In these tricky Covid-19 times, we can’t really plan foreign holidays with any certainty until the vaccination programme is well underway. However you may have heard the phrase ‘Staycation’ being used more and more – a vacation for which you stay at home. A staycation gives us the chance to rediscover our beautiful surroundings and will certainly cost a lot less than jetting off to some distant island.
It’s so easy, however, to stay at home and do not much at all. For some reason it’s ok to do nothing whilst sipping a cocktail on a sunbed by a pool, but if you do this at home, you start getting concerned looks from friends!
Once the Covid restrictions ease, why not get active, get creative, and do some of the things we Londoners overlook? It’s as common in New York for someone to live there for 20 years and never climb up The Statue of Liberty, as it is to come across a life-long Londoner who’s never been to Westminster Abbey. It may be first on the list of things to do for a tourist, but we see them every day and they’re part of the scenery – it’s easy to forget the history, stories and lessons we can gain from them. So, why not be a tourist for the week? Why not explore the London of the past, why not immerse yourself further into the city you live in, and get to know the ins and outs of it? It will make you love your city more, and give you a helpful insight as to the people and situations that made it what it is today.
Subject to Government’s current Covid restrictions, if you plan ahead and book tickets, you could take a boat along the Thames to Hampton Court Palace, research the London’s arts exhibitions, theatres or film showings, or satisfy any curiosity you’ve had about a building or place that takes your interest. While it may seem strange to tag along with tour guides in a city you feel you know so well, you will almost certainly discover things that will enrich your view of the city that made Britain great. Do those things that people come here from all over the world to do, and you’ll feel like more of a part of the city than ever.
