Holiday travel has long been associated with living in the lap of luxury. Conventional messaging around holiday trips often paints a picture of palatial hotel rooms, concierge on call and world at your fingertips – but recently, a new trend has emerged, which has seen holidaymakers begin to reject ‘luxury’ travel in favour of something much more wholesome: rest, relaxation and comfort. But how has this happened?
Digital Detox
One of the bigger factors in this sizeable shift of holiday habit is undoubtedly the encroachment of technology into every corner of our daily lives. The creep of the internet from limited-access communication resource to instantaneously-accessible second life has only occurred over the past generation, as smartphones became ubiquitous and social media became routine.
Screens, notifications, inboxes and direct messages have become a constituent part of our everyday, and they are having undeniable impacts on our stress levels and mental health. To this end, respite from connectivity has become one of the more impactful routes to true holiday rest – in turn inspiring a revolution in the way we plan our holiday travel.
Tranquil Accommodation
The shape of the travel accommodation and hospitality sector has also changed considerably in recent years, with some steps taken away from the trademark lavishness of five-star hotels and towards the quietude of whole-property rentals. The runaway success of the Airbnb model is proof positive of this shift, as less-expensive properties with more creature comforts win out over more expensive hotel experiences.
This has carried over beyond the realm of rentals, too. With more people realising their want for homeliness and ownership over their holiday accommodation, holiday properties have become a major draw for many. There have been opportunities up and down the nation; holiday homes for sale in North Wales overlook the inimitable Eryri National Park, while cottages and cabins in the Cairngorms offer unfettered access to the mountain routes of the highlands. Both are also extremely viable places to consider a digital detox.
Ecological Impacts
As a nation, we are more switched-on to climate change and the impacts of pollution than ever before. Many of us have already made changes to the way we live in order to benefit the environment, whether changing our diet or changing our habits in favour of less environmentally costly alternatives. Just as many of us have switched from private transport to public transport, so too have we switched from pollutive plane travel to more sustainable domestic holidaying.
A Stress-Free Holiday
Switching from international holidaying to domestic and rural comfort also has another beneficial impact, with regard to stress. Stress has already been touched on here, with regard to digital detoxing – but the act of holidaying itself can also be a stressful endeavour, particularly where managing a family holiday is concerned. Travelling to a rural cottage for a quiet weekend in a national park is much lower-stress than the administration involved in organising a trip abroad.
Rural holidaymaking has been here forever, and is here yet to stay. Between a nation switched-on to stress and a wider push for better ecological responsibility, rural retreats and basic comfort represent the platonic ideal for a relaxing getaway.
