It looked like lockdown would rob the British public of the much-needed holiday, and we had a hunch that people’s assumptions about UK holidays would stop them making the most of the situation. So, we ran an experiment: asking the public about the ‘holiday feeling’ and 75% of them pictured foreign destinations, but when shown unnamed images of beautiful destinations over half chose places in the UK. We reminded everyone just how great a British staycation can be with Original Cottages. ​

Our experiment revealed that when asked 75% of Brits said the ‘holiday feeling’ can only be achieved abroad, but when choosing an unnamed image, over half chose a UK destination. Creative Neuroscientist Katherine Templar-Lewis analysed the findings to reveal the science behind the ‘holiday feeling’, which we packaged for media with polling data and a top 10 list of UK holiday recommendations. ​

We secured 395 coverage hits, including 8 national, 22 broadcast and 350 regionals, with a reach of over 885m. 90%+ of coverage included a website link, spokesperson quote and campaign imagery. We’re currently running an influencer programme to amplify the experiment and curate ‘holiday feeling’ content from across England and Wales.​