A 20 °C average and rain - summer in the UK

Would you consider the UK a perfect place to be during summer vacation?

German International Business Communication with Spanish student Jan Salein “would rather go to Spain or Italy in summer because it is warmer there and in Germany the weather is probably better than in England in summer as well. On the other hand I have hay fever and thus I could imagine the UK as a good holiday destination for people like me, because the climate is milder and you still find nice places on the seaside here.” 

 “If I have to choose a country, it will be Thailand.” Gerard Miyashiro, Academic English student at UCLan, spoke out for Asia being a cheaper destination compared to the strength of the Japanese Yen. “Also, everybody speaks English, so is difficult to face any communication troubles. In addition, Thailand has a hot and sunny weather almost all year long, including luxury resorts, amazing cuisine and diversity entertainment, which options make Thailand the perfect place to go. I already have been in Thailand twice and wish can go again for a summer holiday.” 

Gerard Miyashiro's favourite place Krabi, Thailand

“I doubt I would see England as my ideal summer vacation spot.” Preferring central European countries like France, Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying student Ranga Mapatuna looked out for “somewhere you can take the holiday slow and relaxed.” 

“The UK are not my preferred place to be this summer because it offers just a small choice of activities and I think the weather is better somewhere else too.” Being asked about where Austrian Computing student Simon Scherl will spend his vacation, he chose his home country. “Because I have already missed a whole season of skiing at home, so I have to catch up quite a lot.” He will also spend “at least one week in Italy because of the beaches and the nice climbing spots.”

UCLan Electronics Engineering student Adrián Barberán Rebled referred to the UK as a “good country to visit in the summer, if you want to go to a place not as warm as Spain. The tourist attractions here are different than the typical ones that we have in Spain.” But what makes holidays in the UK different? “Visiting cities instead of sun and beach. Therefore, I reckon UK could be a good destination, but I hope the weather will be better in summer than now.”  

Hitomi Wakui, a Japanese student of the International Foundation Programme in Academic English stated: “I think the UK are not a bad place to spend my summer holidays in because this country is less hot and humid than Japan.” She would like to visit Lake District because of its clean air and the beautiful scenery.

My own personal British paradise, Stirling, Scotland
(Kerstin Tschernigg)

Beaches like those in Brighton, Littlehampton and Bournemouth count for Masters Degree in Pharmacy student Ato Anderson to his favourite places to go within the UK. Also, “Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, London and the Lake Disctrict. These places have a great and diverse tourist attraction,” he told. “On the contrary, I would prefer to spend my vacation in my homeland Ghana where most of my friends and family live. As the saying goes, there is no place like home!”

Spanish Film and Media student Samuel Gómez takes a different approach to his Erasmus semester at UCLan: "The best thing about the UK for me is that you can practice and learn English. When you feel bored or you are not having a really good time, you can always say: ‘Never mind, I'm learning English!’”

What do you call a perfect holiday destination?