Near-Home Escapes
The near escape: two nights without a plane
Coast, countryside and small towns within a couple of hours give most of the benefit with none of the airport.
Near-Home Escapes
Rail and road breaks that beat flying for anything under four hours.
20 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 1 of 2
Near-Home Escapes
The near-home break that beats flying
Under about four hours door to door, rail and road usually win on time, cost and pleasantness.
More in Near-Home Escapes
Near-Home Escapes
The two-hour radius nobody explores
Most people have seen far less of the area within two hours of home than of places a thousand kilometres away.
Near-Home Escapes
The one-night break
A single night away sounds too short to matter. Close to home it can deliver most of what a weekend does.
Near-Home Escapes
The break where you never leave home
Staying put and changing the pattern is a legitimate short break, and for some weeks it is the better one.
Near-Home Escapes
Driving there, and the tiredness that comes with it
A car makes near-home breaks possible and turns the journey into work. That trade needs to be made deliberately.
Near-Home Escapes
Why people come home from short breaks needing a rest
It is a common complaint and it has specific causes, most of which are decisions rather than inevitabilities.
Near-Home Escapes
The midweek escape
Going away against the general pattern is quieter, cheaper and easier to arrange. The obstacle is usually the working week rather…
Near-Home Escapes
The trip you can call off the morning of
A near-home break can be decided late and abandoned cheaply. That flexibility is worth more than it appears.
Near-Home Escapes
Two nights alone
A solo short break removes every negotiation and adds a different set of considerations. The pace is the main change.
Near-Home Escapes
The same place in four different seasons
Returning to one nearby destination through the year produces something no set of single visits can.
Near-Home Escapes
When short trips are the only trips you can take
For plenty of people a long holiday is not available at all. Short breaks are then the entire travel budget rather than a…