Last-Minute Cottage Breaks: The Benefits of a Midweek Holiday

When was the last time you went on holiday? We all deserve some time off in order to rest, recuperate and recharge. In fact, there is a reason why we are given a set amount of holiday leave per year. Put simply, holidays are necessary for our mental health. We need to be occasionally alleviated from our pressing responsibilities and urgent tasks. We need to give our blood pressure and stress levels the time they need to level out. On top of this, we need to catch up on much-deserved sleep.

Despite the many benefits offered by regular holidays, a third of British employees fail to make use of this holiday entitlement. This is for a multitude of reasons, but a pressing one appears to be that employees dread the organisational mess they will inevitably face upon their return to the office. One or two whole weeks away often results in hundreds of urgent emails, missed memos and frustrated co-workers. Not to mention, employees often feel that a lot of time away will negatively impact their chances of promotion.

If you are a part of this society of ‘over-workers’, then we have a few tips on how to best utilise your leave. You don’t need to spend hours organising, you don’t need to pay over the odds and, most importantly, you don’t even need to travel that far. You could opt for a last-minute cottage deal, grab a bargain and set off midweek for a holiday that will revolutionise the way you vacation in the future.

If you’ve never thought of a midweek holiday before, here are just a few factors that illustrate why they are such a great option.

Benefits of a Midweek Holiday

Midweek cottage holidays are much cheaper

If you can honestly say that price is never a concern for you when it comes to your choice of holiday, you are one of the lucky ones. You are also in the minority. Most of us need to be mindful of how much we spend, and we need to keep an eye out for great deals when they crop up. What you might not know is that midweek holidays are generally much cheaper than weekend holidays. This is particularly true when they are booked last minute.

Let’s say you want to pay a visit to East Anglia next week and you find a perfect last-minute Norfolk cottage. If it is still available to book, then the owners will more than likely be agreeable to some sort of deal. After all, without you, the cottage will be left completely empty and they won’t receive any sort of income at all. Use this to your advantage and bargain your way to a price that you’re happy with.

You will enjoy quieter roads

Though many might be getting savvy about the benefits of last-minute midweek cottage breaks, weekend getaways are still much more popular. This means that come Friday, the roads become congested and what was a two-hour ride suddenly becomes a four-hour car journey. If you decide to travel on a Tuesday, however, you’ll benefit from the fact that most people are at work and you’ll get to your holiday cottage quicker — and in a much happier mood.

There is less hustle and bustle

Similarly, once you get to your destination, you’ll be able to enjoy the calm of the midweek. All the local tourist attractions and historical landmarks are still open for business, but you don’t have to deal with incessant queues or intimidating crowds. On top of this, due to the reduction in business, a lot of venues are actually cheaper during the week. Once you have experienced this freedom, it’ll be hard to look back and see traditional holidays in the same way.

You break up your workweek

This is an important note for any professionals. If you head into work on the days of Monday and Tuesday, you can get a lot of work done, catch up on important emails and delegate pertinent tasks. Studies show that Tuesday is the most productive day of the week, so from a performance standpoint, you are holding your ground! With some work done and your mind at ease, you can go away for a few days and know that everything is in order. You can then return at the end of the week and tie up your loose ends. This prevents the usual building up of documents and messages, so you have far fewer things to dread upon your return to work. On top of this, as you have broken up your workweek, you deal with far less stress and you know that you don’t have to wait long before the weekend.

Wherever you go and whatever you choose to do with your holiday time, remember that it is important to take every single day you are entitled to. Far from taking liberties, you are taking care of your own mental health, you are giving your body a much-deserved rest, and you give your workplace the benefit of a more motivated, rejuvenated you when you return. These things are important, so remember that taking time for yourself is not a decadence or a luxury. It is a necessity.