AIBU to find European summer holidays too expensive and crowded now?

It depends where you go, surely? If you go to popular touristy spots it will be busy, but there are other options if you prefer a quieter location.

But there's nothing wrong with having your main holiday off season.

I agree wholeheartedly.

You are going to the wrong places. Avoid resorts and book air bnbs.

Going off season sounds a good plan. We’re currently in deepest darkest Shropshire at a cabin on a fishing lake and other then going to Lidl twice I have seen a grand total of 3 people! Bliss!

Well Europe is quite a large area and summer is about 3 months long. If you decide to go to a package holiday in Benidorm in August, it probably will be busy.

If you go outside school holidays, it will be less busy. If you book your own accommodation, in a local area, rather than a resort, it’ll probably be much quieter.

Obviously depends where you go but August has always and will always be the busiest month. If you want quiet, go out of season.

Europe is a very big place! If you go to tourist areas in the summer holidays, they will be busy. If you go to less touristy areas in June or September, less so.

I sort of agree. Holidays in classic med locations in Europe have lost their shine for me a bit. I always struggle to find good quality, solidly mid-range options in places like Greece and Spain. It's either pile-em-high budget hotels or high end resorts that we can't afford. Over tourism is putting me off too. One because I don't like crowds, and two because I don't like going to places where I'm (understandably) not wanted. I've had a lot of unfriendly and indifferent customer service in Europe, often when I've been spending quite a bit of money. Again, I don't really blame the locals but it's also not fun as a tourist. We've been going to more "alternative" locations in recent years where it's less crowded and our business is welcome.

I mean, if you go to a resort town or somewhere renowned for tourism, then yes, it's going to be busy. But there are plenty of holiday properties you can book in places that aren't like that, especially if you're happy to self-cater. I guess it also depends on what you want from a holiday. If you want lots of choice when it comes to restaurants and cafes, plenty of sightseeing, a big beach with plenty of facilities etc, then of course you're going to be staying in places that get busy. If you're happy to stay in a small holiday cottage near a village or a tiny town that only has two or three local places to eat and where you'll need to hire a car to get out and about, then it's going to be a lot quieter.

However, as you go to South Africa and Antigua in winter every year, it sounds like you've just found a holiday option that suits you better, so it doesn't really seem like a problem that you prefer not to go to the Mediterranean any more?

You are going to the wrong places OP! Last year we went to Rota in Spain. It was quiet and beautiful!

We went to Thailand in June. Much better value for money than a European package holiday, hotels much higher standard and not too busy. Would go back in a heartbeat, though we are going to Italy next year because a piece of my heart is always there.

I agree on the price aspect. I'm a teacher so obviously no out of season options for me. I could self cater but I'd rather not go tbh, it's no holiday at all if I'm just performing domestic drudgery in a different location, so I save for longer to go to a hotel..I try not to go to mega touristy places, there are still lots of them to explore.

I mean it's school holidays of course it's going to be busy!

Do you have kids? If not, why are you going in August?

I agree, for those saying you are going to the wrong places or of course its busy its summer ..that is true but it has changed in the last few years.
I work in education so can only take school holidays but we often head to Portugal or Greece and we avoid very touristy spots , little fishing villages with nice beach and character and we always found quietish spots...however tiktoks and reels now showing every must visit and cute spot on social media has meant a big surge in those quieter places we once went too . I use social media to look up places abroad and Uk before I visit to, so I am part of the problem too... I think gone are the days when you explored when you arrived, I know from my teens comments if we go somewhere new now they will know of a recommend restaurant or beauty spot before we get there . I do think that has had an impact. Definitely go out of season if you can.

I go abroad off season.
Mostly March/April/May and then October.
This year I went on a cruise in March, and going to Menorca in September (that's unusual month for me) and Lanzarote in October. Plus a UK hols end of August, beginning of September.
This will also depend on destination.
I wouldn't go to Rome, Barcelona, Santorini etc. But you can find quieter places. I don't like crowds either..

Europe is cheaper than UK and Ireland holidays. Book everything separately, avoid resorts and if you don't have DC avoid school holidays. Christmas in Europe is lovely and weather in Algarve and Costa del Sol nice.

The main drawback for me now is the high heat and risk of extreme heat (and fires).

I suppose it depends what kind of holiday you want. We've had July holidays in Normandy, Brittany, Loire Atlantique, Vendee that have been quiet and peaceful with few tourists, but if you want med resorts I guess there'll be crowds.

Popular European destinations are now attracting tourists from further afield now too. Our small local airport in Canada now has seasonal direct flights to Portugal, Spain, and Italy for package holidays. This only started in the last few years, and demand has been huge this year as Canadians who used to go "down South" (Florida and North Carolina mainly) are avoiding the USA because of the Trump effect.

We only do European summer holidays early in the season for that reason, and because of the heat during he height of summer. Our summer break is now UK or Ireland based. We also try to go to places slightly off the tourist track, so we have a happy medium of places of drink, eat, visit, whilst not crawling with other tourists.

we head the other direction as we have to holiday second half of August due to annual leave restrictions at work. We are off to Florida. US schools mostly go back mid August so quieter than Europe and with pricing being so high in the EU as it clashes with all the school holidays, it’s often not too dissimilar in price we find.

I gave up travelling in the summer some years ago for some of these reasons. I live in a country where the summers are amazing and mild, so it seemed like madness to travel away from THAT to places that are burning hot like Hell, overcrowded and overly expensive. Not to mention the queues in the airports.

I now enjoy that my not-too-overly-touristy city is a bit more quiet in the summer (because everyone travels), and that I can go on my winter escapes to warmer climates in Asia or the Canary islands in January-April. Much less crowded, better prices, no queues in airports...and I get to escape the awful winters in my country for a while.

@raleigha "AIBU to find European summer holidays too expensive and crowded now?
I used to love going on holiday to Spain, to Greece, to Portugal for our summer hols...."

There are over 40 other countries in Europe, many of which are neither expensive or crowded, particularly outside of the peak / school holiday seasons.
Away from the main tourist resorts and the rip-off tourist trap attractions there are literally thousands of places you could go to.

As a couple we went to a very popular resort in Croatia last summer and stayed in a spotless, well-equipped private apartment for less than €60 a night. When we asked the owner for restaurant recommendations, she directed us away from the main tourist area and suggested a few places only a 10-minute walk from the apartment where we ate where the locals eat for less than half the price the tourist trap restaurants were charging. A tasty, filling main dish with a large glass of wine or a half-litre of beer cost less than €10 a head. In the town centre and by the harbour the restaurants were charging €25 just for the main dish and another €6 per drink.

It depends where you go. I've just come back from the north of Norway and there was hardly anyone there. There were a lot of people heading to the Lofoten islands - in fact I think 95% of the people on my flight were doing that.

You could choose to go somewhere else, or go at off-peak time such as in October, or not go at all.
I also don't like going to hot and crowded places where there's a lot of rip-off merchants around, such as a lot of restaurants or hotels.