New research has shown families can save on average just over £200pp per trip by opting for ‘train over plane’ and spending their half-term holidays here in the UK. Meaning a family of four would save  an average of almost £1k per trip before they’ve even added spends or baggage! .

The research comes from Start-Rite, who have looked into five distinct ‘holiday types’ before comparing multiple destinations overseas and at home that fall within each category. 

The holiday types Start-Rite looked at were; Adventure, History and Heritage, Beach, City Break and Countryside Getaway.

And Liverpool is one of the only places in the UK to have at least one alternative destination for each category within a two-hour drive. 

That means families in Merseyside looking for a cheaper getaway this half-term don’t have to pick what style of holiday they want as it’s all right on their doorstep – and could potentially save thousands!

Best UK Alternatives Within A Two Hour Drive Of Liverpool 

For Adventure: Swapping out First Flyer Zipline in Grindelwald, Switzerland for Europe’s longest zipline in Zip World in Llechwedd, North Wales could see you save a massive £479 per person on travel and entry costs

For History and Heritage: Music lovers could save themselves around £275 pp opting to visit the birthplace of the Beatles in Liverpool over the ABBA Museum in Sweden. From the Cavern Club to the Jacaranda, Liverpool is rich with musical history – after all we are a Unesco City Of Music. 

For Beach: Families in Merseyside are already spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches, with both West Kirby and Formby right on our doorstep but for those looking a little further afield Start-Rite suggests swapping out Lagos, and a boat trip around their famous Benagil Cave, for a day exploring the many cave systems surrounding Llandudno beach in Wales – and you could save over £400pp when you factor in travel and activity price. 

Alternatively Start-Rite also points out families could save nearly £300pp by swapping Es Cana Beach in popular hotspot Ibiza for Coral Island in Blackpool. 

For City Break: Swapping out a tour of the famous Nou Camp in Barcelona, home to FC Barcelona, for a similar experience here in Liverpool could save families nearly £200pp. And let’s be honest Liverpool has a lot more to offer than Barcelona – both in and out of the football stadiums. 

For Countryside Getaways: Families that chose to swap a camping experience in Dordogne, France for an experience in the beautiful Welsh countryside near Powys can expect to save around £75pp per night. 

Start-Rite have also created an interactive map of the UK, so that families in Merseyside can easily compare all of the different destinations slightly further afield for themselves.