A Festive Thank You and Holiday Wishes from UK Travel Planning

The lights are up, the markets are humming, and we’re taking a quiet moment to say thank you. This festive check-in is our love letter to the UK travel community that carried us through a milestone year—every listen, share, question, and review made the journey brighter and bolder.

We share the simple joys that make a British Christmas feel special: mince pies in a cosy pub, the pop of a cracker and those wobbly paper crowns, twinkling streets in market towns, and the King’s Speech as a gentle pause in the day. Think of it as a pocket guide to seasonal atmosphere—small rituals that turn a winter trip into a memory you’ll reach for again and again.

You’ll also hear from friends who bring the UK to life on the ground. Sally Ann from North Coast Explorer Tours beams in from Scotland’s far north with stories of puffins, dolphins, red deer, rainbows, sunsets, and sometimes the northern lights, plus winter’s quieter pleasures of coastal walks and fireside evenings. Lisa at Go Cotswolds sends warm wishes and an open door for 2026, reminding us why stone villages and rolling paths never lose their magic. And from the capital, Discover Real London shares a cheerful London welcome for the year ahead. XFA Cars rounds things out with practical holiday travel cheer - stay safe, keep plans flexible, and let the festive spirit lead the way.

We’re taking a short break to enjoy the holidays, then we’re back with our final show of 2025: a lively roundup of standout moments, UK travel highlights, and a peek behind the scenes at the numbers you helped us hit. If you’re planning a winter trip, this update is a warm nudge toward the best of the season - lights, markets, and the joy of slowing down in places that reward unhurried wandering.

If this little festive postcard made you smile, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves the UK, and leave a quick review. What’s the one British holiday tradition you can’t wait to try?

📝 Show Notes - Episode 180

🎧 Listen to next:

• Episode 170 – Essential Tips for Visiting London at Christmas and New Year
• Episode 154 Winter Travel in London and the UK From Coastal Walks to Christmas Magic
• Episode 169 – Scotland Travel Tips: 15 Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Chapters

• 0:00 Festive Welcome And Gratitude
• 0:50 UK Christmas Traditions To Enjoy
• 1:06 Holiday Break And Year-End Preview
• 1:40 Partner Messages From Scotland
• 3:36 Wishes From Cotswolds And London
• 4:17 Safe Travels And Closing Wishes

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Join us for a quick festive check-in as we say thank you, share a few UK Christmas traditions and pass on holiday wishes from our partners. Hello and welcome everybody to the penultimate episode of UK Travel Planning Podcast for 2025. We are both here with a short festive message as we head into the festive season. Now we would like to say a huge thank you for tuning in throughout the year, for sharing the podcast with other travelers, and for being part of our wonderful UK travel planning community. We appreciate every single listen, download, question, and review. It truly means a lot to us.

SPEAKER_05: 0:50

If you're in the UK over the festive season, enjoy the sparkling lights, Christmas markets, mince pies, pubivos, and the all-important Christmas Day crackers. And don't forget the King's Speech is on Christmas Day, and it's truly a magical season to be in the UK.

SPEAKER_01: 1:05

It really is. Now we're taking a short break next week to enjoy the holidays, and then we'll be back the following week with our final episode of the air. Can you believe it? Final episode of 2025 Doug. It's flown by. So that'll be a whole 51 episodes we'll have done this year. Now, that episode will be a special roundup of the best podcast moments, plus our UK travel highlights of 2025, and a few fun stats from behind the scenes the podcast, which will be interesting to share because we did pass a massive milestone uh in a few months ago, actually in August, for the podcast.

SPEAKER_05: 1:39

Um but yeah, but before we sign off, we also have some lovely holiday wishes from a few of our partners who supported the show throughout this year.

SPEAKER_03: 1:50

Hello everyone, this is Sally Ann from North Coast Explorer Tours on the North Coast of Scotland. And on behalf of Robert and myself, we'd like to say a big thank you to Tracy for letting us be part of this wonderful podcast series, and thank you to all of you too for listening. It's been so much fun meeting some of you this year and showing you the delights which the far north of Scotland can offer. We've seen puffins and dolphins and red deer, as well as rainbows and sunsets and the northern lights too. Oh, and of course a few Highland cows. We know these are always important for our visitors. So, if this tempts you and you're having even the smallest thought about visiting our beautiful lesser travelled part of Scotland, please do get in touch and we'd love to have a chat. Although winters are quiet season, we love the chance to enjoy some coastal walks, a wee festive concert or two, and of course some cozy nights in by the fire. But our research continues as Robert delves into his ever-growing library of books on the Scottish Highlands, and together we head out and continue to discover some new places. So please do spare us a thought as we wrap up and face some of those wild wintry Scottish days. However, for now, wherever you are and whatever you are up to, we'd like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and an enjoyable holiday season. And as they say in Scotland, slangevar. Or good health to you all.

SPEAKER_00: 3:36

Hi, it's Lisa from Go Cotsworlds here. We have loved meeting so many UK travel planning fans on our tours of the Cotsworlds this year, and we hope to welcome many more to the Cotswolds in 2026. From the Go Cotswolds family to the UK travel planning family, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

SPEAKER_02: 3:55

This is Ollie here at Discover Real London, and I wanted to wish you guys, all the community at the UK travel planning community, a very, very happy Christmas and a happy new year from everyone of my team here in London. And we look forward to welcoming you here in 2026.

SPEAKER_04: 4:17

Hi everyone, this is XFA Cars, wishing you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful festive season. Wherever you're traveling this season, stay safe, enjoy the ride, and keep the festive spirit alive.

SPEAKER_05: 4:30

So, from both of us, we wish you a joyful and relaxing holiday season.

SPEAKER_01: 4:34

Enjoy the break, enjoy the planning, and we'll see you very soon for our end of year roundup episode.