Australians are spoilt for choice for holiday destinations in our home country.
Whether you want the coastline of Byron or Noosa or the hills and national parks of Cradle Mountain and Kosciuszko, there’s something for every kind of holidaymaker or adventurer.
But still, as soon as temperatures dip below 10 degrees Celsius, airports are crammed with Aussies heading straight to the Greek islands and Italy for a dose of much-needed winter sun.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
And don’t get me wrong, I’m as guilty as the next person for falling victim to the lure of the “Euro summer”.
But with beaches packed out in the likes of Milos and Crete, there’s a European alternative you may never have considered.
Being from the UK, I know first-hand how beautiful various areas of the lesser-considered countryside of England are.
And I’m here to try to convince you to head to old Blighty for your next sun-seeking trip — particularly if it falls in the Aussie school holidays (which are different to those of the UK) or during the northern hemisphere summer months.
I recently visited the UK’s very own Lake District for a last-minute babymoon with my husband while on a trip home ahead of the arrival of my second child.
And I swiftly re-fell in love with the area beloved by celebrities, poets and Taylor Swift.
Preferring to have an element of flexibility to the trip, we stayed in a stunning Booking.com home on Lake Windermere for two nights instead of a hotel.
And it turns out I’m not alone in how I like to travel.
According to Booking.com’s Holiday Home Outlook Report, the majority (80 per cent) of Aussie travellers say they find holiday homes appealing to book in 2024, over hotels.
The classic beach house ranks as most popular (55 per cent), followed by country cottages and cosy cabins tying as the second most-desired type of property (35 per cent).
Belsfield Cottage, in Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District, provides a bit of everything for the intrepid explorer.
Basically a skinny four-storey cottage situated right next to the stunning Lake Windermere, the property has everything you’d want from a holiday home — and then some.
Lush interiors, sweeping views of the lake and a cosy and comfy interior provide the ultimate dreamy R&R destination, while the home’s proximity to the great hikes, walks (and pubs) of the Lake District mean you’re always a stone’s throw away from stunning nature and delicious food.
While in the Lake District, we enjoyed plenty of both walking and dining.
Make sure you check out the Grizedale Forest if you’re in the Lake District in general, which has a variety of hikes, mountain bike trails and even a delicious cafe from which to soak up the iconic views.
We did a 10km circuit around the forest and up to a summit, which is the perfect spot to sit and have a picnic and enjoy the breathtaking countryside.
But if you’re not up to 10km of climbing, there are plenty of other shorter trails in Grizedale Forest, along with a kids’ playground, Gruffalo-themed walk and more.
A good hike in the UK isn’t complete without a trip to a pub afterwards, pregnant or not, and The Drunken Duck is perhaps one of the best in the local area.
If you’re in the mood for eating, it has an extensive menu of pub favourites and British classics, but there is also a fabulous wine and beer list, along with plenty of soft drink offerings — all housed in a beautifully picturesque environment.
Elsewhere, we walked up to Brant Fell from our Booking.com cottage, crossing fields, streams, stiles and anything else iconically British you can think of.
While this isn’t a particularly long or difficult walk, it is highly enjoyable — and allows you to view England’s largest lake of Lake Windermere from on high.
We found the food to be some of the best we’ve had in ages in the Lake District, such has been the culinary explosion in this tiny pocket of England in recent years.
Top recommendations and shout-outs have to go to the Westmoreland Inn (the best fish pie, trust me, just order it), The Wild Boar Inn and Pub (truly a destination visit) and Hole in T’Wall in Bowness on Windermere, which is the oldest pub in the area built in 1612 and truly makes you feel like you’re sitting in history.
We also loved the sourdough pizzas at Base in Bowness on Windermere, which are made in front of you and topped with inventive ingredients like spicy n’duja sausage, onion marmalade and fior di latte.
The pizzeria has even been named one of the 50 best in Britain by The Times newspaper, so you know you’re in good hands.
There are a handful of amazing fine dining options in the Lake District too, like The Gilpin Spice and The Samling if you’re looking for more occasion dining.
Everything in the Lake District is reasonably close together, making it ideal to travel around and get a decent sense for the place without wasting hours in the car.
And if you’re lucky to get great weather as we did, you can expect long, hazy days where the sun sets close to 10pm and you can sit out on a balcony in the great British countryside soaking it all in while yearning for a simpler life.
For more information and to book a trip to the Lake District and explore one of Booking.com’s stellar homes, head here now.
Booking.com’s travel predictions for 2024
Research from Booking.com reveals that travel is life in 2024, with over three quarters (78 per cent) of Aussies stating they feel more alive than ever when on holiday.
1. (Alter) ego enthusiasts: Sixty-six per cent feel they are the best version of themselves on holiday, able to shed inhibitions and embrace new aspects of their personalities. Some 63 per cent of travellers feel “main character energy” on their travels, empowered to be the stars of their own lives.
2. Cool-cationers: Forty-two per cent report that climate change will impact the way they plan their holiday in 2024, while 41 per cent are saying that as temperatures soar close to home, they will use their holiday to cool down elsewhere. Some 75 per cent agree that being close to water instantly makes them feel more relaxed.
3. Surrender seekers: Fifty-seven per cent would like to have no plans set in stone prior to travelling in 2024. Some 68 per cent prefer to travel with loose plans so they can change direction based on what feels good in the moment. Fifty-five per cent prefer to venture off the beaten path.
4. Culinary excavators: A staggering 81 per cent of travellers want to savour indigenous cuisines while exploring the world, and 56 per cent are interested in learning about the origins of a destination’s “must-eat” delicacies.
5. Reboot retreaters: Fifty-five per cent want to solely focus on uninterrupted shut-eye in their 2024 travel, while 50 per cent are planning to travel alone in 2024, dropping the kids and their partners to prioritise themselves.
6. A la carte affluencers: Forty-eight per cent of travellers are after insights and tips from AI when on holiday to upgrade experiences with suggested ancillaries and deals. Some 54 per cent plan to pick destinations in 2024 due to cost-of-living pressures.
7. Mindful aesthetes: Forty-seven per cent are looking for accommodation that has a wow factor in sustainability innovation, while 53 per cent are wanting to see the outside brought indoors with green spaces and plants in accommodations.
Source: Booking.com
