COVID-19 turned our European summer holiday into a staycation. Here's why we'll opt for another UK break next summer — even if travel goes back to normal.

• When the COVID-19 pandemic derailed travel plans, Marc Shoffman and his family traded in kids' clubs and breakfast buffets in Menorca for a summer staycation in Norfolk
• The outdoor getaway was a more comfortable option than flying — but there were still plenty of rules and social-distancing guidelines to maintain a safe bubble around guests.
• Shoffman, his wife, and their two little girls wore face masks and kept a safe distance from others as they explored nature and took part in paid organised activities, like tree-climbing and bird feeding.
• Shoffman says they enjoyed it so much, that they'll probably pick a staycation again next year, even if COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted.

Summer holidays in past years would begin with my wife, our two little girls, and me packing our car to drive to the airport for a well-earned trip abroad. School would have broken up and we would have spent much of the year saving hard for a break.

In the past, we've cruised the Mediterranean and travelled to the Spanish island of Menorca, to which we were set to return to this year until the coronavirus pandemic grounded any chance of sunshine and sangria. Instead, we drove past the junction for London Stansted Airport, towing a bike rack and boot full of clothes and food, as we continued up the M11 motorway for a summer staycation at a Forest Holidays cottage in Norfolk, on the UK's east coast.

Swapping the Balearics for bike racks

Forest Holidays has 10 sites in woodland across England, Scotland, and Wales that offer self-catering cabins, your own hot tub, and extras such as a barbecue and log burners. You can cycle around the surrounding woods, take in the wildlife and even climb trees or rent a kayak.

It was a world away from the usual mix of kids' clubs, breakfast buffets, and getting up early to reserve deckchairs. But after four months of lockdown, it was the perfect place for us to have fun within our bubble and remain socially distanced from others, safe in the great outdoors.

The rules for a safe staycation

But we still had to adapt because of the pandemic.

Usually visitors can check-in from 4 p.m. and checkout at 10 a.m., but we weren't allowed to enter before 5 p.m., and had to depart by 9 a.m. to give more time for two deep cleans of the cabin. So when we arrived, we had the day to explore the surrounding area. The girls, five and seven, made use of the on-site playground — after sanitizing their hands at the entrance — while we waited in the sun to collect our keys.

As we waited, I thought about how we could've been sitting on a crowded plane in face masks, worrying about allocated times in the hotel pool, and dreading the prospect of having to quarantine when we returned because the "air bridge" — allowing people to travel freely between two countries without restrictions — between England and Spain had been closed.

The first thing I noticed at check-in were the floor stickers telling you to stand two metres apart and posters reminding you to wear a face mask in reception and in the site's shop. I was given a sanitized pen to complete a check-in form. I then had to put the pen in a box to be cleaned before it could be used again.

Having a conversation through a face mask took some getting used to. I felt like I'd come to rob the place — but I felt a shared comradery as I looked around and saw everyone else, like me, struggling to ask questions through the muffles of personal protective equipment.

There were plenty of reassuring signals that precautions were being taken to minimize the risks of infection: Tables and chairs were spaced apart in the outdoor communal area, with signs reminding people not to move them. There are hand sanitizers around the Forest Retreat and at the playground entrance, and our key was handed to us in a plastic wrapper.

Our daughters found wearing masks in the indoor spaces exciting, and insisted they wanted to, despite the fact they didn't have to because they're younger than 11.

Keeping to your bubble

Once we drove to our cabin and walked up the steps, there was a sticker on the edge of the door that said it had been "cleaned and sealed for your safety and protection." The sticker ripped as we unlocked and pushed open the door. It felt as if we were entering an extension of our own COVID-19-safe bubble at home.

We brought our own cleaning wipes, even though all guests are given a bottle of BioGuard disinfectant spray and cleaning cloths.

From then on, it was up to us how much contact we wanted with others. We could order food including pizza or a chocolate fondue to be delivered to our door — or instead cycle for miles without seeing another face.

Some extras were temporarily unavailable due to the human contact they would require, such as an afternoon tea. But while we had no scones, there was still plenty to do, either by exploring the nature and local sites or by paying for organised activities.

Our daughters took part in a "forest ranger morning," where they made bird feeds and bravely picked up bugs (though later in the evening in the cabin they would still ask me to remove spiders). Isabelle, our eldest daughter, tried a tree-climbing session, for which we had to sign a form confirming she had no coronavirus symptoms. The instructors were careful each time they approached her, and checked we were ok with them adjusting her harness.

We felt safe and relaxed throughout and made as many fun memories, if not more, as we would have had we been in Menorca or on a cruise. A staycation lets you control how much risk you want to take — and you avoid congregating in an airport, and mixing with travellers from around the world in an overseas resort by the pool.

It was easy to forget there was a pandemic as we sat, breathing in the countryside air, basking in the sun, and, at night, staring at the stars from our hot tub.

Next summer, even if the world has mostly gone back to normal, we might skip the airport junction for another staycation.