The UK is set for a staycation summer – and there are plenty of hidden gemsSeasoned staycationers share their favourite spots as Airbnb and Booking.com say interest in UK stays are up on last year.13 hrs agoBusiness

Summer holidays might look different for some people this year as the war in Iran disrupts travel across the Middle East and pushes up prices for flights and package deals to European hotspots.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned last week “people might change where they go on holiday this year,” and while the government insists there is no need to cancel flights some Brits are deciding to stay put.

Booking.com and Airbnb both told the BBC they were already seeing an increase in demand for domestic bookings, with searches for May half-term UK holidays up 20% on Booking.com compared with last year, and searches for UK stays for the May bank holidays up 15% on Airbnb.

But many seasoned staycationers are already aware of all the UK has to offer and some have told BBC News what they love about exploring the British Isles.

Travel and lifestyle content creator Eboni Dixon says many UK beaches rival the beauty you’d find abroad.

“We are literally surrounded by coastlines,” she says, “and there are so many stunning ones I haven’t even got to yet.”

The 34-year-old shares hidden gems on her social media channels.

“The Isle of Wight is absolutely unreal – my photos look like I could have been in Croatia,” she says after a three-day wellness retreat that included activities like yoga and paddleboarding.

Other top spots for Eboni include Alton in Hampshire where she saw fields of lavender and Hastings where she visited a vineyard, Hever Castle and heritage funicular railway East and West Hill Lifts.

“Folkestone in Kent is really up and coming, the harbour looks like you could be abroad,” she says.

“When a lot of people think of a holiday immediately you think of going abroad and you have to get on a plane for it to be a holiday,” she says.

“For me, it doesn’t really matter where in the world I am as long as there’s interesting things on offer. If you like a holiday that’s just lying on a beach and not really doing much, you might as well lie on a beach in the UK.

“If you go to Spain or whatever, you’re surrounded by Brits anyway!”

Want to head to the Isle of Wight? Here’s how to do it: Access is by ferry only, with Wightlink from Lymington to Yarmouth and Portsmouth to Fishbourne with cars, or Portsmouth to Ryde for foot passengers; Red Funnel from Southampton to West Cowes and East Cowes; and Hovercraft from Southsea to Ryde.

David Land and his wife Barbara, who live in the north east of England, were due to go on holiday to the Maldives this summer, flying there via Dubai.

The UK Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to the UAE.

When the couple’s travel operator gave them the option to postpone or cancel they decided to get a refund and instead booked a trip to Northumberland in June.

“The coastline is idyllic, it’s just not got the temperatures,” David says. “But as long as you take a big coat and a T-shirt, you’ll be fine.”

He says they are looking forward to taking in walks, pubs and restaurants as well as some history.

David and Barbara are no stranger to a staycation. As well as travelling abroad they’ve visited Cornwall, North Wales, Norfolk and the Peak District and have also enjoyed city breaks in Manchester, Leeds and London.

“It’s a completely different type of holiday,” says David. “If you just want to lie on a sunbed and have a dip in the pool then you’d go to Spain, but if you want to keep a family entertained for a day there’s a lot more [in the UK] than we give it credit for.”

He hopes they will also get to go to Portugal this year and noted prices for a week in Europe compared to the UK could be quite similar.

Want to head to Northumberland? Here’s how to do it: By car, the A1 from the south, A697 and A68 from the north, and A69 from the west are the main routes. By train, the East Coast Main Line (ECML) has stations at Morpeth, Alnmouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed. Newcastle is the closest major city to Northumberland and Newcastle International airport is on the southern border.

Lizzy Stroud and her husband Dave run self-catering accommodation in converted train carriages at stations on the Great Western Railway main line at St Germans and Harvey of Hayle, near St Ives in Cornwall.

“We are right beside the railway line so people can watch trains, get around by trains and have a car-free holiday,” Lizzy says – something she thinks people are drawn to after the war in Iran pushed petrol and diesel prices up.

“Our area of Cornwall is off the beaten tourist track,” she adds, “and there are beautiful beaches but they’re not busy and the landscape here is really lovely.”

“There’s no sense in thinking abroad when there’s so much to see on your own doorstep,” she says. “There are lots of places offering really different and quirky places to stay, so a UK holiday can be really special.”

Lizzy adds that she and her husband “almost always” holiday in the UK – and it’s usually within 20 miles of their home in St Germans, near Looe.

“We don’t really want a great long journey and tend to camp or cycle,” says Lizzy.

“People are completely missing a trick by going abroad. There are some great places to go in the UK where you’ll say, ‘Wow I didn’t know this existed!'”

Want to head to Cornwall? Here’s how to do it: By car, the A303, past Stonehenge, remains a popular choice for those coming from the South East. Penzance and Truro have direct trains from London, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. There are regular flights to/from Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guernsey, Humberside, London Gatwick, Manchester and the Isles of Scilly to Newquay Airport.

Lash and nail technician Lexie McGaughey is no stranger to staycations, having been to Newquay in Cornwall and Croyde in Devon with her family over the years.

More recently the 20-year-old from Rugby, in Warwickshire, went glamping in Lincolnshire with her boyfriend, Evan.

“We thought it would be easier to drive to a location,” Lexie says, “rather than spending half the day travelling to a different country.”

During their three-night trip, they visited a spa and an arcade, took long walks on the beach, went swimming, and had a movie night.

“It was really nice – we got quite lucky with the weather, it was sunny on two days and rainy on one, but it didn’t really bother me as it wasn’t a holiday where the weather was a priority.”

However, she says the cost of staying in the UK and going abroad felt comparable, and admits she won’t be giving up her package holidays abroad altogether.

“With the price of shopping, food and fuel, maybe going abroad would’ve been cheaper,” Lexie says, “but since it was only three to four days it didn’t make sense to go abroad.”

What is glamping? The term “glamping” entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016 and has since become a huge trend. It’s all the fun of camping – sleeping under the stars, waking up to beautiful views and toasting marshmallows round an open fire – but with creature comforts.

Additional reporting by Lizzie Asante and James Graham