Summer Staycation Guide: Why North Wales Beats a Flight Abroad This Year

UK staycation 2026 — Llandudno beach and promenade in North Wales

If you've been eyeing up flights abroad this summer and wincing at the price, you're far from alone. More Britons than ever are choosing to holiday closer to home in 2026, and the numbers behind that shift make for genuinely persuasive reading, not just for your wallet, but for the kind of holiday you'll actually have.

Here's why we think North Wales holds its own against anywhere you could fly to this year.

The maths has shifted in staycations' favour

Recent analysis puts the average cost of a nine-night holiday abroad at around £1,389 per person for 2026, once flights, accommodation, food and entertainment are factored in, for a family of four, that's a bill running well into the thousands before you've bought a single ice cream on the beach. Add in the extras that rarely make it into the headline price, and the gap only widens.

It's little wonder, then, that a recent survey found more than 25 million UK adults are opting for staycations over holidays abroad this year, with cost-of-living pressure and travel disruption cited as the main reasons. Nearly half of those surveyed had ruled out travelling abroad altogether in 2026, with a third pointing to the cost of living as the deciding factor.

This isn't a small, quiet trend. A separate industry survey found that 61 per cent of adults are now more likely to choose a staycation this year than last, and the domestic holiday market is growing accordingly.

It's not just about the money

Family enjoying an affordable UK staycation on a North Wales beach.

What's interesting is that cost isn't the whole story. Research suggests a third of Britons are choosing to holiday at home specifically to explore more of the UK, with the majority of those travellers wanting to discover new places and unique experiences. Think fewer queues at passport control, no 4 am airport alarms, and no gamble on the flight home actually leaving on time.

North Wales, and Llandudno in particular, delivers exactly that kind of "why did we ever fly abroad for this" experience:

• A genuine seaside resort, not a resort town built for tourists, Llandudno's Victorian architecture, working pier, and sweeping bay give it a character package holidays simply can't replicate.

• Mountains on your doorstep. Snowdonia is less than an hour away, so you can swap a beach walk for a mountain hike without touching a motorway for long.

• No currency to worry about, no data roaming charges, no travel insurance excess to check twice.

• A shorter journey means more holiday, not less. Depending on where you're travelling from, you could be settling into your accommodation before a flight abroad has even boarded.

What you save, you can spend on the holiday itself

This is where a staycation quietly wins. Money you're not spending on flights, airport parking, currency exchange fees or travel insurance is money that can go towards the parts of the holiday that actually matter: better food, more days away, or simply a nicer place to stay.

That's exactly the gap our properties are designed to fill. Rather than a budget UK alternative to the "real" holiday abroad, we've built something that competes on comfort as much as on price:

• A luxury hot tub at Curzon Villa, for evenings that feel like a proper treat rather than a compromise

• Games rooms at both properties, so a rainy afternoon is a bonus rather than a write-off

• Free parking and two EV charging points at James Court Apartments, so your travel budget goes further before you've even arrived

• Just 0.3 miles to the beach, with the Great Orme, local parks and excellent public transport links all within easy reach

The bottom line

A flight abroad this summer will likely cost more, take longer to plan around, and carry more that's outside your control: delays, exchange rates, unfamiliar territory. A break in North Wales gives you the same core ingredients of a brilliant summer holiday: sea, sunshine (fingers crossed), good food and time away from routine, without the premium price tag or the travel stress.

If you've been weighing up abroad against home this year, we'd say the case for staying closer has never been stronger.

Ready to see what your money buys in Llandudno? Browse availability at James Court Apartments and Curzon Villa and start planning your summer staycation.