To be annoyed at partner booking a trip…

You said it was what a “normal married couple” does. We have separate finances, always have, that too is fairly common.

Eh?

We have both a joint account and separate accounts, but if I buy something from the joint account, it doesn’t come with a neon sign saying “£50 on some new whisky glasses and decanter for DH’s birthday”. It says “£50 at John Lewis”

The only thing I’d want is to be asked first, rather than told that’s where I’m going and when.

Which is exactly the point! If you were asked first, you’d say “sounds great”

If OP were asked first, she’d say “sounds like a lot of travel for a short amount of holiday, why don’t we go to the lakes for a couple of nights which only takes 2.5h to drive and then we’ll have our own car to explore”

You'd have a separate credit card that's paid out of the joint account for presents etc. A trusting couple that are both sensible with money would not question what each one is spending on the joint. I'm not saying it's for everyone but it is fairly common.

5 hours is not a short flight.

Well, that’s two breakfasts, lunches and evening meals made for you, two nights in a hotel and a change of scenery. That’s in exchange for two short flights. I can’t see why you’d feel so flat and disappointed tbh. The only thing I’d want is to be asked first, rather than told that’s where I’m going and when.

Nor do you. And OP has fucked off so we’ll probably never know.

Also I wonder how different the responses would be if OP said:

Looking at these cheap flights:

Saturday NCL - LPA 12:00pm departure, 4:45pm arrival

Monday LPA - NCL 09:00am departure, 1:45pm arrival

It will probably take 1-2 hours from landing to passport control, transfer/taxi to hotel so we won’t arrive until 7pm. Then we need to check in, freshen up for dinner, have dinner and will probably go to bed.

1 full day in the sun on Sunday. But we will need to pack in the afternoon/evening and won’t be able to have a late night due to having to be up at 6/7am to travel back to the airport.

I can guarantee most posters would be saying “what’s the point in that?” “That’s ridiculous” “Go to mainland Spain or somewhere with a shorter flight”.

It‘s as if most posters on here lack common sense and really have no idea the logistics involved. They just love to stick the boot in and call a woman “spoilt” and “ungrateful”.

Err yes. But you don't know if it's from a joint account or if OP has to pay her cost back.

I agree, and I’d be annoyed with that. That’s a plan that you discuss.

We went to Gran Canaria last month, left our house at 8am and didn’t get there until nearly 7pm. It’s a 5 hour flight without including airport time, transfers, and possible delays, just for 1 full day somewhere.

Somewhere closer would have been great, but GC is not worth it IMO.

Why? Not even as there's any time difference lol

You would eat anyway. Bus to and from each airport . No need for car hire and all that malarkey

You have to pay for them on booking so I'm not sure where you are coming from It's likely to be Ryanair or jet 2

well then count me easily pleased.

you can go for longer if you really love it later. It sounds like a cheap giggle. What else would you do - sit around all weekend on ur arse watching telly. You can do that on the sodding plane.

Hmm I regularly fly to Bangkok. Arrive late afternoon and still able to enjoy a meal / drinks out that night

People go to new York for 2 nights so not much difference

Also done sat trips to Mallorca and Costa del sol. It's no biggie

Being annoyed at your partner being proactive booking a nice trip away, some of us would kill for that 😂

There’s no such thing. I couldn’t live with no money to call my own to be spent entirely at my own discretion. How do you buy your OH a present?

What do you mean? We each buy what we want to as long as the money is there.

Its a nice thought but in reality if you don't land til 5pm, it could easily be 7pm before you get to your hotel, and if you fly at 5pm on Monday you'll need to be at the airport by 3pm.

But I would still go!!!

For £40 I'd just go and make the most of it. Would take as long and cost more to go to London from Newcastle.

I too don't see the point of such a short break. It's a lot of effort for a little reward.

However, the fact the flights were only £40 each means that to my mind, it was worth him taking a punt to see if you wanted to go. At such a bargain price, probably there was no time for him to check with you first.

If I were you I would just say no thank you, and let him go on his own. Very little money has been wasted and it's no trouble to you if he goes.

YANBU

There’s some absolutely ridiculous comments on here.

If it was mainland Spain or the Balearics - no problem! But to Gran Canaria, where flight time can be up to 4hours 45mins is fucking stupid and not worth it.

Or maybe just a normal married couple?

God the bar really is set low for blokes isn't it! He's "booked", not necessarily paid for, £40 flights to a destination that's really minimum 5 night stay, not a weekend. No other detail...has he booked a wonderful hotel, thoughtfully near the airport so no futher travelling, has he looked at what they can do in such a short time?? Not from OP's posts. It would take me 2 mins to book the first cheapest flight I could from my local airport. Where's the effort exactly? But somehow OP is ungrateful and there's no pleasing some.

I think an overnight in Amsterdam is a bit different though as the flight is so short. Similar Barcelona, Alicante. The main issue with OP’s weekend is the length of the flight - google tells me Newcastle to Gran Canaria is 4 hours 40 mins.

I suspect that many of the posters who are being unkind to OP (and some of the posts are more mean than measured) are because people are so sick of the cold and rain that even a day in the sun sounds wonderful. They may be more considered if the question was asked in August.