Staycationers come in all shapes and sizes and have all manner of personalities and interests but the team at Sterling has conducted painstaking research and can now identify eight staycation tribes that have emerged during summer 2020.
Here we outline the basic personality traits, interests and probable destinations of each of these eight separate staycation tribes. So which staycation tribe do you belong to?
Our eight staycation tribes
1. The cosy couple
All loved up and looking for romance, the cosy couple staycation tribe do very little while on staycation because each wants to do what the other one wants to do, hence, they do nothing.
Of course, they have to eat, and that means long breakfasts, even longer lunches and dinner that will continue long into the wee small hours.
Whether they are camping, caravanning, taking a holiday let or staying in a hotel, they will have matching his n hers luggage (or his n his or her’s and her’s) and matching jumpers, swimming costumes, towels and T-shirts too.
Find them on the Norfolk Broads, in one of the national parks or the more exclusive seaside settings, perhaps Padstow in Cornwall, Lymington in Hampshire or Sandbanks, in the Millionaire’s Row of Dorset.
2. The active family
With two or three young teenage children, members of the active family staycation tribe travel with a bike rack and they have balls for every sport and pastime imaginable.
The active family staycation ribe will sleep under canvas and cook sausage and bacon on the barbecue for breakfast, have a picnic for lunch and the nation’s favourite fish and chips — cheesy chips for the kids — for dinner in the evening before a good long walk and retiring into their cosy sleeping bags, at which time mum and dad will enjoy another glass of wine while they map out the next day’s exploits.
They probably combine their activities with educational visits, perhaps a little Whale Watching in Whitby (yes, whale watching trips from Whitby harbour is a real thing), caving at Cheddar Gorge or Wookey Hole in Somerset, visiting cathedrals, art galleries and museums, or studying the history of Stonehenge.
3. The solo explorer
Going solo on staycation is a life choice, not a reflection on the fact that you have no mates with whom to share your leisure time. Nonetheless the solo explorer is a bit of a phenomenon when it comes to staycation tribes.
The solo explorer will probably travel by public transport, bus or train, and luggage will be carried in an immaculately packed rucksack. Contents will include one plate, one mug, one knife, one fork and one spoon (get the picture?).
But the solo explorer is not an entity to be dismissed by those in the tourism sector. He/she will probably have a small one man/woman tent, but if they do have a night of luxury in a nearby hotel, they will be paying a premium supplement on that room for one.
The downside, if they eat in your restaurant they will probably take a table in which you could have catered for a family of four!
4. The girls/boys trip
It’s like an old fashioned 18’s-30’s holiday in the Costas, but it’s a staycation and it’s cheap and cheerful.
Think sleep-ins till noon, kiss-me-quick hats, themed fancy dress days, cocktail pick-me-ups — that’s at least one of your five a day — recuperating in the sun and clubbing till very late. Sleep, and then start again.
Newquay, Torquay, Blackpool, Brighton, Bournemouth (and other coastal resorts beginning with a “B”) are all popular destinations for this very sociable staycation tribe.
The girls may find time for an outing to the spa for a reviving facial and massage or search out jet skis to hire while the boys will head off for the pool hall. But neither wants to spend too much on such dalliances, hard cash needs to be saved for hard partying!
5. The beach bums
Life’s a beach, after all! The beach bums staycation tribe are like butterfly collectors ticking off each new species as they discover them.
The beach bum ticks off the beaches around the UK as they visit them and rate them for sand colour and quality, how clean the sea water is, what facilities are on offer, and how crowded they are.
It is their life’s goal to visit the country’s best beaches on which to spread out in the sun, build the odd sandcastle, dig a hole, perhaps have a paddle and possible pose on a surfboard.
They will probably rock up on the beach before 9am and stay until sunset when the last rays disappear over the horizon.
You can see the beach bum staycationers on all the best beaches, from Woolacombe in north Devon, to Holkham in Norfolk and from Camber Sands in Sussex to Porthcurno in Cornwall.
6. The high adventure pack
Rock climbing, caving, mountain biking, abseiling, snorkelling, water skiing… no challenge is too great for the high adventure pack staycation tribe.
Key destinations are anywhere that has a mountain, the Cairngorms in Scotland, the Lake District or Snowdon in Wales, or a desolate stretch of morland or forest to explore. You know the ones, Dartmoor, Exmoor, the North York Moors, the Forest of Dean and the Peak District.
They will probably camp and take in a speedy 10k before a hearty breakfast. Then workout what peaks to conquer and depths to plumb during another action packed day.
7. The theme park team
Most of the UK’s amusement parks, including Alton Towers, Legoland Windsor, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Blackpool Pleasure Beach, have now reopened and members of the theme park staycation tribe will be in their element.
They can be any age, male or female, but they have a shared obsession with theme parks and roller coasters and, as far as they are concerned, the bigger and more scary they are, the better.
A tummy turning trip on “The Big One” earns an enthusiastic high five and fist bump and is a badge of honour for these adrenaline freaks. But it’s not just the popular parks that set their pulses racing — they will seek out roller coasters from Clacton-on-Sea on the Essex coast to Torquay on the English Riviera, from Whitby in Yorkshire to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.
8. The retired relaxers
This staycation tribe comprises couples or groups of couples holidaying together. They have worked hard and now they take their relaxation seriously: “We’re not here to have fun you know, we’re here to relax.”
No expense is spared for the retired relaxers and they will enjoy the best hotels and best restaurants a region has to offer.
And, if self catering, they will book the best holiday let available, or travel independently with a very smart and fully kitted out caravan to be pitched only on the very best parks.
Imagine them staycating in the Lake District, Scottish Highlands, Wales’ Gower Peninsula, the Peak District, the New Forest, or darkest Dartmoor.
Go prepared for anything with Sterling
Whichever staycation tribe you belong to and wherever you go, make sure you take Sterling insurance with you to protect all the things you love, including your car, your caravan and your home.
