Where to go when you already live in a holiday destination

I recently returned from a holiday in Somerset. I have a friend who comes from the area and when he asked me how I found it and what I got up to, I smiled and cut straight to the chase, ‘the caves at Chedder Gorge are fantastic!’ At this point he began to smile. ‘Is it really?’ He replied. ‘I’ve never been, it’s for the tourists really.’

Consequently, this got me thinking. I’ve lived in Cornwall for 6 years now and I really haven’t made the most of the county being the prime holiday destination that it is. Take the Eden Project for example; it wasn’t until 2007 that I ventured the 20 miles to the eighth wonder of the world. And even then I have to admit that the draw for me was less than honourable.

I went for the ice skating.

My reasons for this are hard to pin down. One could presume that I am some kind of tourist-related anthropophobe, who simply can’t bear to mingle with those out-of-towners, all dawdling about, licking our ice-creams, and fuelling our economy with reckless zeal. Of course, this is not true. In fact, I believe the reason for mine – and my Somerset pal’s – inability to view our locality through a tourist’s eyes is due to two factors. One is quite simply to do with association, or familiarity to be precise. We associate the surrounding area with what we know well, and so there is a very little inherent excitement at the thought of playing in our own backyard.

But there are plenty of things to do in Cornwall. I know full well that the differences between a Somerset holiday and a Cornwall holiday are so slight (maybe the air temperature’s a little cooler?) yet I’m still subconsciously drawn to such aspects as the different place-names, the higher population, and the unmistakeable feeling of being a visitor.

Maybe my experiences of family holidays as a child have some bearing on this too? When I was nine I visited Disneyworld and wondered what it would be like to live next door. I could come here everyday, I thought to myself as we drove through Miami spilling pretzel crumbs onto the floor of our rented RV. But of course, once you’ve been on the Jaws ride four times it doesn’t take the novelty does begin to wear off.

Therefore I have decided to rediscover my own county. Even a quick browse of Cornwall tourist information highlights some starting points such as Tate St Ives, the National Maritime Museum at Falmouth and The Lost Gardens of Heligan. Cornwall deserves this old-friend status, like a schoolmate who reminds you of how you were the wittiest in Geography class. After all, what could be better than being surprised by what’s on your very own doorstep?

Tips for Cheap Family Holidays

Nearly everyone is feeling the pinch in the current economic climate and unfortunately holidays and short breaks are one area that families are cutting corners with. Whether it is not going on holiday at all or staying in the UK.

Using Online Codes
Many travel websites where you book things like hotels and flights on the internet have boxes on their forms that allow you to put in promotional codes or loyalty/membership codes. There is a whole new generation of websites like hotukdeals and vouchercodes.co.uk who keep track off these offers and let their readers know about them. So before you book anything online, it is worth having a browse and seeing if there are any promotional codes you can use.

Staying in the UK
This seems like an obvious tip and one you may have heard many times before, but there are a lot of great budget places you can visit in the UK which are just as good as overseas destinations. Places like North Devon and Cornwall are great for families who love beaches and coastlines. Granted the weather may not be as good as Spain, but there are some really stunning places to visit all around the UK.

Be sensible with your travel money
A lot of credit cards and banks will charge you a fee if you withdraw cash when overseas. But there are some exceptions to this as not everyone wants to take large quantities of money with them. Nationwide offer commission free money withdrawals with both its debit card and credit card. The post office also office a commission free withdrawal credit card.

Cheaper Flights with Supermarkets
Loyalty schemes such as the Tesco Clubcard allows you to convert points into British Airways air miles. So all that shopping you have been doing in the year can help you pay for your flights when the family head off on holiday

It's Business Time
There are a lot of hotels that solely cater for business clients so at weekends and in quiet periods like Christmas they end up reducing their rates to fill the rooms. This also works in some cities that rely on business customers like Berlin and Frankfurt, you can sometimes get five star accommodation for bargain prices.