For many people, a holiday is the thing they most look forward to each year. It's a chance to get away from it all, relax, eat, read, explore, or even be adventurous. But with a weak pound and concerns over security issues, not to mention the general hassles that come with a holiday abroad, buying a UK holiday home which you can use throughout the year is a popular alternative.
We've all heard the term staycation. Coined over a decade ago to describe the sudden rise in popularity of vacationing at home or close to home, many people probably thought it was a fad, but here we are in 2018 and it's still going strong.
The reasons for this are manifold, especially when comparing the benefits of buying a holiday home to a holiday abroad.
It's no secret that holidays are getting more expensive. And with confidence in 'budget' airlines at a low following the massive Ryanair admin blunder last year which resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of thousands of bookings, not to mention Monarch Airlines going bust and leaving more than 100,000 holidaymakers stranded at their holiday destinations, many would-be holidaymakers are struggling to justify the expense.
The EU referendum and subsequent slump in sterling has pushed the cost of holiday packages up – several reports towards the end of last year stated that the UK's biggest holiday company, TUI, would put its prices up by an average 7pc in 2018.
The withdrawal or reluctance to visit previously popular destinations including Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey and now possibly Cyprus as well, following the recent air strikes on Syria, has also increased demand in destinations such as Spain, pushing prices even higher.
That much-needed break can easily cost you two months' wages or more, especially when you start adding in all the other items on your pre-holiday checklist: car hire, airport parking, insurance, spending money...
A holiday home, on the other hand, is an investment and can even generate an income. As fellow staycationers drive up the demand for holidays in the UK, you can earn money by offering it as a holiday let when you're not enjoying your own breaks.
Yes, you read right 'breaks' – that's more than one. In general, people take their annual holiday in the summer and that's it for the rest of the year. Imagine getting that holiday feeling throughout the year as you escape to your holiday home at the drop of a hat, experiencing the changing seasons and all they have to offer in your chosen location.
There's so much that goes into a holiday abroad, from hours spent trawling the internet for the best holiday deals, renewing passports, keeping on top of all the paperwork, travelling to the airport, the all-important but time-consuming security checks at the airport, waiting around to be called to the gate (and spending more money on duty free), hours on a cramped plane, all before you even arrive at your holiday destination.
In other words, it's a whole load of stress – the exact opposite of what a holiday is all about. With a holiday home, it's just a matter of loading up the car and off you go.
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