Words About Things

Our original summer holiday plan this year was to go camping for a couple of weeks. We are lucky enough to live in a very scenic area so it’s easy to just get in the car and drive for an hour or so to a nice small campsite. Other than the fact that our tent isn’t quite as long as I am this was a good plan. The weather seems to be against us however, the sun was shining brightly when these plans were made but today it is gray and raining.

Browsing for travel inspiration I found a series of photos on the Guardian website linked by the theme of the open road. The Guardian ran a monthly travel photography competition and its theme for May was road tripping, the submissions (at least those which made it onto the site) are great.

I have wanted to take a proper road trip preferably in a big old convertible American car, ever since I read On The Road. I’m sure there are plenty of car hire companies on Route 66 with red Cadillacs read to go. Judging by this picture Cuba might be good fun as well or even riding a motorbike through Bolivia. A road trip in England might be slightly different however. I’m not sure there is much glamor involved as driving in England makes me think of Little Chefs, traffic jams and that couple who apparently circled the M5 a few times thinking that they were heading North.

Driving through the lanes of England’s countryside can be good fun but shouldn’t be attempted in a Cadillac. You may find yourself having to reverse for 5 miles with an angry looking farmer driving his tractor towards you.

Asking around to see if anybody had anthing to add to my previous post 10 Recession Beating Holiday Tips one word kept coming up: staycation. Perhaps ‘word’ is a little strong, more like a collision of two words although I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up in the dictionary soon. A staycation for anyone who has yet to incounter the idea is a holiday where you stay at home or at least in your home country. The idea being that you save money and explore your local areas.

Apparently lots of people are considering a staycation this year. If we actually have a summer then travelling around England sounds like a good idea although you may regret it if it rains again. I live in the south-west and we tend to see a massive influx of northerners (anyone north of Bristol) in the summer, I don’t blame them because it’s grim up north.

Campervan sales are increasing and Volkswagen Vans have seen a 25% increase in inquiries about their vans. Sales, including those of used vans, have shot up in the last 6 months according to Jason Jones who owns Danbury Motorcaravans:

“People are looking to buy one vehicle that does it all rather than a car, a caravan and a people carrier separately.”

Research has found that one in five people are planning a driving holiday this year in the UK, lets hope they don’t all arrive down here at once.

Here are 10 useful tips for keeping the cost of your annual holiday down. There is no point having an expensive holiday and having to worry even more about money when you get back! Saving a bit of money doesn’t necessarily mean making huge compromises (don’t worry I won’t be recommending a trip to Milton Keynes) just a bit of forward planning.

1. Book Early. I know this is a bit of an obvious one but it is worth repeating. Train travel, hotel rooms, car rental and Flights are often cheaper if you book as far in advance as possible.

2. How about staying with friends or taking part in a house swap? Just make sure you organize it well so you don’t end up returning home to find people in your house who expect to stay another night (true story!) [Guardian Home Exchange]

3. Buy your holiday from ebay. I had no idea but apparently people sell holidays they can no longer take via online auctions. This might be a bit of a last minute technique but look on the positive side, you benefit from someone else’s misfortune! [ebay.co.uk travel section]

4. Avoid paying ridiculous ATM fees Phone your bank before you go and find out the best way to reduce cost before you get there!

5. A Camping Barn is a minimally furnished self catering alternative to caravanning and camping. The cost from as little as £7 per person per night and are great for large families. [campingbarn.com]

6. Complain. If your holiday is not up to scratch or your airline sells your seat to someone else then you could get compensation. Sometimes it is necessary to hire someone else to chase a refund but the main thing is not to give up after one reply!

7. look online for discount voucher codes. For example enter FLIPFLOPS as a pro code on the easycar.com site for a summer discount. [vouchercodes.co.uk]

8. Avoid paying ridiculous mobile phone fees. Phone your operator before you go and find out the best way to reduce cost before you get there!

9. Compare prices online to make sure you’re not paying over the odds for your flight or hotel room. [travelsupermarket.com]

10. For those who don’t work hard enough outside of holiday time (how many people work in your office? About half of them, arf arf!) how about a working holiday. [workingholidayinfo.com]

Some of the best movies of all time (and some not-so-good ones) have featured road trips: Easy Rider, À Bout De Souffle, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and of course SpongeBob SquarePants The Movie. The possibilities of the open road mean that anything can happen, the constant travel propels the story forwards and the characters always arrive home a different person.

“We were all delighted, we all realized we were leaving confusion and nonsense behind and performing our one noble function of the time, move.”

Jack Kerouac – On The Road

That might be slightly more than most of us want from a holiday but you get the idea: take to the open road and see what happens. You can’t do this in a Mondeo though, you need a Cadillac or something similarly retro. At the very least car hire is necessary so that you can get something big enough to pick up hitchhikers or sleep in the back if you can’t find anywhere to stay. You also need a video camera to record your adventure, a budget one such as a Flip will do and leaves more money free for car rental. Good Luck!