Do you think people ‘look down’ on UK holidays?

[Helmlover]

Just a thought I was having today.

My partner and I have booked a UK cottage holiday in August for us and his kids which has not worked out much cheaper than a holiday abroad. However when his kids discussed it with their mum her reaction was ‘oh can’t they (my partner and I) afford to take you away anywhere nice this year?’.

To be honest, we could afford to go abroad if we wanted to but just fancied a UK holiday this year.

Do people really look down on UK holidays and assume that people who holiday in this country must be too poor to travel overseas? Sorry if this sounds silly but her reaction has made me feel slightly paranoid.

The problem is the weather and expense in the UK coupled with young children. (Plus we live with the beach at the end of the road so they can frolic in the cold English sea anytime.) I don’t want to pay £2k for a week for a cottage in the UK and have crap weather when I can guarantee a week’s sunshine abroad where the kids spend hours a day in the water - although abroad costs more than double the cottage, crap weather can make the cottage 2k feel like a total waste. The odd city break in the UK (and occasionally abroad - the kids actually loved NY which I’d thought might be tricky with the youngest who was only 4 at the time) goes down well now they are no longer v little. But that’s less weather dependent and it’s not the blissful relaxation for me and my husband of zero effort parenting whilst all 3 kids are having a fantastic time.

So for me, I would feel sorry for myself if our main family holiday wasn’t abroad but I wouldn’t look down on anyone for holidaying in the UK. And there are lots of places I still want to go and see in the UK - so at some point we may switch our habits.

Not all holidays abroad are to crowded AI resorts in Spain! We have always found cottages off the beaten track and hired a car to explore the area. We enjoy the change in climate and opportunity to expose the children to a new culture and language.

Also love a long weekend in the UK and have had the occasional half term at centre parcs and summer holidays in Cornwall/lakes.

The only abroad holiday type i don't think I'd enjoy is a crowded beach resort. The beaches where you have to pay for a sun lounger wedged in with everyone else's. (Although that happens in the uk in a heat wave too if you choose the wrong beach!)

I think some people still see “abroad” as a sort of status symbol.

But then they’re often the type of people who “can’t understand” why different people enjoy different things.

For four people for a package holiday in late July / August you ar looking at over 4k and easily nudging 5k. There's no way I'm paying that. We love our caravan holidays for a lot less and we have more holidays over the year

I do think its a little sad that some kids "don't think they've been on holiday if they dont go abroad ". Or as above, were brought up to think this.

Mine have enjoyed holidays in the UK and abroad. There's so much more we'd like to explore if we had the money. But we're cornwalling this year and it will be ace!

On my list at the moment is to take the kids to Canada to visit the Rockies, Barcelona, (both places I've been but havent taken kids), they'd like to go back to disneyland Paris. Id like also to drive around scotland, stay in wales againand explore some mountains, Isle of Wight, lake district walking...

We can't affors to do all the above but I wish I could!

I do think holidays in the Uk are really poor value for money, especially during the school holidays. If you’re not a National Trust member, you don’t get change out of £50 these days for entry to a site, you have to pay for parking everywhere, it’s very crowded and the weather is hit or miss. And you’ll probably bump into someone you know.

That’s not to say that the Uk is not a fabulous place, but it certainly isn’t my first choice for a relaxing, affordable holiday. We self cater and there’s nothing exciting about a supermarket in the Lake District.

I do think there is some virtue signalling about holidaying in the UK - people who pay a lot of money for a naive cottage in a seaside town. Let’s ignore how many local communities are decimated by holiday lets....

The ferry companies do stonking ferry+accommodation deals. We are doing a week self catering in France for £800 all in - return overnight ferries plus outside cabin and 3 bed self catering in Britanny.

I don’t drive (can’t afford lessons, wouldn’t be able to afford to run a car) which limits holiday plans somewhat. I have tended to stick to UK while the kids are small as it’s a known quantity and travel plans are easier made when I know the language etc.
My kids don’t have passports so when looking to plan a holiday I’d have to take that into account cost wise (3 kids, £90-odd a pop, bumps the cost up rather!)
I’m the only person I know who doesn’t go abroad in the summer. And people are always telling me it is as cheap to go abroad as it is to stay in the UK but I’ve yet to get my head round what my cheaper holiday would look like as certainly package deals with 3 kids are eye watering.
I might look at Eurostar travel at some point, I don’t fancy flying and I’m also fairly concerned about climate change so it wouldn’t sit well.
People feel sorry for me because I don’t go abroad. People feel sorry for my kids who have only left the country once, to go to Disneyland Paris (before the passports ran out).
I love my life and I love holidays. We’ve been all over the UK and stayed in lots of interesting places (and we love a Premier Inn!)

But yes in my experience, people look down on me, or pity me because I don’t have proper holidays...

Shows we're all different. Cottage in lake district is on our hit list! We enjoy walking and exploring and have NT membership though.

If you’re not a National Trust member, you don’t get change out of £50 these days for entry to a site, you have to pay for parking everywhere, it’s very crowded and the weather is hit or miss

You’re really going to the wrong places

but plenty of people who look down on UK holidays or deem them "not proper" just do beach and drinking holidays...
I agree with this.

I understand people being confused about gambling on the UK when the weather can be a bit risky, especially if they are sun lovers themselves. But those who look down are usually the ones who want decidedly average holiday resort in the sun so looking down hard on a 15degree temp difference is silly.

We don't like going abroad during the summer holidays because to be honest I don't like very hot temperatures. Above 25 degrees is too hot for me to enjoy.
We have our summer holiday in Devon or Cornwall every year and the kids and teenagers love it. Lots of body boarding and surfing, beach everyday and we can take the dog which is a bonus.
My child's teacher made a comment the other day about the fact that my son had said he'd never been on a plane, she was incredulous- he's only 4 ffs!!

Oh definitely i take the kids to centre parcs and get absolutely slated at Work

😂 @jaqueshammer

NT is £9.50 a month for us, we're always in the places!

No.
Have you seen the number of rich families who spend the whole summer in Cornwall? Go to Rock then tell me the UK is seen as inferior!

Hmm I guess it depends what you're doing for a holiday and what you want out of it. If I want to experience something new and a different culture, then it's abroad, if it's a totally relaxing break all inclusive with guaranteed weather, abroad, if I want just a break away to recharge without too much hassle I'd stay in the UK. Tbh I generally want to do the first one so prioritise money on that, it's been a couple years since we holidayed in the UK.

I've never understood why people take babies abroad, we didn't take ours until they were 6 and 3, couldn't think of anything worse than a baby/toddler on a flight, foreign resort etc. Just my opinion of course, apparently plenty of people enjoy it!

I think though the older generation for whom getting on a plane was aspirational and exciting may see it as lesser.

Why does everyone assume that people who prefer to go abroad due to the weather only want to sit round a pool all day? There are plenty of abroad holidays which involve doing exactly the kinds of things you’d do in a U.K. holiday only in the knowledge that it’s not going to be ruined by the pouring rain

Says a lot about people when their holidays are "ruined" by rain. There's plenty of stuff indoors in the UK. There's also these magic inventions called waterproofs.

I haven't been abroad for 10 years, the UK is full of incredible places.

Child (age 10) at school the other day, who is always off on sunny hols, had never heard what a county was, didn't know there were mountains and lakes in England and thought English beaches were all like Skegness(no offence to Skegness ).

I think it's a shame that people fly all round the world when there are some lovely places a short drive away .
I live up north and we don't very often have good weather in the summer although last year was a exception .
We have had some lovely holidays in the uk , some great beaches and places to visit. I do like going abroad but it can be stressful the flights , security with kids and tbh kids don't care you spent 2k in flying somewhere when can do the same thing in the uk .

You can do both. I like holidaysabroad, i like holidays in the UK too. They aren't mutually exclusive. You don't have to do one or the other.

Believability
It's not assuming people who prefer to go abroad will sit in front of a pool in a resort.

It's saying the types of people who tend to look down on UK breaks are usually people who sit around a pool in a resort for most of their holiday, which is why it's a bit silly for them to look down on a holiday based on amount of sun. (Obviously that's not saying all people who enjoy pool holidays would look down).

People who look down on other holidays are usually people with a narrow idea of what constitutes a holiday and so seem to find it impossible to understand that other types can be enjoyable.

I love a uk holiday.

I love any holiday to be fair

But uk is easy. No airports no stuck in a tin tube

Take as much as you like leave when you like

Brilliant.

Ok the weather but no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing but we never camp so are guaranteed a warm dry space.

Greenpop thats a bit sad really! I rememeber when i lived in london meeting grown adults that hadnt really left London. It had always been london or abroad. I must admit I found that odd!

I don't think so. Cornwall is massively popular with people from my affluent aspirational corner of Hampshire, for example.

However, I wouldn't go away in the UK in August. May half term is a better option weather-wise. If you are in Scotland, you can go away in late June/early July, which is also a better option than August.

If I wasn't tied to (English) school holidays I would go away in late May/early June, or September.