The temptation when you take a UK holiday is often just to kick back and relax – after all, you probably work hard enough the rest of the time, and just getting ready to head off on a break is usually exhausting enough in itself, especially if you’re bringing along the kids. Why put in any more effort than you have to once you’re there?

And of course, when you’re trying to avoid putting too much effort in, it’s usually easier to stick with what’s familiar – eat at chains you recognise, only engage in familiar activities, and basically have exactly the kind of holiday you always have. But with fresh scenery, exciting new locations and all sorts of things to do, we think a holiday is a great opportunity for you and your family to try out new experiences and activities to ensure you have a really memorable break. It doesn’t even need to be that difficult! Here’s our look at why holidays are the perfect chance to try out some new things. 

So, what could you try for the first time in this country? You could go safely surfing on the Flow Rider or go wake boarding at the amazing Aqua Park at Retallack Resort and Spa in Cornwall, take in the countryside views when you go horse riding in Devon, or experience the ultimate in luxury relaxation in a private hot tub with incredible mountain views at Loch Tay Holiday Homes before going kayaking on Loch Tay in the Scottish Highlands.

There’ll be new opportunities

It’s all well and good for people to be encouraged to try new things, but a lot of the time we have very few chances to do so. Surrounded by the landscape of the daily routine, it can be extremely difficult to break out and do something different without going very far out of your way.

A holiday, of course, changes all that. With an exciting change of scenery and few of the familiar fallbacks of home, you have no choice but to find a new way of doing things. Though it can be easy to quickly fall into a new routine specific to the holiday, it takes just a little effort to really take full advantage of the novelty of your surroundings – particularly given the many opportunities for new experiences you’re likely to find all around you.

Places known to draw in tourists are more likely to have attractions and activities designed to appeal to those looking to try something they might not be familiar with, so you’ll no doubt be surrounded by chances to do something out of the ordinary. For particularly unique experiences – visiting a famous landmark, for example, or sampling a local delicacy – it may even be the only chance you get to do it, adding a helpful sense of urgency where otherwise the tendency might be to leave it for another time. All of this combined can really give you a push to be bolder than usual in giving new things a go.

You’ll have more time

Let’s face it – the reason many of us don’t get a lot of chances to try something new is because there’s simply no time for it between the time we spend at work and outside commitments including looking after a family and running a household. Finding room to slot in some novel experience can often seem like too much to ask, especially if it’s something that we may not enjoy and that could therefore turn out to feel like a waste of precious time.

That’s why a holiday is an ideal time to give something new a go, where a new activity can be scheduled simply as part of the day. You can spend a good chunk of the day relaxing, and still find time to try your hand at paddleboarding, hill-walking or whiskey tasting – if it turns out not to be for you, you can head right back to your sunbed or comfy chair and you haven’t lost out too much.

It’s also a great time for family activities when everyone is guaranteed to be free, while in everyday life conflicting job schedules or school requirements can get in the way. It’s often easy to neglect spending time together as a whole family when it seems like there are a million other things that need to be done, so when you do get the opportunity it’s a great idea to make the most of it and do something new and exciting that you’re bound to remember forever.

It’ll make your holiday last longer

While we’re on the subject of time, another great reason to try something new during a holiday is that your perception of time passing actually slows down when you’re doing something unfamiliar. The reason time seems to go past faster as you get older is said to be because adults tend to fall into routines, and when the brain doesn’t have to figure out new things it operates on autopilot and the days seem to fly by. Switching things up and focusing on something new actually means you perceive time as passing slower.

So if you’ve ever wondered why a holiday unwinding by the pool or relaxing in the garden seems to go by so quickly, there’s your answer. Ironically, the key to slowing it down a little is to get active and do different things. If you want to get the most out of your holiday, consider working new experiences into your schedule, even just for an hour or two – you’ll really notice the difference, and the days won’t zoom past quite so swiftly.

This sort of thing is a great way to break up the day, really appreciate what you’re doing and how you’re spending your time, and it will make your holiday feel longer than it is. New experiences mean you’ll look back on your break and be surprised by just how much you managed to fit in to the time you had off.

We think these are three pretty convincing reasons to try new things on holiday! Of course, everyone gets different things from their time off, so no judgement if you really would rather just take the opportunity to veg out and take it easy for a while – but either way, we hope we’ve given you something to think about when you’re holiday planning.