Upper Middle Class not well travelled AIBU?

Children like familiarity and repetition, we never went to the same place twice before kids but now holiday the same place every summer as the children are so relaxed there.

It will be due to owning property in these places or they have established relationships with hoteliers.

What's wrong with going to the same places if that's what they choose?

If you prefer different places each time great. But it's not a reason to judge people who don't.

For me personally if I had that sort of money to spend I wouldn't be in France or Greece at the exact same place every year I'd be in Barbados or Mauritius

If you really enjoyed it and had the best holiday ever, would you go back the following year?

This isn't a class thing. I know working class people who holiday in the same place every year. I also know working class people who are well traveled. If you're thinking you'd travel more if you had their money you can do it on the cheap. Short breaks/hostels/looking out for deals.

Have you considered, OP and others, that people just have different priorities and preferences, especially if their day to day life is different from yours? We have been going on the same holidays (same place, same house, same friends and indeed even same clothes) since I was 2 months old- and my family had been going there for 30 years by then. We simply love the place, the pace of life, our local friends and the friends who, like us, decided to set up a permanent family holiday base there. It means the holidays are easy and require no planning aside from throwing together some pants/socks/t-shirts etc and book flights or trains whenever they are cheap. When we arrive, we know we will bump into friends at the bakery or the supermarket and can organise a hike together for later that day. Also, it means we can holiday with grandparents and cousins that we would not otherwise see much of, as we live in different countries. All of this is prized much much more than the hassle of having to go somewhere new, taking half the house with you and not quite knowing whether what you have booked will be good quality or not.
I get asked quite regularly whether we are going somewhere long-haul or a cruise or whatever. I have no wish to do so: I travel a lot and need to be super-organised for work so in the holidays I just want to be with family and friends somewhere I love.
Those whom you observed may have different reasons, but I can tell the person who wrote about social standing signifiers and finding out whether people are of the same social group etc, that I have never come across anyone who cares in the least. And in fact most people I know (me included) don’t disclose where we go, we were brought up to stay vague: “in the mountains” or “go hiking and see family” is my standard response.

I couldn't muster up the energy to get upset about this, as you are. You'll say you're not but you very clearly are triggered for some reason.

I think this says more about the people you know than the entire upper middle class.... we know people who keep going to the same places, but probably know more people who travel to really unusual places and never go to the same place twice.. it's a fairly sweeping statement you're trying to make.

I feel like the sentiment of this post is that clearly ‘upper middle class people are clearly not as cultured as I am’ haha

OP, I feel like it’s not that big of a deal - most likely just holiday homes. I do get the curiosity though! I am a nosey nelly

Greece would be preferred to the Caribbean in the summer due to the weather. Same with Mauritius.

Even UMC are subjected to school terms, albeit, slightly longer holidays, but why travel so far for potential storms.

Slightly off topic, but if you can recommend anywhere better than Greece in the summer I’d love to know!

What's your definition of 'well-travelled', OP? Someone who spends a week barely leaving a resort in a different destination every year might tick off a lot of countries after a while but I don't think you could describe them as 'well-travelled'.

It is because they have nothing to prove and do not need to show off and try and impress the rest of the world, whereas OP maybe sees it as a tick-list and the more destinations you can tick off and publish on social media, the more you communicate your succes in life?

I mean why the idea of being horrified at going to the same place twice? Do you crave novelty to the extent that you can not go to the same restaurant twice? Eat the same meal twice? Wear the same clothes twice? Why? What?

It totally depends what type of holiday you want.
Going back to somewhere you go to frequently is nice and easy. It’s familiar, you know what’s what. You don’t have to think about it in the same way.
Going to somewhere different each time, you have to perhaps put in more effort.
Having a holiday home / static caravan somewhere definitely changes what you might choose to do too.

Don’t think it’s a class thing. I work with / know people from all different walks of life and some love to go back to the same place they’ve been before and some love to go and explore somewhere new.

And for some people it changes as they get older. We travelled a lot when we were younger, now we have a holiday home we go back to each year. Some of our friends have done the opposite and now travel loads.

My best friend, who you would call upper middle class, never goes to the same place twice. The last two holidays she has been on, she hasn’t enjoyed much and has come back exhausted because they have to fit everything in as they’re “never going there again.” I don’t get this at all but horses for courses!

Absolutely spot on, in this response and in previous ones. The excitement of an intrepid adventure somewhere new completely loses its sheen if you travel a lot for work.

You suggest that going on holiday to different locations is equivalent to being well travelled. That's just ridiculous. Going on holiday for two weeks, especially in a family group, does not immerse you in a foreign culture. It's like saying eating paella teaches you all about Spain. It doesn't scratch the surface.

We go to familiar places nowadays. It's easy, my idea of a great holiday is going to a 4-5 star hotel with a pool or spa, in an area with lots of places to visit... Sorrento, Cologne etc. Eating out, going with the flow...

I don't really like the modern trend of going places we maybe shouldn't. Antarctica, Galapagos etc. And the "trending" holidays - Japan at the moment for instance - I have a friend working there and she says tourist influx is HUGE and is really spoiling access to the very places tourists want to see.

So you've just discovered that different people like to do different things for their holidays. It's not really earth-shattering news, to be honest.

I don't count a person as being well-travelled unless they've lived in a different countries.
Interrailing and island hopping makes for an excellent holiday but to really experience other cultures you need to live somewhere for at least a year. Blasting through India on a gap year, 3 months around South America after graduating, all great experiences and lots of fun. But not "well travelled".

I think you are confusing two seperate things. Some people in general like routine and to go to the same place/places every year. Others like variety and to see as many places as possible.
Add money to the equation does chenge these basic types.

Maybe they just like holidaying in certain places?

I do wonder about some people who consider themselves "well travelled". Often it seems to be jaunting around as many places as possible with the same group of people doing the same thing (getting drunk and taking pics in front of landmarks along with thousands of others for instagram).

I also honestly don't see why people use this as a point of pride when the climate is in the state it is in.

Who cares? The only thing here is you’re jealous of their financial situation and would spend the money differently.

You’re adding your own layer of interpretation here, which is actually judgement. I go to lots of different places and it isn’t just to ‘tick them off’. I am extremely unlikely to return to a hotel I’ve stayed at before. Does that make me better than people that do? No. Am I expressing it in a way which makes me sound morally superior? No. I couldn’t give a shit what anyone else does and neither should you

I thought you would say exploring the Amazon or Borneo. I've been to both Barbados and Mauritius on holiday. Nothing stood out as being particularly special. Mongolia though...

I'm one of these. I don't like to drive far and the kids love it so why not. It's easy and it's fun.

I'm also far from "upper middle class" but surprisingly well travelled.