Staycationing in the style of abroad

Available for over a year

As tourist hotspots swing into action with the start of the school holidays, Dr Seán Williams takes a trip in a cable car on a sunny, clear day. It’s as if he’s in the Swiss Alps — except he is crossing the A6, to more of a small hill than an Alpine summit. Welcome to just one of the many Little Switzerlands across England, and around the world. We have long staycationed in the style of abroad. Seán goes on the journey of Swissophilia since the start of the 19th century. It’s a story of strangeness, outlandish comparisons, kitsch — and cottage rentals. Seán looks at picture postcard scenes, reads literature and art criticism, and is left speechless by Swiss-style follies in grand gardens. Professor Patrick Vincent from the University of Neuchâtel and travel writer Nick Hunt join him in conversation to reflect on the ways in which we view local scenes through the lens of abroad. Together, they ask: how has the familiar been made to feel more foreign in the past? Why might this uncanniness be contemporary, amid Covid-19 and climate change? Who makes sometimes far-fetched and far-flung comparisons when describing a place? And what does it all matter… is there such a thing as an authentic vacation, anyway? Producer: Mohini Patel