What’s the point of a holiday if you stress yourself to death getting there, right? Luckily, if you’re heading out for a Weymouth staycation, there’s no need to sweat the small stuff. From fantastic roads to the South Coast right through to a gentler traffic than our London visitors are used to, getting to our holiday cottage in Weymouth has never been easier. Here’s our pro tips and tricks as locals to the area- you’ll soon feel your stress seep away on the journey.
Getting to your Weymouth Holiday
If you own a car, the great news is that the roads to Weymouth- especially those from London- are all pretty accommodating. It’s also easy to find a route to the town, no matter where in the country you are coming from. If you’re heading from around London, plan on a 3-hour car journey (without rest breaks). The National Express Busses also run a London to Weymouth route, and the best news of all is the exceptional reviews the service gets. They score highly for friendliness, comfort, and reliability. It will take a little longer to get there, however- bargain on about 4 hours journey time.
There’s also several viable train routes you can plan on. South Western Railway operates a direct London to Weymouth train service from Waterloo Station, with about 145 trains running weekly. There can be variance over the holidays and weekends, of course, so do be sure to check the schedule carefully. As with a car journey, it’s about 3 hours by train to Weymouth.
Making the journey to your Weymouth Staycation fun
Sadly, it’s something of a British stereotype that we get so grumpy getting to our vacation, we spoil the first week of it! You don’t want that to be you- but what can you do?
One of the best ways to ensure your Weymouth holiday doesn’t start with an argument is proper planning. Even if you’re heading out-of-town on a sudden whim, look at it as if your holiday starts at home. What does that mean? A bit of pre-planning is all.
It’s always a good idea not to work up until the time of your departure. If possible, try and take the whole day off of work, even if you’re only leaving later in the day. Of course, this isn’t always achievable, but if you can pull it off you’ll be surprised at how much more relaxed you’ll be. Try and have all the planning done- we’ve popped some great tips below- and know where your tickets, important meds, and other details are. No last-minute shopping, salon visits, or other appointments on departure day! It’s too easy for things to run late and stress you out.
Travelling can be a bit of a chore, whether you’re driving or taking public transit, so make it easier on yourself by packing a few snacks, taking along a water bottle so you stay hydrated, and dressing comfortably for the trip. Layers are always good, so you can peel off and put on depending on ambient temperature through the day. There will likely be delays and snags, be it on the road or with a transit system, so leave plenty of time for travel and try to look at it as ‘one of those things’ you can tell a fun story about when you get home- focusing on a positive mood will help keep you level and unflappable even if things go wrong.
Pack like a pro (and not last minute)
Getting to your Weymouth staycation in a good mood means no last-minute packing, either! And it goes double if you’re travelling with kids. Sure, there’s certain things you can’t pack in advance- especially your digital devices- but as you get close to your departure date, start putting these last-minute additions all together in the same place. Or write yourself a list of the stuff you can’t pack away. That way you can simply tick the last stragglers off your list instead of trying desperately to remember if you packed the baby’s bottle and your laptop charger. And whatever you do, charge all your devices the night before, so you don’t get a flat battery halfway there.
Don’t let these items in daily use be the reason your suitcase is empty on your morning of departure, either. Many items, from clothes to cosmetics, can be packed in advance- so get to it! Think of how pleasant it will be waking up slowly, sipping coffee in the sun, and calmly getting to your departure point instead of madly tearing around the house trying to find your good knickers! A list of travel items really does help take the strain off of your memory, too, and taking a more organised approach to packing enables you to plan ahead. If your shampoo is running out, you don’t have a memory card for your camera, or you find you don’t have suitable beachwear, you have time to tackle it before the last minute. Like a pro, no?
Keep the kids entertained
One thing that’s guaranteed to spoil your Weymouth holiday mood is a cranky toddler or sullen teenager. While nature isn’t always gracious about avoiding meltdown moments among the younger family, there’s a lot you can do to head off trouble before it even starts. If you’ve already taken our tips above, you should be miles closer to a trouble-free departure, anyway. Children pick up on parental stress- especially little ones- and if you’re cool, calm, and collected on the day you leave it’s much more likely they’ll stay chilled too. Plus, the less stressed you are, the less chance you’ll set off a tantrum snapping at them.
Journey times can be boring for kids too, however, and they don’t always have the focus to see it as part of the anticipation of fun that adults do when heading out on holiday. So plan to take some distractions along- we’d advise more than one, in case it gets misplaced or the inevitable “I’m bored of that” starts. A few easily accessible snacks, and something to stay hydrated, should help too. If there’s a beloved toy, blanket, or dummy that may be called upon on the trip, make sure it’s somewhere you can easily get to it, especially if you’re travelling via public transit. No one wants to be hunting desperately in bags on a station platform with a screaming toddler who needs their dummy now!
All in all, it’s both simple and easy to get to your Weymouth holiday without needless station swaps or complicated driving routes. With a couple of tweaks to your routine on departure day, you can make sure your Weymouth staycation starts at home- and enjoy every minute of it, even the travel to get there.
