Getting away from it all is an excellent wellbeing-booster, offering a welcome change of routine, a mood-enhancing taste of adventure and the chance to improve our relationships with the people we share our escape with.
Embracing the opportunity to hop in your car, hit the open road and enjoy a break from the ordinary is one of life’s relatively unsung joys – and the Peugeot 2008 is the car designed to help you make the most of every adventure.
A compact and agile SUV, the 2008 is robust, offers moderate off-road capabilities (so you can escape to the countryside without fear of bumpy dirt tracks), and is brilliantly comfortable for long journeys designed for exploration. It’s available in hybrid or all-electric, so take your pick.
Its 10-inch HD colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto is ideal for helping you navigate your way around the best beauty spots, while a generous modular boot space means you don’t have to pick and choose what to take with you.
Add in an active safety brake, rear parking sensors and driver vigilance camera – all come as standard across the 2008 range – and you’ve got a ride that’s as safe as it is assertive.
As if that wasn’t enough inspiration for your next escape, we spoke to 13 people who took to the road to escape the ordinary and enjoy the best the UK has to offer – transforming their outlook along the way.
‘A zipline was on my bucket list,’ says Rowena Burch, 70, from Essex
Last year, my husband Rick and I got together with some of our children and grandchildren and headed to Penrhyn quarry, near Bethesda, in north Wales to take on the fastest zipline in the world. It was in aid of my 70th birthday: the zipline was on my bucket list, and it was an adventure we could all have a go at. I was ready to have some fun and do something a bit different. We drove to Wales in two cars, and stayed in an Airbnb.
As I stood at the top of the one-mile zipline and realised how high up we were, I had a moment where I asked myself: “Are you mad, woman?” But when I leapt into the unknown, the speed was exhilarating. It was such an adrenaline rush, and a moment to feel proud of.
My philosophy is “use it or lose it”, and the experience made me reflect on how my grandmothers would never have been able to do such a thing at 70. Times and lifestyles have changed so much – I might be 70, but I’m not old, and our trip to Wales helped prove it.
‘We’re cherishing every moment together,’ says Kirstie Newton, 53, from Truro, Cornwall
Last August my partner Wailim and our 15-year-old daughter Sho-Yin went on a road trip: we started at the Sidmouth folk festival, followed by hiking in south Devon and a trip from Cornwall to Edinburgh with stop-offs in Bristol, Chester and Glasgow. My daughter was about to start her GCSE exam year, so this felt like a last hurrah before buckling in for one of life’s more challenging transitions.
Sho-Yin was keen to explore Edinburgh, where we enjoyed a few days of culture, history and a ghost tour, as she’s thinking about going to university there, and we also explored Roman Chester because she wants to study ancient civilisations at A-level. We dropped into Loch Lomond and the Kelpies, at the Helix park in Falkirk, too.
It won’t be long before Sho-Yin leaves home and makes her own plans in her free time, so we cherish every moment like this.
‘It was a welcome break from normal life,’ says Jessica Ross, 35, from Dorset
Life is hectic: my husband Jordan and I have a two-year-old daughter, and recently had a baby boy. We’re still dealing with the after-effects of a traumatic birth, and we haven’t had much time together as a family since Jordan’s two-week paternity leave ended.
A break was definitely needed, so in April, we drove from Poole in Dorset to Kilmarnock in Scotland to celebrate my brother-in-law’s 30th birthday. He and his wife have recently welcomed a newborn of their own, so it was an opportunity for us to meet each other’s babies. As my husband’s family are all in Scotland we don’t get to see them often, so it was lovely to have four generations in the room.
We made the journeys there and back over two days so we had time for regular stops at soft plays and farm shops. It also gave Jordan and me time to reconnect and catch up – we usually only get an hour together once the kids are in bed and the housework is done. It was just the relaxing break we needed.
‘It’s the chance to be a human being – not just a human doing,’ says Gemma Treeby, 44, from Lincolnshire
After suffering from burnout a few years ago, I underwent rapid transformational hypnotherapy, which encouraged me to make some big improvements to my life. As well as training in the practice myself so I can help other women, I gave up drinking – and one of the best side-effects of that decision has been the freedom to tour the UK. Having a car gives you so much more scope to get off the beaten track.
My life is pretty crazy: I work in higher education and run an online hypnotherapy and coaching business. It can make it really hard to switch off, as I’m constantly on the road or on a screen, so the chance to get out in nature is a great way to reset.
I recently moved to north Lincolnshire, so last summer my best friend Rachel and I spent a couple of days exploring and soaking up history. A few days away enjoying quality time by yourself or with people you care about is a great way to disrupt that treadmill feeling of going through the motions of life and work. It’s the chance to be a human being – not just a human doing.
‘A week of quality time together was very welcome,’ says Jess Jackson, 34, from Mirfield, West Yorkshire
After a gruelling custody battle, I wanted to reconnect with my children, who are 10 and four, so we hopped in the car and took a family trip to Scotland. As a single mum, I couldn’t afford a holiday abroad, so I found a mobile home with a hot tub near Stirling for us to stay in.
We love a good road trip, so it was a really welcome break. Spending a week of quality time together, just the three of us, was wonderful. We had little adventures every day, including walking through the local villages, seeing the Kelpies, going to the beach, visiting the Japanese Garden at Cowden and going to Stirling Old Town Jail.
Since then we’ve been on more adventures together, enjoying road trips through Ireland and France and driving to London for sightseeing and rugby matches. I much prefer driving to public transport as I can fill the car with everything the kids need. Driving affords me freedom, and means I can make more memories with my children.
‘Our break from the daily grind put things in perspective,’ says Sarah Waters, 33, from West Sussex
Last year, my partner Ben and I went on a two-week road trip, travelling from our home in West Sussex to Ben’s parents up in the Lakes, then on to Bute, Glencoe, Skye, Ullapool, Durness, Inverness, the Cairngorms and Edinburgh.
We both work nine-to-five jobs and hadn’t had more than a week off at a time in years, so we decided it was about time we enjoyed a good long break to do something totally different. Neither of us are beach holiday people, we prefer dramatic landscapes.
Getting away into nature really puts things into perspective – it definitely helped us to de-stress, and we enjoyed the journey as well as the destinations. Spending time in the car is a great opportunity to connect because you can’t get distracted by phones and screens.
‘We were able to create a memory that was just for us,’ says Jaime Breitnauer, 47, from Bristol
Our eldest teen has complex SEN, and at 14, his brother Eli is technically a young carer. It means he can be overlooked at times, and perhaps doesn’t get as much parental attention as we – and he – would like. So over the Easter holidays, with the weather looking pretty good, I suggested to Eli that the two of us escape to Wales for a cheeky spring break.
My husband and older son stayed at home, while we drove to Llwyn-onn reservoir in the Bannau Brycheiniog, where there’s a stunning walk set within the national park [formerly known as the Brecon Beacons]. Over the next few days, we enjoyed a lovely break with camping, playing board games and taking in the scenery.
Our life can be very functional, so it was wonderful to have time where Eli could be at the centre of things. It brought us closer together and gave us the chance to create a memory that was just for us. We definitely felt more positive when we got home.
‘I came home feeling connected and happy,’ says Lucy Hemming, 49, from Staffordshire
Quitting alcohol five years ago was a gamechanger for me. Alcohol wasn’t a daily occurrence, but it had become an unhealthy habit, and I recognised how much better I felt when I took a break. After quitting, it made me feel so much better I trained to become a Sober Club Coach myself.
Being sober has made me more adventurous. I used to find the idea of camping overwhelming – waking up in a tent with a hangover was never much fun. But since I quit drinking I’ve become more spontaneous, and going away for a few nights can be the recharge I need.
Last summer my husband and I decided to drive with our two daughters to a campsite in Abersoch, north Wales, where my brother parks his caravan for the season. I work in football, so the weekend was a rare one off. I literally had a 72-hour window to do something fun, and it was lovely for us to catch up with my brother, sister-in-law and their cousins.
It reminded me how important experiences are rather than flash holidays, and I came home feeling connected and happy – if a little unkempt!
‘We take the kids to see our childhood holiday haunts’ says Catherine Lofthouse, 45, from Leicestershire
My husband Dee is coming up to retirement, and it’s made him a bit nostalgic for times and places he knew long ago. It’s also been a busy time for us all lately, so we wanted to have a bit of time away – somewhere Dee associates with a gentler pace of life and spending lots of time together as a family.
He grew up about an hour from the coast, so in April we drove with our three boys to Walton-on-the-Naze and the Essex sunshine coast – places he went on holiday to when he was a child. It was lovely to see the boys digging in the sand, paddling in the sea and looking for sharks’ teeth among the shingle, just like generations of children before them, including their father. He shared lots of stories and sights from his childhood, so it became a wonderful connection between him and the boys.
‘Our break gave us time to reconsider what really matters,’ says Alice Davies, 36, from Leigh-on-Sea
My partner Luke and I both work in industries that give us set dates of annual leave, so it’s rare that our time off overlaps. When it does, we like to jump in the car for our getaways rather than using public transport. We find going on an adventure by road much more freeing: you can leave when you want to; pack what you want; enjoy a perfected playlist; and, when staying somewhere remote, having a car at your disposal certainly helps.
Last summer we finally got time off together, so we headed to the Peak District for a well-earned, week-long break. We spent our time hiking, visiting pubs, reading and playing board games – when we’re away, we like to switch off from tech as much as we can.
Daily work stress can grind you down, but our getaway reminded us that work isn’t the most important thing, helped us to recharge and gave us time to reconsider what really matters.
‘We have such great beauty and history in this country,’ says Suzanne Roynon, 60, from Hertfordshire
Big birthdays herald a new beginning, so my upcoming 60th felt like a perfect opportunity to recharge and spend some quality time with my best friend Gert. We’ve been friends for 59 years, and although it takes effort to spend time together, it’s always revitalising.
We took a week out to explore bits of Britain I’ve driven past loads of times, but never had a chance to look at properly, and treated it as an early birthday celebration. We had a different hotel booked for each night and met up for a road trip that began in Somerset, then moved down across north Devon, back into south Somerset, then to Wiltshire.
Being in glorious countryside with far-reaching views and rich blue skies was incredibly uplifting – as a feng shui specialist, it really filled my cup. There was a lot of laughter and putting the world to rights, and leaping out of the car to explore new places, climb random hills, follow hidden footpaths and eat delicious local food.
We have such great beauty and history in this country, and it was a joyful week. It was a bit like falling in love, but with an experience rather than a person.
‘It was a great way of connecting with my son and grandson,’ says Graham Mullender, 66, from Benfleet
Goodwood Revival is an annual event that recreates the vintage racing that was held at the Goodwood Motor Circuit near Chichester until the 1960s, and my oldest son Kyle has always wanted to go. It’s quite expensive, but Kyle’s 40th birthday was coming up, so I bought tickets to last year’s event for me, Kyle and my grandson River who is also into cars.
Kyle lives 130 miles from my home in Benfleet, Essex, and we’re all a long way from Goodwood, so we broke up the journey with a stop-off at my brother’s place in nearby Worthing. This was the first time the three of us had gone out together without my wife, daughter-in-law and other grandchildren, so we went all-in and dressed up in 60s gear.
We had a great day watching the racing, browsing the cars and aircraft on display and taking in the atmosphere. It did us good to bond over a hobby we’re all passionate about, and we left knowing it was an experience we’d look back on fondly for years to come.
‘Adventure isn’t just about where you go, it’s about how you experience it,’ says Mark Wilkinson, 55, from Surrey
My wife Emma and I (and our French bulldog Frankie) have recently returned from a wonderful weekend in Bournemouth. We’re both serial entrepreneurs and we’ve been busy, so quality time together can be hard to find.
A number of years ago, I made the decision to give up alcohol as part of a much bigger shift in how I chose to live my life. It became a cornerstone of what I call Life Remixed – a philosophy and coaching framework I’ve built that helps people redesign their lives from the inside out.
Since going sober, my world has expanded massively. I’ve travelled across the UK by car, embracing the freedom of the open road with complete presence and energy: no hangovers and no compromise.
Our trip to Bournemouth was just what we needed: a welcome break that gave us a change of scenery and some “us” time. For me, adventure isn’t just about where you go, it’s about how you experience it, and removing alcohol has allowed me to experience life – and every journey – at a completely different level.
Find out more about how the Peugeot 2008 can unleash your adventurous side
