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Original poster

What age do children not want to go on holiday with you?

56 replies

purpleme12 · 16/02/2021 22:47

What age did you child stop wanting to go on holiday with you?
Or stopped having as much fun, was moany?

OP posts:
Babdoc · 17/02/2021 09:31

Well mine are 30 and 31 and still love having mum/daughter holidays with me!
They both have partners and of course go away with them too at other times.
From the teenage years onwards, we discussed destinations between us, so they had some input into the choice of holiday. We have been to places such as a bear sanctuary in Transylvania, Auschwitz in Poland, the opera in Verona, ridden a gondola round Venice, been camel trekking in North Africa, visited Berber villages in the Atlas Mountains and browsed the soukhs of Marrakech, had city breaks in Seville, Prague and Istanbul - the DDs have been very open to new experiences, cultures and education.
Maybe we would have had more arguments if they’d wanted theme parks and Disney stuff, which I can’t stand!

Original poster
purpleme12 · 17/02/2021 09:36

That's good to hear 😊

OP posts:
petitdonkey · 17/02/2021 09:36

I think as Babdoc says, the type of holiday they want changes. Mine are 12,14 & 16 do a long way off not coming but we are definitely moving towards planning city breaks or trips with a group of friends rather than a beach holiday. I don’t think they’ll ever be old enough to turn down a ski holiday!!

My sister’s dds are 23 & 24- they had that weird convo where they want to go away on holiday with them but my sister said that in the future they’d need to contribute! I think they’d happily holiday with their parents for a week indefinitely!

I think they get to 18 and plan their own trips but many still enjoy a family holiday too.

Floralnomad · 17/02/2021 09:38

Mine are 21 and 26 and both will still happily holiday with me , but we all tend to enjoy the same kind of holiday which is not sitting on a beach or by a swimming pool .

1940s · 17/02/2021 09:39

The age you stop paying them to go with you ;)

Seriously though I saved up and paid for my own holiday each year from 17. Every other year perhaps my parents would offer to take me with them on a 'cheap' week in Europe and I jumped at the chance. I never stopped wanting to holiday with parents and enjoyed their company. I just couldn't afford to pay for both and prioritised my holiday with friends from a financial perspective

skippy67 · 17/02/2021 09:58

The last holiday we had pre covid my dc were 22 and 19 and came with us. Long may it continue!

WhatHaveIFound · 17/02/2021 10:04

I know a mother & daughter who still go on holiday together and they're 80 & 60!

My DC are 19 & 16 and haven't ever really been moany on holidays (apart from a brief period when one was in a very intense relationship) but we have always sought out exciting destinations & activites. No sitting around on the beach or dragging them round museums for us.

Saviouronthreelegs · 17/02/2021 10:06

We still do a holiday with my parents (I'm 31, dB is 33, both married) every year or every other year. Generally a policy of DM & DF pay for the accomodation (usually a villa) and we pay for our own transport and flights etc. We pick somewhere new each time. Sometimes we mix it up so we will have a week in aitaly for example where we are together in a villa but me and DH will drive there and back with overnight stays in different towns, or my DB and his wife will do a weekend in Rome before joining us in Tuscany for the week.
We obviously do our own trips too, usually shorter mini breaks.
We also go away with my husband's parents, but they have a caravan in West Wales so we often do Easter there or a long weekend in the summer with them.

AuntieMarys · 17/02/2021 10:11

They did their own thing after that. I don't like holidaying with other people ( apart from dh) so that suits me fine!

Beamur · 17/02/2021 10:11

Our older kids were still coming quite happily up to and during their time at uni.
I think the poster saying it becomes a bit more of a choice between parents and friends as you get older with more limited time and money.
We still offer to take them away for the odd weekend which generally goes down well. But now they're not living at home, coming back is a break from their routines. DSS completely regressed to doing no laundry or cleaning in a week having lived very capably in a shared house for years! I think he quite enjoyed being looked after for a change.

SaltyTootsieToes · 17/02/2021 10:25

My eldest daughter is 25. She still wants to go on holiday with us. (Also has her own holidays w friends) admittedly, we usually go to very nice places.

Icequeen01 · 17/02/2021 10:32

My DS stopped coming with us when he was 19. I put a post on here at the time which I wrote sitting bereft in the airport lounge watching all the families with their excited young kids going on holiday and realising that that part of our life was over. It hurt more because he had no plans to go away with friends, just preferred to stay at home and look after the cats - that stung! We did miss him on that holiday but then began to appreciate not having to factor in a grumpy teenager. In the end we had THE best holiday!

We offered to take him to New York for his 21st and he jumped at the chance but sadly his 21st ended up as a lockdown birthday. He has a rain cheque and we are really looking forward to having a more grown up holiday with him.

sarahphimanellahim · 17/02/2021 10:39

My two (14 and 17) still want to go on holiday with us.

Eldest has also planned a holiday with her friends this year, and youngest is currently planning a weekend away with her best friend, me and her best friends mum (also my friend!) My DDs are also planning a weekend away together at the end of the year (when they're 15 and 18)

I agree city breaks are the way forward. My DDs love 4/5 days checking out a new city. That said, they're also happy in an England cottage or lodge - so long as it has got a hot tub! I think it helps that they're really good friends and entertain each other though.

mootymoo · 17/02/2021 12:22

Dd1 refused long haul at 19, dd2 still keen to come at 20 if I pay!

Doing a London city break this year fingers crossed with all our DD's, first blended

Milomonster · 17/02/2021 12:31

Ooh I can’t imagine that day. I’ve travelled extensively with DS (9) since he was a baby and it’s added a rich dimension to our bond. I’m a single mum and we had a chat about his thoughts about me meeting someone and he cried and said would our holidays together stop. I said nobody would come between our holidays. I know a time will come when he won’t want to and that will be a sad day.

JeanSpinneysSmallPleasures · 17/02/2021 12:41

I put a post on here at the time which I wrote sitting bereft in the airport lounge watching all the families with their excited young kids going on holiday and realising that that part of our life was over

I remember your thread @Icequeen01 Smile - very poignant. Hope you get to enjoy NY with your DS before too long.

JeanSpinneysSmallPleasures · 17/02/2021 12:44

And our holidays sound pedestrian compared with some of you but DD(16) is happy to come abroad with us as long as there's a beach, a pool and mocktails in the evening Smile

WhatAreWordsWorth · 17/02/2021 12:46

There was a brief period from around 17-21 where I did NOT want to go on holiday with my parents.

I’m 29 now and would give anything for a lovey (free!) holiday with them Grin

HelloCanYouHearMe · 17/02/2021 12:48

I can remember coming home from work one night to discover that my parents and siblings had gone on holiday without me. They left me a note to say they had gone to Devon for a week!!

They had assumed that as I was 18 I wouldnt want to go. I was gutted!!!

SassenachWitch · 17/02/2021 12:49

I'm 37 and still go on holiday with my parents, although there was a gap, I stopped going when I was 17, and started again once I had my own family, and now we all go together.

Enb76 · 17/02/2021 12:49

We ski so am pretty sure that will never be turned down as a holiday option.

I still go on holiday with my mother and I'm mid 40's. It's multi-generational.

MondeoFan · 17/02/2021 12:50

Ohhhh good to see the positive responses. I was thinking about this the other day as one of my DC is 15 almost 16. I presumed by the time she was working she would t want to holiday with me but hoping I'm wrong

lachy · 17/02/2021 12:53

I love going on holiday with my parents! They are great company and good fun.

Obviously they no longer pay (that would be weird), but we do have a holiday with them each year.

lachy · 17/02/2021 12:54

BTW...I'm 46

showgirl63 · 17/02/2021 12:59

Asked my 20 year old DS and so long as I continue to book and pay for glamorous holidays, he is happy to come with me Smile

To be honest as we both enjoy diving it's nice to have a readymade buddy with me and I do insist he does all the kit carrying etc.