UK holidays are hard work

[ChocolateRiver]

We’re on holiday on the north Devon/Cornwall border. Staying in a converted barn on a farm. It’s lovely, the kids are having a great time but it’s such bloody hard work. Getting up early to get a parking space at the beach, making up picnics, putting sandy beach clothes/towels in washing machine, sorting out food, cooking etc, driving everywhere, hoovering up after beach days, tidying up - feel like I’m constantly on the go! And it’s so expensive, can’t afford to have all lunches and teas out. Don’t get me wrong, we’re having a nice time, but it’s definitely not a rest - we’re knackered. We usually go abroad but have stayed here due to Covid, we’ll be off abroad again next year if it’s possible.

Not out experience at all, nearly all
of our family holidays (DCs are teens now) have been UK SC. Breakfast is easy, cereal, toast, croissants whatever. No spending whole days at the beach, my two aren't keen and I'd be bored stiff, as we would be sitting round a pool all day. We mix up the days, the odd full day trip out but mainly shorter trips out locally with a couple of hours back at the accommodation dotted through the day - NT membership is great for this, also so many coastal car parks are NT so free to members. Walks, crazy golf etc. Either go to the beach early and back by mid morning or don't go till the evening. Picnic food is easy, bread rolls, sliced cheese, cherry tomatoes, fruit etc or pick something up while out. Evenings either ready meals, takeaways or eat out. Love our DC holidays.

We stay in hotels and eat out most meals, I'm not bloody cooking on holiday. Appreciate it's expensive though.

Currently in south devon in a caravan. We've loved every minute of it but are knackered in a way we aren't on an abroad holiday. Got dd (17) and ds (7) with us. We've been to the beach every day, no lazing around the pool for a day as its bookable slots only. Eating out is hit and miss due to how busy it is. Ds never stops, he's on the go from 8am til 10pm. On an abroad holiday he would be in the hotel pool every other day. So we could be sat watching. On the beach its more difficult to supervise from afar.

Have absolutely loved it tho, so much so we are booking for next year. Hectic, different to a European holiday but absolutely beautiful places to see.

You can not compare a self catering holiday to an all inclusive then moan!

I’m taking 10 year old twins away on Monday. I will not be doing any laundry, I’ve taken them enough clothes to have a clean outfit daily,I’ll shake the towels out and hang them to dry, but I will not be doing laundry.

I will also avoid doing any vacuuming. Lighten up op, you’re on holiday. Please try to relax and enjoy yourself.

We were reminiscing today about the pancake machine at a breakfast buffet in Hong Kong

@doorornottodoor I don't know how to break it to you but these have been consigned to covid history (I live in HK). Now have to order pancakes rather than press the button 8 times and get a massive pile. My kids are GUTTED. HK has nothing to offer anymore

Tesco delivery to the caravan made things even simpler this time too

@starbrightstarlight8888

I'm with you op. I get married soon so last night we were saying how gutted we are to have to holiday in the UK for our honeymoon. A UK holiday just isn't a holiday in my eyes. You can't just chill and relax like you can abroad on an all inclusive. I really need a holiday to relax on.

I think it’s really sad you feel this way before it’s happened. Depending on your budget (and obviously that’s the crucial question) there are some really lovely places you could stay where things would be slightly different from abroad - eg the pool/spa might be indoors - but there’s still a pool, amazing food, nice surroundings etc.

Surely it is just the difference between self-catering and AI. Although it is usually cheaper to eat out abroad and they are more welcoming to families

You do need to do a bit more preparation in booking your uk holiday, that I agree with. The rest if bollocks because (as pp said) you can't compare self catering with AI. And for those who say it doesn't exist in the UK, there are two I have stayed in in Cornwall.

The reason I say you need to do more prep booking for a UK holiday is that when you book an ai abroad they tend to just be in designated holiday hubs which make life easy out there. I appreciate it has been significantly more difficult this year, but I would suggest that your holiday would be much less stressful if you had booked somewhere walking distance to the beach and with some outdoor space to just hang towels at the end of the day (they don't need washing every day). Rinse out swim gear in the shower and hang outside too.

Holidays are what and how you make them

It is not about the UK it is about self catering. You would be doing all that in Greece or Spain in a villa if it wasn't walking distance to the beach.

What I have learned in this pandemic is that our own country is so beautiful and we have missed out by not doing more holidays here over the years.

We have done lots of bits of Cornwall outside of the school holidays and it has been amazing.

You also have to remember that all inclusive holidays are only so cheap because the staff are paid an absolute pittance.

[quote ChocolateRiver]@MrsFin no we go all inclusive with beach towels etc provided. Don’t have to do a thing.[/quote]
You can have such holidays here too (just as you can holiday abroad the way you are now), but they are expensive which is a consideration when you have young children.

As long as you are having a good time, why worry? You don't have to make it too arduous and sticking things in a washing machine is easy enough. If you need to prepare food (and I totally get that eating out all the time with kids is beyond the means of many), make it simple, you and husband do it between you - he can barbecue sometimes which is always fun.

I liked cottage holidays; I enjoyed hotels/resorts too. Managed to relax in both.

I do agree that, on the whole, a good holiday in the UK is more expensive than abroad but there are beautiful, interesting places here and if you know where to look, some unspoilt.

Many people here do not know much of the country where they live. Husband and I said we were going to explore the UK when we retired, visiting places we'd never seen. He was particularly looking forward to that. I feel sad it won't happen now but nobody knows what is around the corner; at least we did see a lot of the land and found some real gems.

I think a lot of people who holiday abroad turn up at all inclusive and plonk themselves down and do nothing. All food included. Kids in pool and parents in sun drinking. Any trips for people that can be bothered are pick up and drop off so all sorted.

Some resorts abroad struggled massively with the arrival of tourists that merely stay in the all inclusive hotel the entire holiday rather than use local restaurants and cafes etc.

Each to their own but many then never actually visit the real country/culture etc (unless you count laid on all inclusive for the masses evening entertainment).

Unless you find a hotel on the beach in the UK then you do have to get yourself there.

I would rather ANY UK holiday hassle than the rigmarole of an airport. Having a G&T in an airport bar is nice but that's about it.

To make it easier get the others to help load machine, hang up to dry. Make sandwiches team effort not just you

@Insert1x20p nooooo !!!

@RampantIvy I know there’s lots of healthy places in more touristy areas (particularly south England) but if you go to the back of beyond (very north west Scotland) then not so much. More pub food. Which is fine but not great every night. So we mix it up a bit with eating in. We live in Scotland and whilst we love Cornwall prefer quieter beaches so head further north.

It obviously depends on what kind of holidays you're used to and AI is sooo different from self catering, particularly in the UK.

However we've always had picnics to make, had towels to dry out and spaces in car parks to find whether abroad or here. You just need to plan your day which I admit on holiday is a pain as you don't want to have to plan anything sometimes!

As for washing... why do people do this on holiday? Towels just get used every day as they're full of sand again after 5 mins on the beach. I'm always amazed at the amount of people hanging around the washing machine area when we've been camping. What a waste of a holiday!

My daughter’s ten and we’ve done UK holidays every year bar two where we’ve been abroad (neither of those were package holidays or lie in the sun type of holidays) and I’ve not found them hard work. We’ve been mostly to remote Scottish places as well as seaside places in Wales/England. Maybe it’s just that our expectations are lower!!

[quote ChocolateRiver]@MrsFin no we go all inclusive with beach towels etc provided. Don’t have to do a thing.[/quote]
So it's nothing to do with the UK then!

You usually got to a hotel where the staff clean up after you and you have meals prepared for you. You could have done that in the UK - we have hotels too!

You chose a "self catering" accommodation where you have to do things yourself (clue in the name). They have those abroad too where you don't have everything done for you.

You've made this about the UK, when in reality it's about your choice of accommodation, holiday and location.

@TupilaLilium

I live in North Wales, not on holiday, and it is exhausting just dealing with so many people. My kids want days out and it is just heaving everywhere.

I wish the tourists and the jellyfish would reduce by 1/2. That would sort my summer right out.

On behalf of all those who normally live quiet lives by the sea, I say bring back the all-inclusive Spanish holiday.

(planning on going to devon in a few weeks so will contribute my share to busy roads, depleted grocery stores, and parked-up beauty spots)

It’s nice to share.

@TheMoth thanks for the pie explanation. Greece? We miss our Greek adventures so much. ❤️ We were talking about Greek yoghurt last week. We had a delicious breakfast with Greek yoghurt and fruit. I was saying how delicious the yoghurt was and my son said “it would be better in Greece”. ❤️ Love that place with a passion. It’s so warm you barely need to take anything. We island hopped with backpacks. My bag was only 9kg which was a record for me! it’s interesting that what’s come out of this thread for me is liking not taking too much stuff!!!

We went camping in Scotland a couple of weeks ago. Work to load the car and set up, and the reverse at the end, but DS spent most of his time playing in the woods with newly made friends and we just sat in the sunshine, read, chatted and watched the wildlife. There was a place you could swim in the river a few minutes walk from the campsite. There is a laundry facility but we didn't use it and neither did most other people, I washed our masks one day, that was the extent of the laundry. We managed some nice meals from tins/dried/jarred etc on a one ring camping stove and the effort involved was almost none.

It gets easier as they get older but since the age of maybe 7 or 8, DS has had no difficulty occupying himself for hours on a campsite. That's the main appeal of camping to be honest. We get to chill. We have to round him up for meals and trips out.

There’s some hilarious judgement on this thread about holidays overseas! The dreaded “costas” @RosesAndHellebores

Personally I don’t like the idea of all inclusives as I like to explore in the evening but with small kids it sounds heavenly! We were always too skint to do it when the kids were little.

As for washing... why do people do this on holiday? Towels just get used every day as they're full of sand again after 5 mins on the beach. I'm always amazed at the amount of people hanging around the washing machine area when we've been camping. What a waste of a holiday!

Your towels must be filthy after 2 weeks at the beach. Used day in day out.
I hardly think 1 hour spent at the campsite laundrette is a ‘waste of a holiday’.
Do you waste any time washing dishes after meals?

@Namechangeforthis88 sounds heavenly. Would you possibly be able to DM me the campsite? The river nearby sounds perfect. It’s just the bloody midges this time of year puts me off camping in Scotland!