There is a particular kind of magic in the weeks leading up to a holiday. Daydreaming, the map scrolling, the quiet thrill of imagining yourself somewhere warmer, slower and altogether more beautiful than the daily routine. Yet somewhere between the dream and the departure lounge, the practical questions creep in. How do you actually get there without the stress of crowded airports? Where do you stay without overpaying? And what on earth do you wear once you arrive? The good news is that a genuinely brilliant getaway does not have to be complicated. With the right ferry crossing, a smart way to compare hotels, and a wardrobe full of personality, you can turn a vague fantasy into a fully formed adventure. This guide brings together three names that make each of those pieces effortless, so your only job is to relax and enjoy the ride.
The Journey Becomes Part of the Holiday
Most people treat travel as the boring bit to be endured before the fun begins. Brittany Ferries flips that idea entirely. Rather than squeezing yourself into a cramped seat and surrendering your luggage to a conveyor belt, you drive straight on board, park up, and step into an experience that feels more like a mini cruise than a commute. The moment you leave your car behind, the holiday has already started.
The appeal here is freedom. Sailing across the Channel means no baggage limits, no fuel bills for the long drive south, and no motorway tolls eating into your budget. You bring your own car packed with everything you need, including the things you would never dare cram into an aeroplane suitcase. Families travelling with children, couples planning a road trip, and even motorcyclists chasing open coastal roads all find something to love in this way of getting away.
Brittany Ferries sails direct to France and Spain, along with the charming island of Guernsey in the English Channel. From three UK ports, you can reach five destinations across Brittany and Normandy, gliding toward stunning beaches, world class cuisine and villages that feel untouched by time. If you have your heart set on somewhere further, the direct routes to Santander in Cantabria and Bilbao in the Basque Country drop you into a side of northern Spain that most tourists never see. Think dramatic coastlines, lush green valleys and a rustic charm that feels a world away from the crowded costas.
What truly sets this apart is what happens on board. Your holiday genuinely begins the moment you sail. Comfortable cabins let you rest properly, restaurants serve up proper meals rather than sad sandwiches, and there is shopping and entertainment to keep everyone happy while the miles slip by beneath you. You arrive rested, refreshed and ready to explore, which is a very different feeling from stumbling out of an airport after a delayed flight.
Then there is the matter of value. Brittany Ferries is not simply a way to cross the water. It is a full holiday company, offering package breaks that bundle your crossing with somewhere wonderful to stay. Their current deals speak for themselves. There are summer package holidays under £1,000 per week, a five day short break to France from £204, a leisurely ten day escape to Spain from £597, and a magical seven day break to France from £224. For something truly special, the Parador hotel breaks from £298 let you stay in Spain’s grand historic hotels, the kind of buildings that make you feel like you have stepped into another century.
Savvy travellers can save even more by joining Club Voyage, the membership scheme that unlocks up to 35% off future sailings, or by booking a full holiday package to enjoy up to 30% off the crossing itself. It is little wonder the company has been recognised as the Best Ferry Line at the Telegraph Travel Awards 2025 and Best Ferry Operator at the British Travel Awards 2024. When you set sail with a name this trusted, you are not just buying a ticket. You are buying peace of mind.
Find the Perfect Place to Stay, Without the Guesswork
Once you have decided where you are heading, the next great question arrives. Where do you actually sleep? Anyone who has spent an evening flicking between a dozen booking sites, jotting prices on the back of an envelope and second guessing whether they have found a good deal, knows exactly how exhausting this can be. This is precisely the problem Trivago was built to solve.
Trivago is a hotel price comparison service that does the hard work for you. Instead of hopping from one website to another, you search once and Trivago compares hotel prices from hundreds of sites at the same time. Their promise is beautifully simple. They do the searching, you do the saving. In a few seconds you can see how the same room stacks up across major booking partners, then click straight through to grab the best rate. No more wondering if the room you just booked was quietly cheaper somewhere else.
The scale on offer is genuinely impressive. Whether you fancy a city break or a coastal retreat, the choice is enormous. London alone lists more than 6,451 hotels with an average nightly price around £269, while Edinburgh offers over a thousand options and vibrant destinations like Liverpool, Manchester, York, Glasgow and Blackpool all sit ready to explore. Blackpool in particular stands out for value, with an average price of just £94 a night. And that is before you look beyond the UK to the hundreds of international destinations, from Barcelona and Paris to Dubai, Rome and the beaches of Tenerife.
One of the smartest features is the tool that helps you discover the best time to book your next stay. By showing how average prices shift month by month, it lets you plan with real intelligence rather than guesswork. You might discover, for example, that a January stay in a certain city costs a fraction of the peak summer rate, giving you the freedom to travel when your money stretches furthest.
For those who visit often, becoming a member brings extra rewards. Signing up unlocks member prices and perks, along with loyalty deals designed to save you even more. And because life rarely happens at a desk anymore, the Trivago app puts all of this in your pocket. With more than 170 million downloads and over a million five star reviews, the app notifies you when prices drop and hands you app exclusive deals you will not find anywhere else. It is the closest thing to having a savvy, price obsessed friend who checks the market for you around the clock.
Pack a Wardrobe as Remarkable as the Destination
You have booked your crossing. You have secured a brilliant hotel at a brilliant price. Now comes the fun part, and arguably the most personal. What are you going to wear? A holiday is a chance to step into a more confident, more colourful version of yourself, and there are few brands better suited to that spirit than Joe Browns.
Based in Leeds and proudly independent, Joe Browns designs personality packed clothing that is all about making you feel remarkable. This is not fashion that blends into the background. Their remarkable collections are jam packed with bold prints, rich textures and playful details, from breezy floral dresses and boho tops to funky shirts and standout footwear. If your idea of holiday style is looking like everyone else on the beach, this is not the brand for you. If, on the other hand, you want pieces that spark conversation and reflect your individuality, you have found your home.
The Holiday Shop is the obvious starting point for any trip. Here you will find the flowing dresses, relaxed separates and warm weather essentials that make packing a joy rather than a chore. Beyond the holiday edit, the range spans women’s and men’s clothing, footwear, gifts and even beautiful homeware collections to bring a little of that holiday feeling back into your own space long after the tan has faded.
Crucially, Joe Browns designs with real people in mind. The brand offers extended and plus sizes as well as petite ranges, so you can find pieces that fit and flatter whatever your shape. Shopping is refreshingly easy too. There is free UK returns, so you can order with confidence, and flexible payment options including Klarna and PayPal in 3 let you spread the cost of that new holiday wardrobe. With physical stores to browse in person, a long loved catalogue to flick through, and an Inspiration and Ideas blog bursting with styling tips, the brand makes it genuinely enjoyable to put together looks you will love. There is even a chance to win a £100 gift voucher when you sign up, and a refer a friend scheme that hands you £10 off for sharing the love.
The joy of dressing for a holiday is that it lets you be a little braver than usual. A bold print you might hesitate over at home suddenly feels perfect against a sun drenched Spanish square or a windswept Brittany beach. Joe Browns exists for exactly those moments, giving you permission to be the most vivid version of yourself.
Bringing It All Together
Picture the whole thing now. You load the car with everything you need, no baggage weigh in required, and roll onto a Brittany Ferries ship bound for the French or Spanish coast. You dine well, sleep soundly in a cosy cabin, and wake up somewhere beautiful, already relaxed before you have even reached your accommodation. Waiting for you is a hotel you found in minutes through Trivago, booked at a price you know is competitive because you compared hundreds of sites in a single search. And when you step out to explore that first evening, you do it in something from Joe Browns that makes you feel wonderful, an outfit as full of character as the place you have travelled to see.
Three brands, three problems solved, one seamless summer to remember. The journey, the stay and the style, each handled by a name that genuinely cares about getting it right. The beauty of pulling these pieces together is how much stress simply disappears. You are no longer juggling airport queues, price comparison headaches and last minute wardrobe panics. Instead, every element works in your favour, leaving you free to focus on the only thing that really matters, which is enjoying yourself.
So this year, do not settle for the ordinary. Let Brittany Ferries turn your travel into an adventure in its own right. Let Trivago make sure every night of your stay is a smart, great value choice. And let Joe Browns dress you in colour, confidence and character from the first morning to the last. The perfect summer escape has never been more within reach. All that is left to do is decide where the road, and the sea, will take you.
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