We book holidays to escape the daily grind and Britain’s relentless news cycle, yet most of us pack our phones and our doom-scrolling habits along with our suitcases. Plus, London’s pedicabs finally face regulation, and why do airports only cater to the super-rich?
Clampdown on party pedicabs
London’s pedicabs - those garish, neon-lit tricycles that lurk outside every West End theatre like mosquitoes in hi‑vis - are finally getting reined in. And frankly, it’s about time. Apparently, one driver even tried to charge £450 for a seven minute journey. I’ve always thought they were a nuisance, but I didn’t realise fares had gone ‘Wild West’.
MPs have been consulted and Transport for London has been authorised to bring in new regulations which will see drivers needing licences, criminal checks, language requirements, vehicle inspections, and adhere to maximum fares that are capped at £5 plus £1 per minute. Also due to be banned is the cheesy pop music blasting loud enough to wake the dead. Honestly, stepping out of a theatre into that wall of noise is like being mugged by a speaker system.
Switching off on holiday
One of the motivations when it comes to booking holidays is they enable you to switch off, escape the grind, and stop marinating in the nation’s endlessly miserable news cycle. In fact, new research from InsureandGo states that 83% of adults say travel helps them flee everyday pressures with a cheery 30% admitting that they specifically want to escape “exposure to depressing news,” which in the UK is rather like wanting to escape rain.
But here’s the twist: despite craving relief from the gloom, 22% of travellers still check UK news while on holiday. Only 16% manage a phone‑free trip, while huge chunks of younger and older adults can’t survive even an hour without their screens. So we flee the doom… only to pack it with us.
But we still want wellbeing, with 55% of adults surveyed saying they would consider holidays or hotels that offer targeted wellbeing services, with popular options including meditation classes, gym sessions, stress management courses, sleep support and diet-focused guidance. Do they know what wellbeing is? I don’t go to the gym while at home so why the hell would I go to one on holiday? I certainly don’t go abroad for a course, sleep support is covered by the size of the bar bill, and as for diet guidance… I am not even going to go there. I think I’d prefer to read about Trump and Farage, and that’s really saying something.
Everything was luxury, and I hated it
On a recent flight out of Heathrow, I found myself parked in Terminal 3 with time to kill. I naively thought a bit of shopping might help but before me was what can only be described as a catwalk of luxury labels – rows of stores such as Bulgari, Cartier, Dior, Gucci and Louis Vuitton that were glittering away like they were expecting royalty to pop in for a quick splurge.
Boots, of course, was closed, so I couldn’t even buy basic toiletries. Instead, I drifted past £200 candles and a shop selling expensive macaroons.
All I wanted was a magazine and some Wine Gums, not a crash course in how the other half lives. Why is it that some airports insist on catering only to people who apparently do their weekly shop on Bond Street? Would it really be too much to ask for normal shops selling normal things at normal prices?
The views expressed in this column are not necessarily the views of the publisher.
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