A travel influencer has revealed five surprisingly simple tricks to squeeze more out of a city break, without spending a penny extra.
Nesha Woolery, 32, known online as @travelwithnesha_ from Birmingham, says a handful of clever habits can save travellers precious time, leaving them free to explore more, see more and make the most of every minute away.
Her unusual methods include a ‘one jacket, one scent’ rule she swears by, along with planning a late-night takeaway hours in advance.
The tricks tap into the growing idea of ‘timemaxxing’, which is all about making smarter use of your time, particularly when you’ve only got a couple of days to explore somewhere new.
And with the clocks going back and daylight hours getting shorter, even small changes could help travellers make the most of a winter city break.
“With the winter days now getting shorter, it’s even more important to make the most of every minute on a UK city break. So, here are the five timemaxxing hacks I use to do that.”
Teaming up with budget hotel chain easyHotel – which has nearly 20 locations across the UK including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham and Belfast – Nesha has shared the five travel tricks she swears by to make every minute of a getaway count.
1. Stay in the heart of the action
When planning a quick UK trip, the single biggest drain on your limited time is wasting daylight travelling between outer-suburb hotels and the central sights you came to see.
That’s why Nesha recommends choosing somewhere central, even when travelling on a budget.
“Every hour spent commuting is another hour you’re not exploring,” she says.
Nesha uses easyHotel for her city breaks, combining affordable accommodation with convenient city-centre locations, leaving more of her budget and time for the experiences she’s travelled to enjoy.
2. Have a five-minute rainy day backup
Unpredictable British weather can easily derail an outdoor itinerary, so Nesha ensures every UK city break plan has an indoor alternative.
Rather than waiting until the heavens open, she identifies an indoor alternative she can reach quickly if the weather takes a turn.
“If the weather turns, I’m just five minutes away from an indoor spot that I actually want to go to and not standing in the rain figuring out where to go,” she explains.
Whether it’s a gallery, covered market or a cosy café, having a backup means bad weather doesn’t have to mean wasted time.
3. Download your map before you leave the hotel
Nesha uses easyHotel for her city breaks, combining affordable accommodation with convenient city-centre locations, leaving more of her budget and time for the experiences she’s travelled to enjoy.
To squeeze every minute out of a UK city break, Nesha’s go-to trick is downloading an offline map and pinning all her stops before stepping out of the hotel.
“I save an offline map in Google Maps with every stop pinned so no wasting time connecting to Wi-Fi or waiting for maps to load” she says.
It means less time staring at your phone on street corners, fewer wrong turns and more time actually enjoying the sights.
4. Follow the ‘one jacket, one scent’ rule
Outfit dilemmas can eat into a UK city break, which is why Nesha sticks to a strict, fuss-free packing formula to get out the door and start exploring faster.
Nesha’s answer is a simple formula: one versatile jacket, one signature fragrance and an outfit planned for each day.
“One jacket, one signature fragrance and and I make sure to write down my outfits for each day of the trip. Less time spent deciding what to wear means more time exploring.”
The result is a lighter suitcase, fewer decisions and more time to get out and see the city.
5. Find your 2am kebab at 2pm
Perhaps Nesha’s most unusual trick for a UK city break hack is planning where she’ll grab a late-night bite long before she’s even thinking about going out.
“If I know I am staying out late, I locate the 2am kebab place at 2pm so when the night ends there is no decision making, no wandering around hungry, we just head straight there,” she says.
It might sound like taking holiday planning to extremes, but Nesha reckons a little preparation makes all the difference when you’re tired, hungry and trying to find your way around an unfamiliar city.
Nathan White, Head of Operations, UK&I and Europe, said: “With the clocks going back and daylight hours getting shorter, nobody wants to spend their precious city break wasting time getting from A to B.
“That’s what timemaxxing is really about. A little forward planning means more time exploring, discovering new places and enjoying yourself.
“Basing yourself centrally with easyHotel is the ultimate shortcut. We believe putting you right in the heart of the action means every minute you save travelling is an extra minute spent eating, exploring, and actually enjoying the city.”
Travellers can discover more and book their next city break at easyHotel.com.
