With the odd exception, I’ve stayed in the country most of my life and my trips away have been in Britain, and yet I’ve still seen so much in my family’s travels to all corners of the UK.
My one experience going abroad in recent years was when I went to Prague last year, and while it was an amazing experience seeing all the fantastic architecture and the sights of the city, I was absolutely shattered by the time I got back and I felt like I’d had my fill of international visits for a while (plus it was my first ever plane, so there’s that as well).
...you'll always find places you want to go that are less than an hour's drive away...
Whenever we go somewhere in the UK, I’m always energised and I’m always excited. We’ve ticked off all the usual suspects (we go to London at least once every couple of years), but the ones I always love are the unexpected surprises. We stayed near Stratford-upon-Avon once and ended up visiting the Shakespeare Museum about three times just because we loved it so much. We went to the Lake District and found a really nice little museum that looked at how bobbins were made. A visit to near Hexham led us to a museum I swear I’ve seen in my dreams, The Museum of Classic Sci-fi in the village of Allendale which featured hundreds of props from Doctor Who.
It’s not just the places you visit though, it’s the places you stay. A few nights in a secluded lodge surrounded by rural countryside can really help you relax. Having a simple game of cards with your family out on the decking while the sun sets is one of those simple but amazing memories that comes all too rarely in our busy lives. Don’t worry about going too rural though - you’ll always find places that you want to go that are less than an hour’s drive away from where you are.
There’s that many treasures to visit up and down the country, whether that’s museums, scenic parks, picturesque villages, caves, etc. Whatever it may be, there are so many places you can go and have a really relaxed week away, all while not leaving the country.