The best commuter belt staycation destinations for a convenient trip away this summer

The latest research by Butter, the UK’s only Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) travel agency, has taken a look at the best commuter belt staycation destinations available from three major UK cities.

While holidays abroad remain largely off the table this year, the good news is that the UK is home to a wealth of great places to visit and a great staycation doesn’t necessarily require hours of motorway gridlock when heading off to the coast.

Butter took a look at where you can travel in less than an hour and a half by train from London, Birmingham and Manchester for a convenient commuter belt staycation.

London

The capital’s connectivity means there are a number of potential commuter belt staycations on the cards. At just 50 minutes, Windsor and Cambridge rank as some of the closest in terms of travel time, while Brighton lies around an hour away and Margate and Bath just an hour and a half or so.

At £205 on average per night for a family of four, Cambridge is the most affordable, with Margate not far behind at £306. Brighton (£381 per night) and Bath (£373) are the least affordable.

Manchester

Manchester also offers an abundance of outstanding staycation options within a commutable distance. Buxton and the Peak District lie just an hour away, or a city staycation to Liverpool can be done within 40 minutes. The famous lights of Blackpool are just an hour and a quarter by train, with York and the Lake District around an hour and a half away.

A family of four can secure a staycation in Blackpool for as little as £178 per night, with a trip to the Lake District coming in at £398 on average.

Birmingham

A train out of Birmingham can have you in Stratford-upon-Avon in less than an hour, or sampling the cities of London, Oxford, Nottingham and even Bristol in under an hour and a half.

At an average of £184 per night, Bristol is also the most affordable, although a staycation to London will predictably cost you a bit more at £428 per night on average.

Timothy Davis, Co-Founder and CEO of Butter, commented:

“Regardless of where you live in the UK, the chances are there is a great place to visit right on your doorstep. With foreign travel still a little shaky this summer, why not see what adventures are on offer closer to home? Train travel isn’t just comfortable and convenient, it also comes with unlimited baggage and no quarantine on arrival at either end.

It’s also considerably cheaper than most foreign flights leaving you with even more money in your pocket for when you arrive. However, if you really want to maximise your staycation budget, booking your hotel and train via the Butter app allows you to break the cost up into 10 more manageable instalments, payable on the lead up to your trip or even after you’ve travelled.

But it doesn’t matter if you pay upfront, in instalments or even after you’ve travelled[1][2], sticking to the UK this year will offer a level of certainty and affordability that you just won’t get with other holidays, regardless of whether you head for Camber Sands or Cambridge.”