Where to Go for Your Summer Holiday 2024
Where to go for your summer holiday this year hey?
Choices, choices.
If you’re still unsure about the MOST important decision you’ll make this year, read on for my tried and tested advice.
Where to Go for Your
Summer Holiday
1. Greece
The easy, summer break – popular for a reason
Greece is a classic destination for Brits for a reason. I genuinely think it’s the best relaxing holiday you can have. It’s only around four hours away, the food is great, the people are friendly and the islands are just so, so pretty.
I really enjoyed the popular islands of Santorini and Mykonos, but oo they were busy. And they’re well-known as being the most expensive in the country. Skiathos was great too, another popular one.
And did you SEE that villa I stayed at in Crete a few weeks ago? Beaut.
If you like your Greek islands a little less crowded, try Samos (going in September, I’ll let you know how it goes) or Paphos (not been yet, heard it’s great). I really don’t think you can go wrong in Greece, although, having said that, I didn’t love Rhodes.
You can book a summer holiday week in Greece from around £250 for the week, absolute lowest.
READ MORE: How About Greek Island Hopping this Summer?
The Food in Greece You Need to Try
2. Canada
Stunning, trip of a lifetime, get back to nature
My summer trip with Trek America to Canada was incredible.
We camped, we road tripped from Calgary to Vancouver via Jasper, Banff and Whistler, and we hiked glaciers, visited waterfalls and even went up in a helicopter. Probably sounds like this trip cost a fortune, and it did, but if you’re looking for a holiday of a lifetime this summer, but you’re not sure where to go, try Canada.
Kayak say that Toronto is the most popular place to visit in Canada for a summer holiday, but if you want my advice – west is best.
I’d suggest going to Canada for two weeks, so with flights you’re probably looking at around £3,000pp, minimum.
READ MORE: The Best Places to Go in Canada in Summer
3. England
No planes, easy to navigate and on your doorstep
Gawd, how delightful is the weather at the moment?!
There are some great places to visit in England, but it’s only in about the last year or two that I’ve really started to appreciate them. It’s 30C here in Southsea, and we have a beautiful long beach with plenty of space on it. Come visit?!
I spent most of my childhood holidays in Devon and Cornwall. I had some great trips to Sennen Cove and River Dart Country Park in my time.
The New Forest is great too – lots of nice walks, pretty places to camp and things to do. Stay there for a great week or weekend getting back to nature. And how about the Lake District? Although, actually I’ve still not made it there yet. I did have a great weekend in Lincoln at Easter – could be a good shout if you’re on a budget and you want the traditional British seaside experience?
Brighton is one of the most popular places for Londoners to visit on a weekend, and Bristol is fast becoming one of the UK’s coolest cities, if it’s not already. So many places to see and explore, how about spending some time in the UK this summer?
READ MORE: How to Spend a Weekend on the Lincolnshire Coast
How to Have a Brilliant Weekend in the New Forest
4. Vietnam
A good value adventure, great food, different culture
I went to Vietnam in August a few years ago and totally fell in love with the country. It was hawt though. Not gonna lie. I remember coming out of our air conditioned room in Ho Chi Minh City one day and just instantly sweating through my clothes. I had a brilliant time on that trip though – loved it so much I’ve been back since for a month.
Vietnam is a great option for your summer holiday if you want to go somewhere adventurous, and great value. Check out my price guides for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City so you know how much you’re going to spend. You can travel down the coast, like in my itinerary below, or you could go out and explore an island like Phu Quoc.
Again, I’d suggest going for two weeks to make that 9 hour flight worth it. You’ll spend upwards of £1,200 pp to stay in hotels and do as much as possible.
READ MORE: An Awesome Two-Week Itinerary for Vietnam
5. Lapland
Fresh air, great road trip and the midnight sun
Lapland in the summer is beautiful. I’ve been to Swedish Lapland and Finnish Lapland and loved experiencing the Midnight Sun, and the atmosphere there as the nations emerge from the darkness of winter. The picture below was taken at around 11pm, in Sweden.
Scandinavia is expensive, there’s absolutely no denying that. Beers are around £10, even for a Heineken in the most basic of bars. You can get super cheap flights though, so what you save there you can spend on activities and food for the trip.
One day, I plan to rent a camper and drive around Lapland from Norway to Sweden and Finland. The Arctic Circle is obviously most popular during winter, but during summer it’s beaut too, and there are less people. The scenery is stunning.
Go for a week, and you’re looking at starting from around £700pp.
READ MORE: I Went Mountain Snorkelling in South Lapland
Bonus holiday spot recommendation
Some of those are quite fancy, so here we go, another British classic…
6. Spain
Close, everything you could want, great weather
I’ve been to 15 of the most popular cities in Spain, and I’d still love to go back and see more.
You can book a summer package holiday to Spain for a great price if you trawl the right websites. The islands of Menorca, Ibiza and Palma Mallorca often have good deals, as do the coastal destinations like Benidorm, the Costa del Sol and Alicante. They’re all popular for a reason.
If you’re up for a bit of adventure for this year’s summer holiday though, how about just booking your flights to Spain and then taking a road trip around? You can either hire a car, or do as I did a few years ago and train and coach it around.
One of the reasons I like Spain so much is that it’s a country with all terrains. You can go to the mountains, the breezy coastal towns of Tarifa, the valleys and the cities. There’s loads of different places to see within a relatively small area.
Book your summer holiday to Spain and enjoy the tapas, the paella and practice your Spanish.
A week’s package holiday to Spain can start at around £250. If you want to go rogue and road trip it yourself, you’re probably looking at about the same as a starter price.
READ MORE: 15 Free Things to Do in Barcelona
Where I’d go…
– Amalfi Coast? Yes, puh-leaaaaase!
I’ve been to all of the places I recommend above, which is why they make the list. If you want to know where I’d pick for my summer holiday 2018 though, you’d make me really jealous if you went to Sicily, Sardinia, the Amalfi Coast, Cyprus or Turks and Caicos on the Caribbean.
If I was going on holiday this summer, it’d be one of them.
Hope you manage to get a summer holiday this year,
let me know if you have any questions!
I think Greece and Croatia are on the top of my list – might have to be next year now! Great advice and pics 🙂
Love Greece 🙂 Going again in a few weeks, for two! Hope you make it to at least one of those countries – both are beautiful!
Great ideas! I spend my last two summenrs in Greece and can comfirm that it is a wonderful destination. There are so many places that you can visit there.
I LOVE Greece. There are so many different places to explore, yet you always know you’re going to get good weather and food. Essentials!
I would also like to visit the Amalfi coast, but I would prefer to go during spring.
Cyprus and Sicily are both fantastic island I would like to revisit.
Yeah I think I definitely need to pencil it in for next year. I basically just want to go everywhere!