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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:
huuskymam · 17/02/2021 13:06

It depends on the holiday for my lot (19, 17 and 11, the youngest doesn't get a choice). If it's a foreign holiday they'll all want to come, if it's a few days in cork or Donegal (I'm in Ireland) the two eldest will stay home and the youngest will come with his cousin for company.

NeedToGetOuttaHere · 17/02/2021 13:09

We used last year as a probable end to taking out DC away as our holiday was cancelled, they are 22 and 20.
Having said that we may do one more holiday this year...

cortex10 · 17/02/2021 13:11

16 - but we did do a US West Coast road trip the year they graduated and turned 21.

Megan2018 · 17/02/2021 13:12

I stopped going at 13, but was happy to rejoin from 18ish.
My grandparents used to come and house sit for my parents anyway on hol, so I just stayed at home with them.
I just wanted to spend all day on my pony, wasn’t the least bit interested in the south of France Grin

TryingNotToPanicOverCovid · 17/02/2021 13:13

Wow these are all very expensive holidays! I would love to offer these to the kids but not at all in our price bracket.

I only went on a few holidays with my parents (IOW, france, cornwall) and my dad, despite being rather well off and holidays a billion times a year, has no interest in holidaying with us!

I'd love to have some of you as my parents :)

I hope my kids will continue to want to holiday with us - but our bracket is usually basic uk holiday which may not be so appealing.

Scbchl · 17/02/2021 13:14

My 16 year old has been saying since last year she doesnt want to. She wasnt booked to come last year and was going with her friend and family. My nephew stopped going at 16 too. I went my first hol with friends at 17 and then never went a family one again except a few all as adults with our own kids where we have all gone as a big family.

Champagneandmonstermunch · 17/02/2021 13:15

DSS was still planning to come skiing with us this year at the age of 23, obviously didn't happen, but he would have if he could. We still holiday with PIL and my DP's and DH and I are 40's/50's. Not all holiday obviously, but its a fairly regular occurrence.

Shodan · 17/02/2021 13:16

Ds1 is 25 and showing no signs of wanting to stop coming away with me and ds2 (13).

He pays for himself, mostly. But for Disney next year (fingers crossed!) I'll pay for the villa and car hire, as I'd be paying the same whether he came or not.

Blobby10 · 17/02/2021 13:19

My parents went camping in the UK - I went with them (albeit with my own tent and car) until I was 23! My brother stopped coming when he was 17, my younger sisters were a similar age to him.

My younger two (21 and 23) both single, would happily come on a camping holiday with me in the UK for a week/10 days but my eldest wouldn't.

BikeRunSki · 17/02/2021 13:19

By sixth form I wanted to go on different types of holidays to DM and DSis, so they’d go and like on a Greek beach and I’d go walking in the Lake District. I was very sensible and boring and more than capable of getting myself there, and looking after myself before zzz dm came home.

OchreBlue · 17/02/2021 13:21

My parents didn't have the money for holidays until I was 14 and I didn't ever get fed up, the only problem in my late teens was I usually had a summer job and couldn't join them. I hope my kids don't get fed up as I'm doing the same thing and hoping as they get older I'll have the money for holidays.

SirSamuelVimes · 17/02/2021 13:22

I'm really surprised by these responses. I stopped at 17, and while a few people I knew at uni went on holiday with their parents, they were definitely the minority.

Do those of you with 20 something children coming in holidays with you pay for them? At what point would you consider stopping funding them? And do you think they would still come if they had to pay?

Am fascinated!

Letsrunabath · 17/02/2021 13:24

My kids 18 and 20 want to possibly if holidays are on go with their friends this summer. Although they still want to be included in our annual group skiing holiday (we pay). I don’t mind at all as I love their company.

NeedToGetOuttaHere · 17/02/2021 13:25

Yes we still pay, we don’t think they’d come if they had to pay for their holidays as our big family holiday costs 12-15k.
They still do smaller holidays such as city breaks with their friends.

yearinyearout · 17/02/2021 13:25

Hahahaha

Sorry. I have two in their twenties, and they still want to come on holiday with us! They obviously go with their friends as well, but if there's any chance of tagging along with us (especially if they get a hefty discount) they will take it!

Madwomanuptheroad29 · 17/02/2021 13:26

I know I would have needed to be sedated from about 16 to go on holidays with my parents. My kids are similar. Don't think it has anything to do with the actual holidays, more with the wish to be with their friends and have new exiting experiences with them - it simply is a completely different experience/ perspective from travelling with parents.
I usually make them come with us until they are around 16 and then they can choose what to do - welcome to come with us for part or all of holidays or do their own thing.
Our holidays are usually a mixture of things - bit have included inter-railing with kids, various European cities, beach etc.

underneaththeash · 17/02/2021 13:29

I’d absolutely had enough of going away with parents at 15!
DS1 is 14 now and I can imagine he’ll be coming with us for a good few years. I think it’s difficult to go away now as an under 18.

Ragwort · 17/02/2021 13:32

I can remember stopping wanting to go on holiday with my DPs from about 13. I think it clearly depends on where you go and who is paying. Personally I find choosing a holiday that suits me and DH enough of a challenge without adding in our 20 year old DS Grin. DH and DS enjoy skiing together as a holiday, we all enjoy a short city break but to be honest I much prefer a week in the sun with a girlfriend Grin or completely on my own.

chipsandgin · 17/02/2021 13:35

Probably 15, but if you are in a position to have a friend of theirs come along with you then it solves the problem as they can do their own thing some of the time. I’m hoping we can do that once these things are a possibility again.

I’d still happily go on holiday with my Dad & I’m nearly 50 if that helps!! Between 15 & 18 though I wouldn’t have, but I certainly wouldn’t do what my parents did and leave us at home (most notably when we were all teenagers - 5 of us..blended family ranging from 14 to 18 - the parties were so legendary they are still talked about over 30 years later..).

CMOTDibbler · 17/02/2021 13:36

This is really weird to me tbh. My parents never went on holiday, though when I was an adult my mum did join me on a few weekends when I was somewhere in the UK for work so she got a free room, and dh's parents had grandchildren by the time he was 18 so weren't looking to have him with them (big age gap, I think he last went on holiday when he was 14 as then they'd just leave him with a brother). We've never been invited to do as much as a weekend camping trip with them, so its really hard for me to imagine being 18+ and spending a week away with family

actiongirl1978 · 17/02/2021 13:36

Mine already moan, they are 11 and 13 and both have asked if thy have to come this year.

I didn't go after 16 with my parents, they drove me nuts by then.

I suppose it depends on the holiday!

Zenithbear · 17/02/2021 13:37

I do one break a year still with mine.
Only around 13/14 did they ever say they did not want to go but as soon as they were on holiday they let the teenage barriers down and had a brilliant time. I took them on cruises were they could make friends and you'd barely see them all holiday if they chose.

merrymouse · 17/02/2021 13:43

Do those of you with 20 something children coming in holidays with you pay for them? At what point would you consider stopping funding them? And do you think they would still come if they had to pay?

I think most parents know that if their teenage/adult children had to choose between holidaying with friends and holiday with parents they wouldn't choose parents. However, the additional cost of an extra person staying in a villa or chalet is often low, so if you have the money why not pay if your holiday is improved by your child's presence?

Volcanoexplorer · 17/02/2021 13:46

For all those whose adult children go with them who pays? My dc are only young at the moment, but I can’t imagine paying for them both when they’re in their 20s or 30s. I’ve been on family holidays with my parents and my in-laws at different times, but dh and I payed for ourselves.

Iseeyoulookingatme · 17/02/2021 13:47

I didn't get the chance to go on holiday with my parents as a child they had 4 of us and couldn't afford to take us. We have as adults gone on many holidays together from small city breaks to my wedding in Las Vegas. I love going on holiday with my parents and so does my ds. I hope he will enjoy going on holidays with me when he is older, although I'm sure he will also enjoy going with his own friends as well.

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