I hate our holiday and want to go home

Uk is beautiful London and Cornwall or devon or Norfolk or Dorset get out there. Don’t sit in someone’s house!

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

Ridiculous comparison, @Eastre

I come from the UK and live in Australia. They are entirely different and each extremely beautiful in their own way. Comparisons are entirely pointless. And yes, I've been to the USA too.

Oh please. You're English. You know the weather is rubbish at this time of year.
You have children, so what consideration did you give them?
A: Plan a more interesting UK holiday - you don't have to spend all 13 days with SIL in her house with nothing to do.
B: Invite and pay for MIL to visit you off-season every other year. You can do it for under $1000. It doesn't involve your holiday leave - and she might be useful in terms of helping with the kids/ your home in the US.
C: Once you've trained up MIL - use your remaining $3000 annual holiday spend to go away with husband and leave MIL to babysit in US.
I can't believe you've been this much of a miserable muppet for the past 10 years, year-after-year and are still married???

I’m not being funny but a holiday is what you make it. Stop being a moaning Minnie and get on and do something with your time. It wouldn’t cost too much to hire a car for a few days. If you’re spending 4k on a holiday a couple of hundred is nothing. It’s like you came here with the idea you’d hate it and are doing nothing to change it.

Hmm, not sure if you want advice, or are just getting off your chest how much you dislike the uk?! Not everything is so bad in that area as previous posts have stated. Enjoy the spring in the park in Farnham, there's certainly nothing like uk spring in usa. Then you can get back to the chlorinated chicken and fast food in usa!

This made me laugh a lot. Fancy a day out, I know, I'll go to fleet. Where there is precisely fck all 😂

Perfectly nice place to live of course, but not for a wander!

And Woking, dear god. Really are scraping the barrel. Both aldershot and Farnham stations go straight into London Waterloo in less than an hour. Get out there and do some stuff. Or Alice holt as suggested, could prob get to the coast in an hour too.

Aldershot... Says it all.

I don’t get this. It’s illegal to smoke inside any public place in the U.K. I certainly dont see that much smoking outside - no more than the US.
and you’ve clearly never been to Vegas!

It’s really not an important skill unless you’re a hunter or prepper………

When are you seeing your family and friends?

Next time you have to come to Europe, stay in a camping site, in a cheaper place in Europe, in a warmer period that coincides with SiL childrens’ school holidays. MiL can take the train

Still my experience and comparison.

To be fair, Aldershot was voted one if the most depressing places in the U.K. But you must have known that OP, if you used to live there!

Taking 5 year-olds shooting is diabolical though. I don't think many would want to join you on that particular holiday. MAGA lot possibly? Middle of nowhere, shooting the wildlife. I think I'd rather be stuck in Farnham, and that really is saying something!

hope OP is ok, this thread has definitely come down harsh on her for the most part.

can sympathise with her feelings but at the same time, 3 weeks and she didn’t even try to go anywhere at all. I mean I get u5 childcare but it can’t be that much more of an issue than rural USA? Or the fact they’ve done this for 10 years, 5 without kids and she has no idea what to do? Smells fishy

also no friends that she can visit here even just for a day? It makes no sense.

Scotland then maybe! The Highlands and Islands are supposed to be epic.

Woking and Fleet 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫
You're close to New Forest, South Hampton, all the beaches down that way, London the other way, trains, coaches, rent a car, it’s Easter school holidays. Come on. Who drinks tap water? Get a filter jug if it’s that bad! I’m not the UK’s biggest fan as I grew up in Australia and spent time in several other countries but one can adjust for a holiday. You’re in a pretty decent area if you explore more than 15 minutes away!!

It sounds utterly crap: dont your family to visit?

I hate staying at people houses. I think 3-4 nights is the max

Can't you go somewhere else to break it up? A few days with family at the beginning and end of the fortnight would be the best idea

I would offer to pay MILs air fare as her Christmas gift next year. Cheaper than 4k and lots of vacation days. Then her and DH can explore your area together and you can work. If she chooses not to use the ticket due to fear thats on her. Any guilt trip can be counteracted with her having a ticket paid for, sat waiting.

im sorry but this is simply down to your poor planning. Why didn’t you plan sightseeing/ activities to do, go see friends. Go a week to somewhere else in The UK. Of course you are going to be bored spending two weeks with the in-laws

Well it seems your experiences on your visits are very different to my daily experiences living here.

Go back home lov...byeeeee!!!

Cigarette smoke is probably least of the USA problems!

Hire a car

Tbf I think the same as op. I’m in Scandinavia and when I go to London or Edinburgh it’s sickening feeling the smoke outside pubs or in the street. Or even outside shops. Went to a TK Maxx in Edinburgh and there was a gang of about 10 women smoking just outside so you had to walk through it. And they just tutted. So disrespectful and disgusting. But, I do love the UK and would rather go there than the USA.

And in real life this would not happen for most people, if you live on different continents. Did your parents move to a different continent?