Eco-friendly holidays in the sun: Staycations and glamping in Britain

With temperatures in the southeast of England this week hotter than Casablanca, Antigua and Nairobi, there has never been a better time for a staycation; the name, first coined in America, for a cheap holiday that involves staying at home, enjoying day trips and eating out.

Staycations can be less financially and environmentally costly than a holiday abroad. While eco-aware travellers have the opportunity to offset the emissions from air travel, staying at home means the carbon footprint attributable to long-haul air travel is bypassed entirely. And with one return flight from London to California creating a warming effect equivalent to 3 tons of carbon dioxide per person (roughly one third of the annual carbon footprint of the average European), the environmental savings from a staycation are significant.

There was renewed interest in holidaying at home after the economic crisis in 2008, and the trend coincided with a resurgence of interest in traditional pursuits like camping and cycle touring. But unlike camping in the 1950s, which could be a rather austere affair, those wishing to spend time under canvas today have the option of glamping - spacious tepees, yurts and frontiers-style tents that boast running water and flushing loos.

The advent of cheap air travel and package holidays in the 1950s and 1960s provided the first chance for most people in Britain to experience affordable travel abroad and the guaranteed hot weather of a summer holiday to Spain.

However, more recently, a squeeze on household incomes, the stress of long-haul travel, a re-discovery of simple pleasures such as camping and an awareness of the environmental cost of air travel combined with the current run of tropical weather means Britain’s stunning countryside and awe-inspiring coastline has never been so appealing.

Travel insurance for short stay holidays (including camping and glamping) in Britain can be bought as long as it includes three nights paid-for accommodation. One week’s cover cancellation, curtailment and theft costs £5.43 online from the ETA.