Won’t you stay just a little bit longer?

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE: £1 FOR 3 MONTHS]( April 28, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Once upon a time, listeners to BBC Radio 1 voted on the most boring town in Britain. The winner/loser was Grantham, probably propelled to its snory glory by the fact that it was the home town of then-prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. Stamford, possibly even more interesting than its Lincolnshire sister, Grantham   [Get inspired...]( [Royal refreshments]( With the crowning of King Charles III just around the corner, we've selected the [best coronation-themed afternoon teas]( to book in London [I'm an image]( [Dubrovnik hotels]( The [best places to stay in Croatia]( to explore its magnificent preserved walled city on the Adriatic, from five-star clifftop resorts to 16-century boutiques [I'm an image]( Spain's best bits]( From cultural big hitters like Barcelona and Madrid to foodie paradise San Sebastian and laid-back Valencia, get inspired with [our pick of Spanish destinations](   Simon’s dispatches An enterprising hotelier in the sleepy Lincolnshire market town capitalised on the dullness decoration by offering weekend stays on a sliding scale. The first night’s dinner, bed and breakfast cost £100 (or possibly, as it was so long ago, guineas); night two, £50; and anyone who could survive a third night was paid £1 for their trouble. History does not record whether hordes of holidaymakers were gravitationally attracted to the East Midlands birthplace of Isaac Newton, but this is surely an idea whose time has come: stay longer to benefit both yourself and the planet. (In case a Grantham hotelier is reading this, remind your guests they may enjoy their final day of three exploring nearby Stamford.) The cost – in the widest sense – of travel is usually highest when getting to and from a destination. Whether a weekend in Barcelona or a fortnight in Florida, [much of the damage to the environment is caused by the flights there and back](. Journeys involving 21st-century airports and flying hundreds or thousands of miles take a physical, and often emotional, toll on the traveller. And with post-pandemic plane pricing often seemingly based on the premise of “think of a reasonable air fare and then double it,” a large slice of the holiday budget is consumed by transportation. Longer breaks do everyone a favour, including the traveller, and the ratio of reward to harm increases with each extra day. Evidence from the travel industry indicates this is already happening. Compared with pre-pandemic holidays, [Tui reported last year that the average length of stay had risen from 8.5 to 9.5 days](. An extra night may sound marginal, but it represents a 12 per cent increase – which also accounts for a large slice of the rise in average selling prices since the Covid crisis. Travellers can be more creative, too – for example by combining a holiday on Spain’s Costa del Sol with [a city break in Seville](, a scenic two-hour train journey from Malaga. The big holiday firms can and should tempt travellers by offering more ways to extend and enrich a trip. You could always stay in the UK. Second place in that Radio 1 poll: Carmarthen, these days an ideal base for exploring the joys of southwest Wales. In third, Whitstable; but good luck finding a hotel in that north Kent honeypot in 2023 which will pay you to stay. [Escape the everyday in Whitstable](     Tip of the week: No fun Sunday on West Coast main line Engineering work will make any long-distance rail journey on the West Coast main line on Sunday 30 April protracted and complicated. London Euston is shut all day, with services starting and terminating at Milton Keynes Central. Avanti West Coast, the intercity rail operator on the line, says with some understatement: “Some journeys will take longer and may involve a rail replacement bus.” Buses will connect Milton Keynes with Stanmore on the London Underground. The direct route linking Stafford, Crewe, Warrington and Preston is also closed, and no trains will run north of Lancaster all day. [How to get cheap standby tickets on Avanti West Coast]( PICK OF THE WEEK: AMBASSADOR CRUISE LINE [Our new 2024/25 Season is here! We are Ambassador. The premium value no-fly cruise line offering the warmest welcome at sea. Sailing to over 120 ports, over 30 countries and over 148,000 nautical miles – who is joining?]( Deal of the week: Spend less on getting to the airport The current [£2 cap on many bus journeys in England](, which runs until the end of June, can benefit airline passengers – many non-express airport services are included in the promotion. These include the 99 from Milton Keynes to Luton airport and the 199 from Buxton in Derbyshire to Manchester airport. [A journey from London to Scotland using only £2 bus tickets]( £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Question of the week: The best day-trip from Paris? Q I know Paris well, and return there often. I have done the obvious day trips out of town, to Versailles, Chantilly and Fontainebleau. Where next? A Compiègne is a joy: a compact, elegant city less than an hour from Paris Gare du Nord with a palace to rival Versailles – except in terms of crowds. Outside town, the location where the armistice was signed at the end of the First World War has a sombre memorial and interesting museum dedicated to the event – and its consequences. I also took advice from the editors of Hidden Europe, Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries, who strongly recommend two towns southeast of Paris that I have not visited: “Barbizon really is a lovely spot, perfectly positioned for walks into the forest of Fontainebleau; and wonderful Provins, Unesco-listed with a superb medieval core.” [Read our travel guide to France]( STAT OF THE WEEK 1.1 million [Additional seats from UK airports by holiday giant Tui during 2024]( – 12 per cent more than this year. What you might have missed... - Rail halt: [More strikes planned for May and June]( - Brexit row: [The EU has delivered the borders we asked for](//link.e.independent.co.uk/click/31309206.22393/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvdHJhdmVsL25ld3MtYW5kLWFkdmljZS9ibHVlLWFpci1yb21hbmlhLWZsaWdodHMtc3VzcGVuZGVkLWIyMTYxNTY1Lmh0bWw/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B23289654 - Coronation streets: [Our advice on navigating the capital next weekend]( SIMON'S DIARY Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( [INDYBEST]( / [BEST TRAVEL BUYS]( [8 best backpacks for hiking, the gym and work commutes]( A trusty [rucksack]( is essential for travelling [Shop now]( Trending: [TikTok-viral Stanley Quenchers are available in the UK](   Essential reading How Alpine resorts are swapping skiing for summer fun](   Articles available exclusively to subscribers Wandering the Wachau: How to do the best bit of the Danube](   OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [Climate News]( Climate News Every Friday, 12pm (UK time) Written by Louise Boyle [Join now]( [IndyEats]( IndyEats Every Saturday, 7am (UK time) Written by Hannah Twiggs [Join now]( [Climate News] Climate News Every Friday, 12pm (UK time) Written by Louise Boyle [Join now]( [IndyEats] IndyEats Every Saturday, 7am (UK time) Written by Hannah Twiggs [Join now]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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