About Training Day Travel

The idea behind Training Day Travel

The concept of Training Day Travel was born when I realised, at short notice, that my children’s school had a teacher training day.

Most parents are familiar with this. The school sends out a reminder a few days before, or panic breaks out on the parents’ Whatsapp group. Then there’s a mad scramble to book the teacher training day off work, or organise passable childcare arrangements.

In this case, I decided going out somewhere was better than trying to entertain the children at home. I ended up taking them to Conisbrough Castle near Doncaster.

Why teacher training days are perfect for a day out

What struck me, however, was that there was hardly anyone else at Conisbrough Castle that morning.

This teacher training day – or inset day, or Baker day as others call it – ended up being an opportunity rather than an annoyance.

Because most other schools are open for pupils, attractions don’t have nearly the same number of visitors that they would do on weekends or in the school holidays.

For middling attractions that don’t get all that many visitors anyway, this doesn’t matter all that much. But apply the principle to much bigger attractions – Chatsworth House, Alton Towers, Chester Zoo – and there’s suddenly a sweet spot where crowds are pleasantly small.

The perfect date for a day out with the kids

Training Day Travel, therefore, is about treating teacher training days as an opportunity to see Britain’s tourist attractions at their best. It’s about picking that perfect date for a day out with the kids, but without the grim queues and heavy crowds.

The site offers honest reviews of attractions around the country, from an experienced travel journalist. These reviews look at how well suited the attractions are to children, and which major cities are nearby. And, hopefully, turn an inconvenient day off work into a great day out with the family.