitat. They’ve become so rare to see that people are now willing to spend hundreds of pounds on holidays dedicated to whale watching.

One of the most popular destinations for whale watching is Husavik in Iceland. In fact, companies even offer incredible tours on traditional wooden boats out of Skjalfani Bay for tourists that are keen to see these beautiful beasts.

Nonetheless, as discussed above, Iceland isn’t one of the cheapest destinations to visit, and not everyone has the means or time to fly there. Just three hours on the water costs £66.52 per person, it’s an average of £103 for a nearby hotel, and return flights are usually around £396. That brings your total up to £565.52 for each traveller.

Instead, many people are flocking to West Cork, Ireland, for a similar experience. At just £42.67 for four hours on the water, and with hotels only coming in at £87 a night, it’s easy to see why this destination is a great alternative. Additionally, an overnight ferry ride is priced at £41 per person, and you’ll have longer to explore this gorgeous country.

 

 

5 - Skiing

On the border of Italy and Switzerland is the Matterhorn, a world-renowned destination for avid skiers from across the globe. Cervinia, a ski resort at the base of the Matterhorn, is home to holidaymakers that fly over specifically to try their hand at taking to the slopes.

Off-peak flights to Cervinia aren’t too pricey at £72 return, and a one-day ski pass is only £18.79 per person. However, it’s the cost of accommodation that is some-putting, at £420 for just two nights. It’s because of this cost that many are choosing to visit Glenshee in Scotland.

The Glenshee Ski Resort gets a great deal of snowfall throughout the year and because it has both beginner and advanced slopes, it’s ideal for people with any level of skiing experience. A one-day lift pass at the Glenshee Resort is also slightly cheaper than Cervinia at £32 for experienced skiers, and £20 for beginners. Ski hire costs £23 and staying at a hotel in Ballater, not far from the resort, costs just £55. That gives you a saving of over £500.

A Bucket List Family Holiday from Home

Having good company, trying new things, and not spending more than you’re comfortable with is what makes a holiday and this doesn’t always have to include travelling to far-flung destinations. So, if like many others you’re on the lookout for travel deals in the form of an affordable holiday that isn’t going to break the bank, the UK could be just what you’ve been searching for.

All these destinations give you the chance to visit new places and try out some of your dream activities without spending a fortune. You can even save upwards of £4,500 in total by opting for destinations closer to home.

You might also like: The 10 Best Websites to find Cheap Last-Minute Holidays

As always, if you know of any other great UK based holiday activities please let us know in the comments below...

 

 

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Claire Roach Founder & CEO @ Money Saving Central

Claire Roach Money Saving Central Founder

Claire is the UK's #1 'Online Shopping Expert', she is best known for creating sale date tracking to reveal UK sale dates so her followers are first to know when the next sale is due to land for their favourite stores - making her unpopular with major UK retailers!

Featured in major news outlets and TV shows such as 'This Morning', 'The Times Money Mentor' 'Closer magazine, 'The Guardian' and many more for posts such as the viral 'Kids Eat Free' and 'Supermarket 25% off Wine Deal Dates' promotions she features. Read More