Summer is here — and with it comes the endless stream of holiday Instagram posts. Let me guess: every time you open your feed, you’re greeted by an endless stream of idyllic, perfectly curated holiday posts. There’s one of your school friends laughing on the beach in Greece. There’s your colleague smiling into her Aperol Spritz on an Italian piazza. And there’s your sister, radiating post-hiking joy at the top of a mountain in Spain. Good for them, you think with a resentful eye roll as you return to your over-air-conditioned office and get back to the grind.
If you can’t get away from your real life for a fancy holiday this summer, I feel you. The FOMO is real when you’re stuck in a sweltering, grimy city, mindlessly staring at Slack. But there’s no reason why you can’t get that holiday feeling right here in the UK. What you need is a fake vacation — a facation, if you will.
Here are a few ways you can create your very own holiday — no airlines required. Try booking a week off work and ticking each and every one of the following items off your list:
Have a spa day
Nothing will get the relaxed holiday vibes going like a day at the spa with nothing to do but relax. Find a local spa in your city or head out for a weekend getaway. Bishopstrow in Wiltshire is a wonderful example of a spa hotel destination where you can unwind in the pool, indulge in a massage and enjoy delicious meals on the patio before taking a stroll around the idyllic estate gardens. Think spa meets a real-life Jane Austen novel.
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Find a beach, any beach
Sure, you can’t make it to the beaches of Greece this year — but the UK has plenty of its own beaches on offer. Take a day off work, rent a car, and head to the nearest patch of sand. Head south to the beaches around Brighton or a little further west to Bournemouth.
Book a day off work and hang out in the park with your friends
Spend a whole day having a lazy picnic in the park. Bring some games. Invest in some deck chairs. Create a beautiful spread of picky bits. And, of course, wear your flounciest sundress for the ‘gram.
Have a themed day out
Instead of an ordinary meal out, why not commit to a theme? Plan an entire day around your favourite film or novel and explore your own city through new eyes. For literary fans, explore the beautiful area around Bloomsbury before grabbing a bite and a cocktail at The Bloomsbury’s Dalloway Terrace.