Did 2020 topple your travel plans? Me too, don’t worry, I’ve got something that will keep that wanderlust at bay and have you exploring the many wonders of the UK in no time!
Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist is the answer to all of my travel woes of 2020 and 2021 (maybe longer, let’s not jinx it!). And, it is providing much needed inspiration in the darkness of ‘uncertain times’.
Live in the UK? Take a look at why this book might help bring some direction to your travel plans for the foreseeable future.
What is Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist?
Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist book lists, ranks and details the top 500 experiences across Great Britain, Nothern Ireland and the Channel Islands.
The experts at Lonely Planet HQ and a team of 20 leading people in the travel industry worked hard to create an initial list. They combined highlights from current guides along with personal experiences from the panel, school trips and hidden gems. Then they put it up for a vote to the Lonely Planet community and ranked them accordingly.
The book is keeping my travel dreams alive during 2020 while we’ve been in the grip of COVID-19. And, I am so grateful for it, I now have a very cool list of places to visit.
Why did I buy the book?
I actually bought Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist when it was first released. It has always been my intention to see more of my home country. I feel that I have not really scratched the surface when it comes to exploring where I live. And, I want some direction and expansion to my current knowledge of travel experiences in the UK.
I find travel guides so useful. Yes, I have Google but I spend hours researching. Often I lose direction or the sheer volume of information is overwhelming.
With a travelist or guidebook it gives you a starting place and speeds up some of the longer research aspects. And, it’s with the same efficiency I want to make a list of UK places to visit. This book is an excellent starting place and a useful way to dial down screen time.
New experiences and places to visit
Coronavirus has changed the majority of the country’s travel plans and all eyes are on UK staycations. If you’re like me and still want to satisfy the inner wanderlust this book is a very achievable way to help you towards your goal. I want as more diverse and obscure places to visit, as well as the UK favourites we all know and love.
I had planned on making a list of places to visit by the end of 2020. But, for obvious reasons, my plans had to change. Instead I’ve put together a list with the aim of starting it in 2020 if I can but, mostly focusing on 2021.
In my head I honestly thought I hadn’t visited much of the UK. But, this book completely changed my opinion.
How did it do that? Well, first of all I went through the book and marked up everything I have experienced out of the 500 listed. At the end I added them up, and to be honest, I am totally surprised by how many I’ve visited.
EIGHTY-ONE! Yes, I was shocked I have done 81 out of 500 listed which, I actually think it pretty good going. I’ve also visited some of the more weirder and harder to achieve experiences. It really made me feel good in a time when I wasn’t even allowed to leave the house.
Where next?
Then my attentions turned to making a list from the remaining 419. And, because of the weird situation we’re all currently in, I decided to keep it focused on things local to Hampshire and achievable day trips.
The list, as you can imagine went wildly out of control. I’ve ended up with 40 new places to visit. The experiences span across Hampshire, Dorset, Kent and Surrey with one or two in Bath, Oxford and Bristol.
I’m not mad it’s so big, I’m thrilled that there’s lots of things to do nearby or within a couple of hours drive. I’m unbelievably excited for new travel experiences relatively close to home. I love being a tourist in my home town, there’s something really special about being excited about where you live.
I also put together a small list of seven places to visit for our next Cornwall trip. A couple of them, like Mousehole, have been on my list for ages but, most of them were unknown to me and I am so excited to explore them.
Discovering all these different places and experiences is what travel is all about for me, that feeling. The fact I can achieve that feeling without travelling abroad is a wonderful thing. The tricky bit now is where to go first!
Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist
The Lonely Planet guides are one of my favourites and I have found them unbelievably reliable and useful when I travel.
This is my first Lonely Planet book that’s not a country guide and I’m really happy with it. In a very dark time it’s been a source of light, happiness and hope.
Browse the books and online articles on the website. It’s one of those places you can easily fall down the ‘scrolling rabbit hole’ for travel experiences and tips.
Visit Lonely Planet’s website.
If you liked this, you might like these experiences that are featured in the Lonely Planet’s Ultimate United Kingdom Travelist…
- WINTER SOLSTICE AT STONE HENGE 2018
- LEWES BONFIRE NIGHT 2017
- 12 THINGS TO ‘KNOW BEFORE YOU GO’ – WARNER BROS. STUDIO TOUR LONDON, THE MAKING OF HARRY POTTER
If you want to remember this for later, save it on Pinterest using the images below or share by using one of the buttons.
Sounds great
Thanks 🙏 It’s a great starting point!