The Christmas decorations are slowly being returned to their dusty homes; the fridge is no longer the keeper of an army’s supply of festive foods and the radios have ceased playing the iconic Christmas classics because as much as we would love for it to be Christmas every day, sadly that is not the case. Christmas Day and New Year’s Day have come and gone with their abundance of good food, good company and good times and this of course means it is that sorrowful point of the year where all the goodwill and celebrations have ceased and we have to return desolately to our desks. However, while January can be a tough slog, what with the cold weather and the Christmas bills still cowering in our wallets, nevertheless it is still a brand new start meaning all kinds of potential lie ahead. Whatever adversity or struggles you faced in 2016, now you have a blank page upon which to write a whole new chapter and to start all over again.
Therefore, this is where New Year’s resolutions come into play because a new page means a new opportunity to change our ways. We have all heard of them and we will have all probably devised a few over the years with the best of intentions. However, it is irrefutable that while resolutions are fairly easy to come up with, they are a lot more difficult in practise. The reasoning is because normally resolutions are often related to cutting something out of lives, and that ‘something’ is normally a vice or indulgence – the things that bring us a lot of joy and pleasure, even though we know they are bad for us. Therefore, resolutions tend to pertain to goals like losing weight by cutting out bad food or to stop smoking. However, while the results of such resolutions are undoubtedly rewarding, it can be hard to get excited for the process as they require a lot of discipline. Therefore, how about balancing out your tougher resolutions with a goal that is fully rooted in fun, fulfilment and adventure with no discernible negatives? This goal will allow you to see things you may have never seen; to meet people you may have not otherwise met and to create memories that will last a lifetime. Guessed what it is yet? If not, we can only be talking about the New Year’s resolution of travelling of course!
Ok, so we know what you are thinking, travelling is expensive and normally resolutions can be associated with cutting costs. However, travelling really does not have to be all that costly when you consider staying a little closer to home and engaging in a staycation. So often people talk of wishing to travel more but this does not mean that you have to dig out your passport and fly somewhere exotic. Travelling can simply be visiting the hidden gems that are only a few hours away as even in our own hometowns, there are wonders that we will have not experienced. Sometimes the most enlightening thing we can do is experience our home town and home country through the eyes of a visitor because then we realise all the potential fun, history, beauty and culture there is to soak in which we often can otherwise ignore.
It is undeniable that most people wish they could travel more as everyone loves new experiences and to escape from their home for just a few days. However, we appreciate that time and money are both inhibiting factors that can get in the way of the dream. Therefore, this is where a city-break staycation can come into play. You can get all the excitement and cultural enrichment at a fraction of the cost and potentially without even having to take time off work. With locations in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow, we have apartments in some of the UK’s biggest and best cities full of world-class dining, attractions and entertainment. People from all over the world flock to experience the heritage and beauty of such locations and so should we! This has been validated by the fact that Scotland made Rough Guide’s 2017 list for one of the Top 10 ‘Must See’ Destinations. Not only will you get to escape from your daily routine just for a few days but you will always get to experience something new. Do not believe us? Check out just some of the fun and excitement that lies ahead in our respective locations in the coming months:
Aberdeen
Spectra Festival, Aberdeen
Festivals
Spectra – 9th Feb – 12th Feb 2017
Aberdeen Jazz Festival – 15th Mar – 19th Mar 2017
Look Again – 27th Apr – 1st May 2017
May Festival – 26th May – 28th 2017
Aberdeen International Youth Festival – July 2017
TechFest – 26th Aug – 25th Sep 2017
North East Open Studies – 9th – 17th Sep 2017
True North – September 2017
DanceLive – 12th – 28th Oct 2017
Sound – 26th Oct – 12th Nov 2017
For more details, visit https://aberdeenfestivals.com/
Birmingham
Birmingham Weekender
Chinese New Year – 29th Jan 2017
Muller Indoor Grand Prix – 18th Feb 2017
Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships – 7th Mar – 12th Mar 2017
Birmingham Pride – 27th – 28th May 2017
ICC Champions Trophy – 1st Jun – 18th Jun 2017
Aegon Classic Birmingham – 17th Jun – 25th Jun 2017
Colmore Food Festival – 30th Jun – 1st Jun 2017
Dinosaurs in the Wild – 24th Jun – 24th Aug 2017
Birmingham Weekender – 22nd Sep – 24th Sep 2017
Birmingham Comedy Festival – 6th – 15th Oct 2017
Birmingham International Marathon – 15th Oct 2017
Edinburgh
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Six Nations Rugby – Feb – Mar 2017
Edinburgh International Science Festival – 1st Apr – 16th Apr 2017
Imaginate Festival – 27th May – 4th Jun 2017
Edinburgh International Film Festival – 21st Jun – 2nd Jul 2017
Edinburgh Jazz & Blue Festivals – 14th Jul – 23rd Jul 2017
Edinburgh Art Festival – 27th Jul – 27th Aug 2017
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – 4th Aug – 28th Aug 2017
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo – 4th Aug – 28th Aug 2017
Edinburgh International Festival – 4th Aug – 28th Aug 2017
Edinburgh International Book Festival – 12th Aug – 28th Aug 2017
Scottish International Storytelling Festival – 20th Oct – 31st Oct 2017
Glasgow
Piping Live!
Celtic Connections – 19th Jan – 5th Feb 2017
The Glasgow Tattoo – 19th Jan – 21st Jan 2017
Cirque Berserk – 24th Jan – 29th Jan 2017
The Glasgow Film Festival – 15th Feb – 26th Feb 2017
Gin Festival Glasgow 2017 – 3rd Mar – 5th Mar 2017
Glasgow Book Festival – Mar 2017
International Comedy Festival – 9th Mar – 26th Mar 2017
Glasgow Science Festival: Glasgow Explores – 8th Jun – 18th Jun 2017
Summer Nights – 3rd Aug – 13th Aug 2017
Piping! Live – 7th Aug – 13th Aug 2017
Total BWF 2017 World Badminton Championships – 21st Aug– 27th Aug 2017
The Mackintosh Festival – 1st Oct – 31st Oct 2017
Have we managed to sell you on the resolution of travelling more in 2017? If so, we can further help cut the costs associated with travelling because with apartments that are capable of holding up to six persons but that are not charged per person; our serviced apartments are the perfect cost-effective alternative to hotels. This is particularly true when you consider how that as our apartments come complete with a fully-equipped kitchen and lounge, you can further cut down on the costs associated with dining out. Never tried a serviced apartment before? Well, it looks like you just found another new resolution! Book today at www.thespires.co.uk, email info@thespires.co.uk or phone 0345 270 0090.
Images
http://jaco.co/SPECTRA-Aberdeen-Festival-of-Light
https://www.visitengland.com/experience/free-events-in-september-birmingham-weekender
http://www.cntraveller.com/recommended/cities/edinburgh-festivals-guide
https://www.scotsmagazine.com/articles/things-cannae-miss-piping-live-2015/
The Spires Serviced Apartments 