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

I live in Mallorca and even in the mega touristy areas I’ve never seen a bottle of water that cost 9 € either. Max I’ve seen is about 4 €.

They want to be sure you know that they're NOT AMERICAN!

I don't really understand your point. You prefer to go on holiday in South Africa and Antigua so you go there. So what's the problem?

Europe is massive, and both crowds and price varies enormously not just by country but within countries.

There are lots of places off the beaten track. We like to stay on the outskirts of a large village or small town and dip in and out. However, we’ve decided not to holiday in Europe during the summer months as it’s just too hot these days. We can tolerate a 3 day break but not longer. We save Europe for May or Sept/October.

We enjoy the Scandinavian countries in July and August but the weather can be wet there and it’s also very expensive.

That’s interesting. We’ve met a few Canadians in Europe over the past year (and they are always keen to tell us where they from!)

Try the Netherlands. It’s a great place for family holidays. Islands like Texel or places like Zeeland have amazing beaches.

Gosh - €9 for a bottle of water is expensive. Where are you?

I wonder if, after the intense heat people are experiencing this year, more people will look to holiday in places like Scandinavia, or at different times of the year if they can. Although I guess if it’s busy in Italy, Spain etc a lot of the holiday makers are from that country anyway.

Depends where you go. Last year I was on the Atlantic coast of Spain, this year Scandinavian road trip, neither were busy and contrary to what I’d been told, Scandinavian prices aren’t bad now, booze is pricier in Norway but I don’t mind only having one, not that kind of trip, petrol is cheaper.

I live in Spain (and a very expensive part too). I have never seen water more than 3€

YABU Europe is a big continent - it is not just Spain, Portugal and Greece - and holidays are not just a beach resort and pool.

We had a week in Toulouse in late June this year and it was great - no rip off prices or crowds (of course it was buzzy cos it is a large, successful French city).

I am not sure what else you expect if you go to a holiday destination at the peak of the holiday season? If you go to Cornwall in August, it might be a tad busier than at the end of November too.

Spain, Greece, Portugal, they all have quiet and non-touristy places.
Prices that have gone up, sadly, it seems the same everywhere.

It does make me laugh when tourists complain about places being too "crowded" when THEY are the crowd.

It depends entirely on where you go and when. Europe is not just Barcelona or Ibiza. There are plenty of locations in Europe that are not hugely overpriced or jam-packed with tourists.

It's horses for courses but I don't see what appeals at all about a crowded touristy area. It's always best to work out what suits you whilst being open to trying new places.

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.

@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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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..

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.

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