Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 02:55 11 May 2026
 
- British passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship isolating in hospital, says UKHSA
- This couple lost £1,000 after their flight was cancelled - here is what to check so you don't
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 05/06/26 - EPF Annual Meeting
20/06/26 - Hastings Diesel at Paignton ?
04/07/26 - Railfuture AGM
09/07/26 - Melksham TUG

On this day
11th May (1987)
Station opens, Lake (IOW) (link)

Train RunningNo cancellations or delays
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
May 11, 2026, 03:07:58 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[88] Decisions made by people who don't even live here and use the ...
[83] 13th December 2026 - Great Western returns to public ownership
[73] New Oxford - Bristol direct service, ongoing developments and ...
[67] On tour, May 2026, Grahame
[36] Outage of Coffee Shop this afternoon, 7.5.2026
[33] Return of The Scotsman
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Poll
Question: Are you booking holidays and trips away very much closer to travel than you used to?  (Voting closed: August 15, 2025, 07:47:36)
Yes - 8 (28.6%)
No - no different - 17 (60.7%)
I am actually booking earlier - 1 (3.6%)
I never get holidays or trips - 2 (7.1%)
Total Voters: 28

Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Britons booking 'later, closer, shorter' UK breaks  (Read 7521 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 46877



View Profile WWW Email
« on: August 08, 2025, 07:47:36 »

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c939gx4gqwpo

Quote
UK (United Kingdom) holidaymakers are leaving it later to book shorter stays closer to home, travel firms are reporting.

The trend is down to people trying to save money while making the most of hot weather, some of the UK's biggest holiday companies have told the BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page).

Booking.com says the number of people searching their site in July for a UK trip in the next six weeks was up 28% on last year, while AirBnB says more Brits are "embracing spontaneous getaways close to home".

Pitchup.com, which advertises around 3,000 UK campsites, says a quarter of this year's bookings were made with just two days notice.

Sykes Holiday Cottages, with 23,000 properties across the UK, say their the gap between booking and travel has fallen by 8% this year.

Airbnb added "all signs point to a summer where guests are again choosing quieter, affordable places".

Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Transport User Group, West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee and TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
Surrey 455
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1324


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2025, 20:16:41 »

I voted No, no different. All my breaks are outside of the UK (United Kingdom). My summer holiday is normally booked about 3 or 4 days before departure whilst my city breaks are normally booked about 7 - 8 weeks before.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 46877



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2025, 21:59:01 »

My own poll - so perhaps I should stay quiet a little longer so as not to influence any voters ... but I voted "yes" - lots of quite short term bookings because I'm retired, and can without having to book breaks in course schedules any longer. BUT some are booked way ahead  / the occasional cruise for example - Summer 2026 already planned and cabin reserved.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Transport User Group, West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee and TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
johnneyw
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2716


From station to station, back to Bristol city....


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2025, 23:21:03 »

At present I'm looking to be booking a few trips at fairly short notice for myself but that's due to uncertainty of the timing of various commitments and events for the time being.....not least building work.  Trouble is, the longer that I've been retired, the more things seem to get in the way of more advanced planning ....and I've still not quite fathomed out why.
Logged
LiskeardRich
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 3623

richardwarwicker@hotmail.co.uk
View Profile
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2025, 23:53:53 »

I can work out my availability up to a year in advance for trips. I play around on websites like sky scanner with the destination set to explore everywhere and if I spot a bargain for when I’m available to anywhere of interest I’ll book it.
Logged

All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
Bob_Blakey
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 980


View Profile
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2025, 09:09:06 »

Me being retired, and SWTSMBO (She Who Thinks She Must Be Obeyed (affectionate term for wife or female partner)) forced by her employer to book leave at least 12 months in advance, our major trips are always booked a long time before the actual event.
Logged
Mark A
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2708


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2025, 10:44:32 »

... and that condition of employment caused me to raise an eyebrow...

Mark
Logged
eXPassenger
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 658


View Profile
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2025, 18:12:17 »

Ticked 'Yes' because I have hospital appointments and wait until after a visit in case I need further treatment.
Logged
LiskeardRich
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 3623

richardwarwicker@hotmail.co.uk
View Profile
« Reply #8 on: August 11, 2025, 09:38:39 »

... and that condition of employment caused me to raise an eyebrow...

Mark

Where I am we were asked to put in requests by November 2024 for the April 25 - March 26. If we don’t put in our dates it is auto allocated, although we can swap dates later if availability exists. Experience shows reaching February and more staff than viable still have leave to take and unbooked, this way means everything is allocated and removes the previous issues of the February / March rush to use everything up
Logged

All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 19573



View Profile
« Reply #9 on: August 11, 2025, 14:26:13 »

I've not yet booked my Autumn break.
Logged

"Good news for regular users of Euston Station in London! One day they will die. Then they won't have to go to Euston Station ever again." - David Mitchell
LiskeardRich
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 3623

richardwarwicker@hotmail.co.uk
View Profile
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2025, 17:46:12 »

I've not yet booked my Autumn break.
I’m going to Marrakech in October.

March 2026 East Germany, Warsaw, krakow and anywhere in between, a miniature version of Grahame’s recent travels. I’ll come home for 2 days then I’m going to Lanzarote for a few days with my wife. Mainland Europe is no interest to her so she’s sent me off on my own to tick a few to dos off my list.
Logged

All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules via admin@railcustomer.info. Full legal statement (here).

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page