South's holidaymakers choose to staycation to avoid 'horror' of travel queues
With the AA estimating the busiest Easter getaway for 8 years in the south, more people have decided to stay local this year.
Holidaymakers, including those at Back of Beyond campsite at St Leonards near Ringwood, are plumping for stress-free holidays and are choosing to avoid the roads, rail and airports.
George Blizzard from Gosport has said he would never consider going abroad for Easter having heard "the horror stories about queues in airports".
George said: "I'm not sure what precautions people are taking with regards to Covid and I'd rather be an hour away from my front door."
"What is there not to love? It's absolutely amazing. You can be out in the open fields and countryside and walks and you can get away from the normal dross of the house.
"There's no more hoovering and washing and you can just get out and enjoy yourself for a few days. It's probably the best and easiest way to travel and it's brilliant."
WATCH: People explain why they've chosen to staycation in Ringwood rather than travel abroad
Despite living only minutes from Gatwick Airport, meaning a much shorter journey to be able to travel abroad, Alison Porter is having staycation instead.
She said: "It seemed a good idea to holiday a bit closer to home while things were a bit uncertain, so we decided to buy a caravan."
"I think at the moment it's all about flexibility and ease. It's very simple and it's a short journey, there's no stress, so we didn't have to worry about the airport being busy. Once we're here, we can relax and have peace, quiet and a wonderful time."
Jules from Worthing said the appeal of a staycation in Dorset is the "lack of restrictions" and "freedom".
Similarly, Lisa from Essex said the decision to stay in the UK is all about "having our own stuff and getting on with it."
She said: "We can get up and go for nice long walks and see the local area. I tend to find with the campsites that you can get further into the countryside rather than being in a hotel where you're stuck out on a main road or near a city centre. I prefer to be able to go into a place and come back here to relax."