Travelodge reveals over half of adults in London have made a UK bucket list during the lockdown

During the Covid-19 lockdown over half of adults living in London (57%) have taken pen to paper and created a bucket list of places and activities they want to experience in the UK post lockdown.

Londoners’ average UK bucket list consists of 25 experiences and respondents estimate it will take them around seven years to accomplish.

The research conducted by the UK’s first budget hotel chain, Travelodge, which operates 584 hotels across the UK, including 77 hotels in London, surveyed 2,000 British adults to seek their views on having a UK bucket list. Key findings revealed that over a third (35%) of Londoners think having a bucket list is a good idea as it will encourage them to try new things.  A quarter (25%) reported having a bucket list will help them to achieve their new goals in life.

A fifth (20%) of London adults reported that they have created a joint bucket list with their partner as it will enable them to spend more quality time together in the future. Whilst over a third (37%) of parents reported that they have created a family bucket list as it has helped to keep the children entertained during the lockdown and gives them something to look forward too.

The research also revealed that 48% of Londoners’ UK bucket list has been inspired from their childhood and includes experiences that they have wanted to try since they were a child.

When asked what London residents have on their UK bucket list it was revealed that we are getting back to basics and truly valuing what makes Great Britain so Great.

Their top 50 list of bucket list activities is dominated by activities around exploring Britain’s glorious countryside. This includes exploring picturesque rural locations such as the Scottish Highlands, the Peak District, the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. As well as, walking Hadrian’s Wall and climbing Ben Nevis.

Quintessentially British things are also popular activities to make Londoners’ bucket list. This includes: eating fish & chips at the seaside, having a cream tea in a tea shop in Cornwall or Devon, eating strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, indulging in a traditional afternoon tea at the Ritz and enjoying a picnic in the countryside.

London adults are also eager to experience eating a Cornish pasty in Cornwall, haggis in Scotland, Scouse in Liverpool and drinking scrumpy in Somerset.

Interestingly, iconic train journeys are also a popular activity to make Londoners’ bucket list. The most popular trips include: The Jacobite steam train voted best train journey in the world and made famous by the Harry Potter movies. The vintage steam train ride offers breath-taking views of mountains, lochs and rivers.

Other iconic train journeys to make the top 50 list include, the Snowdon Mountain train; which offers a unique rail journey to the summit of the highest mountain in England and Wales showcasing stunning scenery. The Ravenglass & Eskdale train journey offering spectacular scenery as you travel through the Lake District.

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokesperson, said: “The lockdown has certainly inspired adults in London to put pen to paper and create a bucket list, so that they can look forward to discovering what makes Britain so great after the lockdown. Interestingly quintessentially British things such as eating fish & chips at the seafront, having a cream tea in Cornwall or Devon and having a picnic in a rural setting such as the Yorkshire Dales are just some of the activities to make Londoners’ bucket list.”

“We are seeing an increase on our site, travelodge.co.uk, in searches for coastal and rural UK locations, which shows Londoners’ are eagerly planning their Staycation when it is safe to do so. Top locations include: Cornwall, Devon, Scotland, North Wales, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Brighton, Bournemouth and Blackpool.”

Detailed below are the top 50 most popular activities to make Londonders’ post lockdown bucket list

Rank Experience
1 Explore the English Riviera
2 Take a trip on the Jacobite (Fort William to Mallaig)
3 Have fish and chips and an ice cream at the sea front
4 Experience the Stonehenge summer solstice
5 Explore the Scottish Highlands
6 Walk Hadrian’s Wall
7 Explore the Peak District
8 Take a trip on the Ravenglass & Eskdale train to explore the Lake District
9 Have a picnic on the Yorkshire Dales
10 See the northern lights
11 Take a boat ride on Lake Windermere
12 Explore the Shetland Islands
13 Visit the Giants at Giants Causeway
14 Attend the Edinburgh Tattoo
15 Take a trip on the Flying Scotsman
16 Have a cream tea in Cornwall or Devon
17 Explore the Emerald Isle – Ireland
18 See the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall
19 Take a trip on the Snowdon Mountain train
20 Eat a pasty in Cornwall
21 See London on the London Eye
22 Explore the enchanted forest in Scotland
23 Climb Ben Nevis
24 Have afternoon tea at the Ritz
25 Dolphin watching in Dorset
26 Whale watching in the Isle of Mull
27 Visit Edinburgh Castle
28 Take the sleeper train from London to Edinburgh
29 Visit Canterbury Cathedral
30 Take a tour of the Houses of Parliament
31 See Nessie at Loch Ness
32 Eat Scouse in Liverpool
33 Take a tour of an English vineyard
34 Explore Westminster Abbey
35 Go to Wimbledon and eat strawberries and cream
36 Eat dinner at Gordon Ramsey’s Michelin star restaurant
37 Explore the Jurassic coast
38 See the Grand National in Aintree
39 Visit the Isle of White
40 Explore Cotswold villages
41 Visit the Cheddar Gorge
42 Explore Shetland Forest
43 Drink real scrumpy in Somerset
44 Take a ferry ride over the River Mersey
45 Go to Glastonbury
46 Eat Haggis in Scotland
47 Experience Velocity 2, Zipworld Penrhyn Quarry – world’s fastest zip ride
48 Have Sunday lunch in a traditional British countryside pub
49 Explore Buckingham Palace
50 Eat fish & chips at Land’s End

Travelodge is currently operating over 50 hotels in critical locations across the UK from Plymouth to Aberdeen to support key workers and local authorities. The company is planning to start to reopen its hotels in early July once the government gives permission for UK hotels to reopen.