How to: booking holidays with university buddies

So we’re approaching Summer, and if you’re like me I’m sure you’re planning some last-minute holidays to enjoy over the Summer months. There are so many options available out there suitable for a student friendly budget, for you to make memories with your university friends!

Starting simple – UK bound

So the easiest option (and probably the cheapest) would be to visit somewhere in the UK. It may sound dull and out of spirit as a young adult in the prime of your life to stick to the UK, but there are some beautiful places to visit in the UK! If you’re looking for a city break, you’ve got London (I’ve also written a guide on staying in London on a budget here), Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh are some good options. There are more country options like the Peak District, Derbyshire, the Yorkshire Dales or even Cornwall. It completely depends on what you’re looking for in a holiday, whether it’s for a string of nights out and shopping then maybe a city will probably be better for you whereas for the historical value and days out, a countryside holiday may be for you! Depending on how many of you there are, you could easily book a weeks holiday in a city for less than £400 off-peak, and a country holiday for as little as £200.

There are other options like booking through companies like Centre Parcs or caravan sites like Hoseasons. My flat and I managed to book a lodge in Centre Parcs for just £149 per person in June, and similar prices continue through to the start of July. Hoseasons offer boating holidays, caravan parks, lodges with hot tubs, and cottages for you and your friends to book at roughly £150 – £250 per person (dependant on time of year). I would recommend going between May and June after the exam period (depending on if you have any) to optimise off-peak prices.

There’s also the option of camping! Why not pitch up a few tents, get a BBQ going and spend a few nights under the stars. Make sure you pitch up on lawful land, I’d recommend a camping site specifically for safety reasons.

Festivals – a love-hate

There are so many festivals that occur every year in the UK. Up and down the country, every Summer flocks of young adults group to large cities and empty parks to watch their favourite acts perform whilst camping for a few nights. Festivals do create some controversy however, some people love them whilst others hate them. It appears there is no in between! Usually tickets for festivals can vary from £60 per day, up to £250+ for the weekend so can be pretty costly for the sake of a couple of days but it’s all about calculating the value of seeing a number of acts that you adore.

There are tonnes up and down the country; from Reading & Leeds, to Glastonbury, to Tramlines, to Y Not, TicketMaster has a full guide to 2022’s UK festivals here to find the best one suited for you!

Going abroad

Going abroad can be a little difficult at the moment. With COVID problems still occurring in some parts of the world, having left the EU and not to mention the disaster that’s happening between Russia and Ukraine, it may be a little difficult to guarantee something out there. If you still want to continue booking abroad, my top 5 tips are;

• Ensure your passport is in date and you have all the relevant paperwork! Some countries require at least 6 months validity on it, so ensure you’ve got those added months before hand.
• Check COVID restrictions. Two years into this pandemic, and despite it appearing ‘over’ in England, some countries still require lateral flow tests, and COVID passports so check those as well.
• Book an AirBnB house/villa/apartment if there’s quite a few of you. Using AirBnB will allow cheaper stay, but also insurance by the company itself.
• Book travel insurance! It may seem unnecessary but you never know what could happen so it’s always best to have your back covered.
• Fly with a valued company. Don’t settle for the cheapest flights going with a company you’ve never heard of. You never know what could happen! So book with reliable airline.

I hope these tips help you and your friends decide on an ideal holiday that suits everyone!