Londoners were obsessed with day trips in 2018 (and this data proves it!)

2018 was the year Londoners got really into day trips. It doesn’t mean you loved the city any less, but, at the weekend, the call of fresh seafood, sandy beaches, cute villages, rural bike rides, enormous gardens and more was loud. Especially in the great heatwave – London’s urban beaches tried their best but last summer nothing could quite beat a genuine sea breeze.

In fact, Google searches for both ‘day trips from London’ and ‘day trips’ were at an all-time high in August 2018, according to Google Trends.

Loads of Londoners flocked to Margate to escape the sweaty confines of the Central Line this summer: 63 percent more than last summer, according to Trainline.

We couldn’t get enough coastal charm. Weekend off-peak journeys to Whitstable were also up 42 percent. While travel to Broadstairs was up 44 percent.

But it wasn’t just the seaside. We loved Winchester 115 percent more than last summer, while trips to Oxford were up 29 percent. Here's to more adventures in 2019.

Feeling inspired? Check out our guide to the best day trips from London for when you need a break from the city

Read our full list of ways London changed in 2018