As a younger man, my weekend’s away were always about how much time I could spend drinking with my friends. It’s certainly part of British culture to just be as drunk as possible whenever you’re off work, or travelling, or for some, it’s a Thursday night.
However, as I get closer and closer to 30 (gulp!) I find these weekends away to be less enjoyable. Mainly because of hangover’s these days are roughly 30x worse than they were when I was 21. Yes, I now find a weekend away to be a means of relaxation and enjoyment, rather than a weekend of no sleep and lager.
Here is what I’d consider being a better, classier weekend away now.
Take it in moderation
Now, the opening paragraphs might lead you to believe that I am now completely against alcohol – this isn’t true in the slightest. I am Scottish, after all. However, I am now definitely of the persuasion that alcohol should be enjoyed with quality rather than quality. And there are plenty of ways that you can do this.
Something that would never have appealed to me in my younger days is wine tasting. Now, I can’t get enough of it. The thought of putting alcohol in my mouth, only to spit it out would have enraged a younger me, but after being told by the first connoisseur that I met that this was a widely unpractised habit that was wrongly communicated on television, I was more on board.
I’ve been on my fair share of wine tasting weekends throughout the UK now, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a fun and classy weekend away with a partner or with friends.
Choose your company wisely
If you’re anything like me, as you get older, your circle of friends gets smaller. And this isn’t a bad thing. It just lets you know who your true friends are. However, if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got a few friends that you’ve been friends with since you were a lot younger. The same friends that you went on the same sleepless, alcohol-fuelled weekends with.
If you travel with these friends again, it’s easy to fall into old habits. It’s nothing against your friends, or you for that matter. It’s just human nature to fall back on what you already know. That’s why it’s important, when you’re wanting a classy weekend away, to travel with the right people.
Couples usually make this easier, as one is always wanting to behave for the other. If your best mate has a partner, try to get them involved if you’re wanting to go away with a group. Keep the madness for extra special events like stag or hen parties.
Get proper accommodation
On the previously mentioned weekends as a youngster, we’d always get the cheapest place possible. We wouldn’t even bother looking at anything else. We’d just find whoever was advertising for the cheapest rooms possible and book them.
This usually resulted in tiny, cold, dirty rooms. Share bathrooms and unfriendly staff. It wasn’t much of a bother then because we were, you guessed it, drunk, but, now the thought of staying somewhere like that again sends shivers down my spine.
If only we had looked a bit further, and realised that there are plenty of classier hotels out there, that certainly do not cost an arm and a leg like we thought.
A recent trip to London saw me spend the weekend at The Hoxton, a great hotel in Shoreditch. It was quite possibly the nicest place I’d ever stayed in. It was somehow both modern and traditional at the same time, and had a unique and memorable décor that I hadn’t seen anywhere else before. I’m going to Paris early next year, and was excited to find out that they have a location out there as well.
