I hate our holiday and want to go home

Just get a rental car and go out and do something. We are over for our holiday at the moment as well but I do prefer to take our car. Luckily, it's a possibility from where we live, although it takes several hours of driving.
We spent a few days in a cottage in Kent and then went off to see family. Later on, we'll stay somewhere else to meet up with old friends. We wouldn't stay with family for two weeks, though. Way too cramped, which is why we tend to book a cottage or hotel close by, depending on how long we are staying for.

Go to Birdworld!

You’re visiting for too long. Time to compromise and throw some money at the problem. Perhaps only visit one year in two so that you have the money to enjoy the time and limit the visit to 1 week.

I’ve been part of the international couple with dh’s and my parents living in 2 different countries and us in a third. Dh isn’t from the uk, which is where we have lived for a number of years now. I got fed up of our holidays just consisting of visiting family and once back in the uk, visiting fil 2 or more times a year and we drove there so have a car.

I put my foot down when dd was little. Now when we visit we stay separately and have fil over for the day once or twice, see him for lunch / dinner a couple of times with other family members then perhaps take him to visit other family another day. Once we’ve seen him. 4/5 times, a week has gone by and we move on elsewhere.

You are not being selfish to not want to spend all but 1 week of your annual holiday with your in laws.

Nobody is holding you captive. My ex lived near that area and we went all over on the train, lots of places aren't that far away. Get out and do something.

No, this isn’t on. She’s being quite selfish. It’s not reasonable of her to expect that only you have the expense of travel combined with the waste of weeks of your holiday allowance when all you are doing with it is pleasing other people. I wouldn’t pay all that money to travel just to sit in a boring house doing nothing or see in-law after in-law.

Her fear of flying needs to be dealt with. I’m not a fan of adults doing nothing about fear of flying / driving etc and making everyone else travel to them. Can she afford to fly to meet you in a place half way between you both? Or can you go to another place near her that’s actually worth visiting? Or…he goes by himself and takes the kids, if you’re happy with that. It’s his mother, after all.

@InfiniteGoodVibes if you make the choice to move 1000s of miles away do you expect your relatives to make all the effort to see you?

Mute point.

It is.

Having lived there, it made me appreciate Europe so much.

I accidentally ran a rabbit over once (which I still feel guilty about, 15 years later) but I’m not aware of any other killing sprees I’ve been on?

Why is paid holiday leave so miserly in the US? At least that's one thing we appear to do better here

@Eastre what with all the wildlife you have killed!

OP, you were never going to get much sympathy here.

I understand completely.

I have been in a similar situation. It is drudgery for the most part. Relatives don't care either. So their energy or lack of it never conspires to galvanise a great trip - plus it is the same old and bloody expensive.

You feel resentful, which is totally understandable. Until someone spends their holiday days and finances on a trip back to the place they left behind, they have little idea.

I have been there and still do it, albeit not as far away, but it still grates.

It is hard because there is an element of guilt, but seemingly all on us that do the travelling and give up the time.

It is grim. You have my sympathies.

Well, exactly.

The UK has so many beautiful places to visit but you do need to make an effort to get out and about and see it.

Or an escape game.

Yes but it doesn’t compare to USA scenery

if UK scenery is all you know then yes it’s lovely, but once you’ve seen USA scenery … UK seems a bit dull

Just have your OH take the kids next time. At least you know there's no risk of them being shot at school for a few weeks.

You're transferring your hate and resentment of your MIL to an entire country.

You're responsible for your own happiness and your own planning ahead.

Just say no in future. Pay for MILs flight to the US and tell her she needs to go on a fear of flying course. They are brilliant. If she wants to see the children that badly she'll just have to get on with it.

Alternatively, agree to come every other year only and don't stay with family the entire time. See them for a few days at the beginning and then go off around other parts of the UK for a proper holiday or even jump on a short haul flight to somewhere in Europe for the rest of the time.

Pmsl! You could make a great comedy drama about a trip like this.

First, there's plenty to do in this area (I know, because I live in it). Frensham, for example, is full of fresh air, wildlife and walks. Caesar's Camp, for another. Farnham Park. There are museums in both towns.

Whinging on the other hand because you can't be arsed, is a 'you problem'. Nothing to do with the locale. If you hate it here - stay away. Us locals can do without you and your loathing of us, Because, frankly, we're not too fond of you giving up your precious holiday time, either.

Op, it almost seems as if you set yourself up to have a miserable holiday just so you could moan about it.

you need to give yourself a shake and put some effort into the last few days v

I feel your pain. I drag my kids back home to my mother’s for two weeks every year or I never hear the end of it and there is very little for us to do. I saved up and hired a car the other year and the expense really was worth it. Thankfully we were told not to come this year as it’s not safe so we’re having an actual holiday instead but even though it wasn’t my decision I still feel so guilty 🙈

Hold the front page: Woman Books 13 day 'House Arrest in Aldershot Experience' and Is Bored shocker.

I don't really understand how you are finding everything so expensive. You will be getting a lot of ££ for your US dollars at the minute.

What exactly did you expect when you signed up for 2 weeks a someone's house and didn't hire a car. It may still be worth hiring one, often they are a lot cheaper if you don't get them from the airport.

There are some amazing places to visit if only you had thought to book a Premier Inn in London or York in advance and book train tickets when they first come out. Ditto I suspect the air fares have been bought at peak amounts at last minute with gritted teeth.

Take the DCs to London for the day, it's not going to break the bank and will give them some amazing memories and might cheer you up

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wz9jL3YNX-0

Well you knew what you were getting OP, you used to live here and can't expect for the whole of the country to have elevated itself to your requirements since you were last here. Given that, anyone with any sense would have arranged a shorter visit/sent the family without them/decided to act like a grown up who'd made her own choice and plod on through. Missing your lovely town after a week? Don't be such a wet lettuce.

You can shoot, fish and hike in THOUSANDS of places in the UK. Phone a clay pigeon shoot now and book it for one day next week, go to London for the day, go to Legoland one day. Hire a car.

Appreciate the cost, but you could be in the most diverse fun place in the world and if you stay in all day and have no cash it’ll be dire. It would be like visiting friends in Florida and staying home all day and moaning it’s boring because all the theme parks all cost money to get in, and hiring a car is expensive. If you were in Venice a coffee costs five euros. If you don’t plan days out it’ll be shite. You’ve only been gone 10 years you must be accustomed to what March in the UK is like? But I agree, don’t come next year and give MIL the heads up now that you can’t afford it.