Do "most" people really have an annual foreign holiday?

[PreservativeFree]

Reading on here how many people feel their annual getaway is essential, I'm surprised.

In my imeadiate circle, I'd say less than half go abroad every year. My parents haven't been abroad in years, although they do travel a lot in UK and could certainly afford it if they wanted to.

My closest friends occasionally visit family in France but generally don't like to be away from home.

My sister goes camping in France about once every 3 years, when they can afford it.

We're at a fairly comfortable stage in life and have had foreign holidays but quite often choose the Lakes instead.

My boss, on a six figure salary, has a camper van and usually stays in UK.

My young adult children are more likely to do an activity holiday with friends in UK than a lads beach and booze holiday.

I also know quite a few people who won't fly for environmental reasons.

Obviously, I do know people who go abroad too, but in my circle I don't think "most" people go abroad every year, even those who comfortably could if they wanted to.

I've tried to find some stats, but failed. Does anyone know?

This website suggests about 50 million trips by Brits to traditional holiday destinations (Spain, France, US, UAE, Portugal, Turkey, Greece) per year, dominated by 18 million to Spain. Some of these will be trips to family or for business of course.
www.finder.com/uk/outbound-tourism-statistics

Anecdotally my friends and workmates divide into two camps: those who have traditional holidays abroad - many quite exotic, and those who have family (theirs or in-laws) abroad and spend their holiday allowance visiting them. I’m the only one who regularly holidays in the UK.

We go abroad every year usually, sometimes twice. We used to go skiing but now often go at Easter as well as in the summer. We have two teens who have travelled since toddlerhood. Most of my friends have holidays abroad, some who are retired will have several in a year.

My parents always did 2 to 3 holidays abroad once we had left home, though when I was a child they holidayed in the UK - again we went twice (in a caravan).

A lot of my colleagues regularly go abroad too, but the nature of the job is that there are better paid and less well paid employees, so not all the less well paid do, although they do tend to be people who have family abroad so might visit them.

My siblings travel abroad too, though one less so as they have 4 kids and my bil has frequently been made redundant.

So yes, to me it is normal. We're not mega rich but we don't struggle for money either. I like holidaying in the UK, so we do that too, but it's not usually our main holiday.

I very much miss holidays - we had a wet week in the UK last year. DH likes guaranteed good weather, and after last year I am more in agreement with him.

As a child and teen in the 80’s and 90’s, as a family we went abroad twice a year. May and October for two weeks each time.

My children have only been abroad four times but we do go on holidays in the UK three weeks of each year. Last year we had to cancel a big holiday abroad and this year we have had to cancel too.

I feel sad they're missing going abroad. We didn't want to take them when they were very young, and now we have had two lost summers to Covid.

A few years ago i read a thread on mumsnet about how do people afford foreign travel every year and lots of mumsnetters said centreparcs Europe. I looked at their website, phoned them and booked that same day. I would highly recommend centreparcs Eindhoven for children.

@Eyjafjallajokulldottir

I haven't been abroad since 2019 and I hate it. I feel really cooped up.

"Cooped up" is exactly it!

I normally have a summer holiday abroad, a couple of city breaks throughout the year and we usually go somewhere between Christmas and New Year. I'm feeling distinctly claustrophobic. I love the UK but it's not enough for me.

"Most" of my circle holiday abroad but perhaps that's just our demographic.

The travel to abroad puts me off - perhaps people are keener if they live near an airport. In theory it's simple but you have to factor in hold ups on the road to the airport but also horribly early/ late departures

Nope not been abroad regularly since having children the childcare costs have put a stop to that.
I also travel to family at other end of country up to 4/5 times a year we have to fly and it costs maybe £2k a year
We probably do Devon a couple times a year

I’d also rather have a nice standard of living 52 weeks a year which means I don’t have the disposable income for a week abroad.

Friends who do go abroad every year drive and do cheap camping or eurocamp holidays

We do have turkey booked for next year though

@fantastaballs

And yes to ask the people saying it's cheaper to go abroad than stay in the UK. For 5 of us it's £900 for a crappy bronze standard caravan in the uk with sirens on top. We can get a week in Portugal, Corfu or Italy for that! Self catering is great for us and we always hire a car if it's outside a city.

How? How can you get 5 of you to Portugal and hire a car for £900 in school holidays?

Outside school holidays your "crappy" caravan doesn't cost anything like £900. In fact, our rather nice cottage in the Lakes, which is one of the more expensive areas in UK to holiday, costs about that in August.

IRL the only people with kids I know that go on holiday go to visit family so no hotels. People without kids that I know were going away 3/4 times a year.

We have stayed in the UK for the last 12 years. We wanted to go to Italy last year, but it'll still be there when things settle.

We do have holidays in the UK though, there's always somewhere we want to see. We camp and do holiday cottages and it is definitely cheaper than abroad, even in school holidays. We're doing 2 weeks camping this year (inc food for 4 is £900), and have a cottage booked for next year.

The thing I've most missed is trips to London! We'd normally have a weekend in London a year, or some day trips to see exhibitions, but obviously none of that for a while.

I am really missing holidays. 2019 I went to Venice, Sorrento, Krakow,Tallinn/Helsinki, South Korea and Oslo. My disposable income goes on holidays as that’s what I enjoy

I go abroad every year. I do not like a UK holiday and I need some proper sun.

Most people I know do, yes. Many several times a year. Personally I haven’t since we had children- we travelled a lot before we had children in anticipation of staying in the U.K. for a few years. We could afford any kind of holiday we want but I just don’t want to go abroad right now. My kids hate heat, one has a very restricted diet and we can have a lovely time visiting loads of great places in Britain, so I don’t see the point in taking them abroad at the moment.

No. We don’t have the money!

The travel to abroad puts me off - perhaps people are keener if they live near an airport.

I'm in London & near airports but still find it all such a faff. I did go abroad quite a bit pre dc so maybe I'm just over it. There's just so much queuing, waiting, etc.

So it's just the language you take issue with?

If people say they want to "get away" then they must hate their lives and should just make day to day changes instead.

If they say they "can't wait to travel" then that's ok?

Bizarre that you can't understand different turns of phrase and that people have different interests.

Some people are desperate to get back to singing with their choir group, others are desperate to travel again. How is that a reflection on their home life?

At least 90% of people I know go abroad at least once a year. I have been going abroad every year since I was 8 (am now in my 60s) and think I have perhaps missed5 years only in all that time. I like to go abroad, not just for the better weather, but for the culture, different food, different people, interesting things to do, different shopping, etc. I admit I don't like holidaying in the UK, mainly because of the weather and the fact that everything is 'the same' - same food, same supermarkets, etc. I'd rather be at home!

Holidays have always been the one thing I absolutely look forward to and make other sacrifices to ensure that I always get a few weeks in the sun.

Most years I do try and get 3 separate weeks in through the summer. In 2020, I actually had 4 holidays booked (2 full weeks and 2 long weekends) all of which were obviously cancelled.

I suppose we all have different priorities to spend our heard earned cash and free time and being round a pool in the sun has always been mine

We usually do a U.K. break & a trip abroad each year. We just did a camping trip to France as our last precovid abroad holiday and it was great but we love exploring the U.K. too especially up north. I’m sad we can’t get back to France but I do get frustrated when you hear people on the news getting annoyed about the restrictions. It was obvious it would happen. I do think people should be able to travel for family/personal reasons. That must be tough.

In answer to your question op, only on mn.

We get flights and then book a holiday home

Looked at booking similar without the flights in somewhere like Devon/Cornwall type area and it worked out more. That is before eating out which is cheaper.

The types of holidays abroad that you go on I would not even look at because they are touristy and have inflated prices and would be expensive.

I actually don’t know anyone except my parents who don’t go abroad at least once a year.
(My parents can’t leave the dogs. They’ll go to see something or someone abroad if needs be but it’s not an expectation).

Everyone else travels abroad as a given.

We usually go abroad 2+ times a year. One family holiday to France self catering in May, one hotel family holiday on a plane at Easter and DD and I have an air bnb European city break together for a few days in October half term. DH has a boys week skiing in jan/Feb. Plus we usually try to get a couple of nights in Paris together

Due to Covid it’s the first time this year I haven’t had a holiday in over 20 years
l had a 3 week holiday in Feb 2020 then Covid hit and I haven’t been anywhere since
Normally though I would have 3 weeks in jan - Feb and 2 weeks in June and another holiday in September of 10 -14 night plus a few weekend breaks in the uk
I’ve saved a shit load of money though and I’ve done a lot of stuff to my house that I wanted to do so I’m not grumbling
I do have 2 weeks booked for Turkey next year in May so I will see how that goes

"In answer to your question op, only on mn."

Don't be ridiculous. You think it's only MNetters that have been financing the booming travel industry pre-covid 😂

I travelled extensively and regularly before MN existed