Why are UK Staycations More Expensive than Travelling Abroad?

The million-pound question every UK traveller asks themselves is why are UK staycations more expensive than travelling abroad? How is it that I can barely afford to take a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 children) on a cheeky weekend getaway within the UK but can afford a Eurocamp vacation? As a self-proclaimed travel addict, I would much rather jet off somewhere sunny aboard than stay home because UK staycations {are} more expensive than travelling abroad.

Whilst the UK has incredible destinations that people from outside can only dream of visiting, the weather alone is not enough for me to folk out thousands of pounds for a few days in the freezing cold. Why are UK staycations more expensive than travelling abroad? As a frequent traveller of both abroad and within the UK, I have compiled a few reasons why I think UK staycations are more expensive in comparison to travelling abroad.

Why are UK Staycations more Expensive than Travelling Abroad?

For as long as I can remember, we have always travelled somewhere for a short family break whether that is combined with a church activity or with other families but what I have noticed is that it has always been incredibly expensive for my parents. Travelling anywhere in the UK for longer than a day requires a lot of planning and saving. Spontaneous and last minute trips are for solo travellers and couples and not necessarily for families.

Whenever we had to travel as a family, we could only manage it during summer vacations which everyone knows are one of the most expensive times to travel especially in the UK. For many years I could not understand why for a short weekend as a family of 5, we would spend something close to a £1000+ just for 2 rooms (my brother shared with us two girls), food, fuel and don’t even include activities.

It always boggled my mind that outside of a day trip to the seaside (hello Great Yarmouth and Skegness), we really could not afford to venture out as a family and not break the bank even with careful planning. Why are UK staycations so expensive than travelling abroad? I have a few ideas which I am sharing below.

Public Transport is expensive

According to a 2019 survey by Deutsche Bank, the London public transport system is the most expensive in the WORLD. Is it any wonder that costs of everything else associated with travelling are trying to much up to the expense of travelling using our public system? I never realised the cost was travelling within the UK public system was so expensive until I travelled to Prague where I paid an equivalent of £1 for a 30-minute ride around the city and the same amount wouldn’t take me anywhere within the UK.

For many years I paid over £50+ to travel between Reading and Cambridge every weekend to visit my parents. Then I managed to spend the same amount on flights, accommodation and food for a weekend getaway to Gdansk. Travelling between major cities within the UK is way too expensive and even more expensive travelling to the seaside using public transport.

Accommodation is expensive regardless of the season

When it comes to hotels in London, you can pay an arm and a leg for a tiny ass room that claims to be 3* but smells like a non-rated hotel. I have had an opportunity to enjoy some of the most glorious hotels in London but at the cost of someone’s monthly rent. When it comes to big cities in the UK, they are most expensive during holiday seasons and cities like London are expensive throughout the year.

Booking a hotel for a family of 5 is an expensive feat and renting an apartment isn’t cheap either. But the cost of any type of accommodation abroad is always more worth it and good value for money compared to most cities within the UK. Which I personally think is a damn shame as most of us would rather spend our hard-earned money on our own economy than abroad but accommodation in the UK does not always appreciate our money.

Higher cost of living

The UK is one of the most expensive countries in the world to live in, the costs of living are higher the further down south you travel. It is much cheaper to find a good star rated hotel up north than it is down south like London or even Cornwall. Due to high living costs and the demand for it, I feel like our cost of living drives up the prices of almost everything from food to accommodation thereby making staycationing within the UK more expensive

The cost of living coupled with the weird weather also makes it impossible for business owners to stay afloat. All the costs associated with maintaining a business don’t change even if there is no one staying in the hotels. Most of us visit seaside towns and quaint villages when the weather is nice and we can stay for the weekend. Meaning most hotel owns only make money during the warmer months of the year which in the UK is not much.

Power of the Pound

I think for most visitors, the power of the pound almost always makes everything that much more expensive compared to where they are from. I feel because most of the time the pound is more powerful, coupled with the higher cost of living, I think it has made things even more expensive than usual.

On the other hand, when I do travel abroad, I am grateful for the power of the pound because I get good value for my money and can do more things that I would do at home. In 2018, I learned that my trip to Bali for 10 days was much cheaper than a family trip to the Lake District for the summer.

where the currency power is not comparable to the pound, I understand why its cheaper but for mainland Europe its almost 1:1 and mainland Europe is more worth it than staycationing in the UK. In most countries in Europe, you are guaranteed good food, good weather and great cultures.

What are your thoughts on staycationing in the UK and the associated costs? Why are UK staycations more expensive than travelling abroad?