CHILDREN HAVE NEVER HAD A HOLIDAY! MASSIVE GUILT!

Sounds like you need some new friends!

Me too, Sunny Co. Waterford or Wexford, 70 minutes from home.
The best memories.

I thought you were going to say you always stayed home - which is what we did until I was about 8, as we couldn't afford anything else. Going away somewhere different for 4 nights is a holiday. Obviously it's not a big overseas trip, but it's still a holiday. There's no need at all for you to feel guilty. (Even if they'd never been away anywhere, because you're saving for a house, that's still nothing to feel guilty over. Most people have to prioritise in life.)

Adding to the chorus of support, of course it’s a holiday. Tell your friend (she really isn’t, obviously) to give her snobbish, superior head a wobble as she fucks right off.

Echoing the other comments, caravans totally count as holidays and have been the favourite type for my kids for years! If you did fancy venturing overseas, we found campsites in France cheaper than UK ones, even with the price of a ferry added on.

So much outdoor freedom with a caravan holiday. All my childhood holidays were in a caravan. I have the best memories, and so will your children.

I’m glad OP 🥰

Ignore her.

My children loved those holidays, we only went abroad when DD was 14, DS was 9.

DD had been twice before DS was born.

It's really not worth it unless it is easily affordable.

We're going to Spain this year, it was a ball ache making monthly payments.

I won't be going next year.

Ah OP , stop feeling bad .. Your friend is talking rubbish .
You’re doing great 😊.. Of course away in caravan breaks are holidays 🤗… Also , you’ve mentioned you always do nice family outings together, well then , what more could you ask for 🤷🏻‍♀️
Don’t mind her ..
Well done on saving for your new house , I hope you & your family will be very happy x

With friends like this who needs enemies.

You do what's right for your family. Strangely I think your friend must be jealous of you in some way to talk like this. Perhaps you have a close knit family that she does not have (e.g. you speak of MILs caravan). If your kids enjoy going to MILs caravan then be grateful and don't tell MIL her caravan is not a holiday - she might withdraw the offer!

I am another who never left the UK until I was 15. But LOVED my childhood holidays having a week on the coast at a Butlins-style holiday camp nearly every year!

My 9 year old has been overseas and had a nice time but is mainly interested in the pool and beach which could be anywhere. She is desperate to sleep in a caravan and we're going to do that next year.

Holiday is any place away from home where all the family is having fun.

Well in that case I didn’t have a holiday until I was 26. Didn’t go abroad until 19 and never longer than 5 days.

What a bitch.

Probably one of those people who thinks a trip on the UKnis a "staycation"....

A holiday is what you want it to be. You can camp in your own garden and call it a holiday if you want.

The first time i went abroad was with school when i was 16 on a field trip. Mum worked her socks off to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, I started working at 11 to help.
we would go away either to the beach or to the lake district for a few days in the summer as our holliday!

I loved it, and never felt that i wasn't getting a holliday! a few nights camping/caravaning is great!!

Any break away from home, change of scenery, no work/school is a holiday to me! I would have absolutely loved a caravan holiday as a child.

There is so much to recommend this sort of hol with young kids. Less chance of sunburn, a degree of safe outdoor freedom, familiar food and no dealing with airports/flights.

What your (rude) friend probably means is that she wouldn't want that as a holiday but who asked her? It's not as if you would invite her along!

My mam couldn't travel abroad due to ill health, we also had an awkward custody agreement from a bad divorce that meant she would have needed permission from my abusive father.

I had great holidays, bus to blackpool and a B&B mostly... I often hear middle class people slag off Blackpool as 'tacky' but they obviously have never experienced the joy of it through childhood eyes. It was awesome.

My oldest has been abroad twice, my young two never (they have had caravan holidays like you describe). Until very recently in history going abroad wasn't that common for most families, a trip abroad could be once in a life time so not a necessity.

Your friend is ridiculous , loads of children don’t get to go abroad or indeed on any holidays at all . Yours go to a caravan holiday and frankly 4 days is plenty for lots of people , I find 3 days anywhere is perfect for me .

Your friend is silly!

My 9 year old DS has been on lots of foreign holidays, he recently told us that the best place in the world is Blackpool, and he wishes he could go every year. When asked if he would prefer a holiday to Mexico or Blackpool, he said Blackpool.

We only had 2 foreign holidays as a child because my mother hates the sun, every other holiday was a week in Ballater in Scotland, it remains my favourite place to this day, I have the most amazing memories.

your 'friend' is unkind and nasty and clearly not a friend.

some of the best times DS had when little was staying in a caravan on the beach.

my only advice would be get a new friend

She is NOT your friend. Real friends would support your choices not demean or slag them off.
Sorry to say it OP but like a lot of MNers you really need to raise the bar for friendships and what you expect from them it's give and take from both sides.

Your 'friend' is talking absolute bollocks OP, and she's not being a great friend to try and make you feel bad.

When did this strange shift happen in UK culture that some people seem to think that a holiday always involves leaving the country? Not true at all. You are giving the kids a lovely time, it suits their needs and also helps you save for things that will obviously improve the life of the whole family!

As a kid our parents never took us abroad (couldn't afford it) and we usually went to my grandparents' caravan in Norfolk. I can still remember the absolute joy I used to feel! A wonderful feeling, the only other times I felt as happy as that was Christmas. Your children are not missing out, set your mind at rest.

Meh, you’re friends a dick head. Does she, perhaps spend all her money on things for the ‘gram and is (not so) quietly resenting your pragmatic approach to spending priorities?
Putting you down to feel better about her own choices is not the action of a friend. Bin her.