Why are people happy to pay thousands for 2 weeks in the sun in summer

[erikbloodaxe]

Yet complain about paying the same (or less) to heat their homes during the coldest months.

I don't mean anyone who cannot afford either but the people who refuse to put their heating on, whose children are wearing multiple layers and coats in the house and now believe turning on the oven is akin to murder.

@erikbloodaxe

We had this conversation last night Dh and I

We have been hugely let down by the government but I'm not letting that affect my kids

My house will be warm and if we can afford a holiday we will have one and if we can't we won't simple as that.

I can afford 2 - 3 two week holidays a year
just come back from one yesterday and have two booked for next year .
But I have no childcare or mortgage to pay

but that doesn’t mean that I’m not pissed off at the hike in energy cost and will be taking measures - like using a heated throw - air fryer wearing hoodies this winter

People live for their holiday. Work all year for 2 weeks scrambling for sun loungers in Benidorm... it's a bit of a cliché but like most it's not a million miles from the truth even if now the ideal is a villa in Tuscany or an apartment in Crete.

Personally I'm glad it's not either/or for us but I do run (and always have done) a winter sweater, thick sock and blanket policy here - heating is on for 3.5 hours per day, no extra unless the above items of warmth are already deployed. It's works, dd is still under £120

I'm multi-talented.
I can complain about both.
🤷‍♀️

Why pick on holidays?

You could ask why people buy sofas. Or upgrade their car or their laptop. Or redecorate.

Travel is my passion and as a family we would scrimp on pretty much everything all year to see a new culture, new scenery, and do new things for a few weeks.
Our friends spent as much on a new dining table as we did in flights to Australia, one year. We thought they were mad. They thought we were mad. We all just laughed about it.

My sofa is ancient and so is my car, which will be kept until it dies. I don't spend much on clothes or anything much. But you'll prise my flight tickets from my cold dead hands.

I don’t tend to do 2 weeks in the sun holidays - we prefer to go away in the winter when the weather is rubbish at home. Travelling is a priority for me and that’s reflected in my spending habits. I think I’d have to turn my home into a sauna to spend thousands on energy though, my bill is circa £800 a year even with new prices and we do use the heating when it gets actually cold inside.

Because when I get on the plane it’s my time to check out. I own my own business and find it hard to have any real time away. I am often on my lap top in bed at 12am unable to switch off. When I go on holiday my staff know not to contact me unless the place has burnt down …

I got to hotels where I don’t have to lift a finger and I can spend two weeks relaxing and enjoying quality time with my kids.

Its worth every single penny

I have a cheap out-of-season self-catering holiday in the UK, only spend about £500 for everything, so not the type you are talking about really.

But whatever sort of holiday you have and however much you spend on it, it's an important psychological break from real life - something to look forward to, a change of scene, and something to reminisce about afterwards. You can't really compare that to spending more money on your utility bills.

When you're 90 years old and too old to go anywhere, you won't sit in your armchair remembering the day you left the heating on for three hours instead of two; you'll remember about the perfect day you had on the beach in Italy, or the time you got caught in the rain at the top of a cliff in Devon.

When you live in Scotland it's imperative to have a foreign holiday to top up our vitamin D :)

I can afford both and will do both. I enjoy holidays, seeing new places and leaving life’s stresses at home and seeing my children making memories. I will be mindful still of how often we have the heating on etc because I begrudge spending high amounts on it and not sure the children will make memories from me choosing to heat the home.

Same. I feel like two weeks sitting on a beach is a waste of money. But I'm an exploring/sightseeing type of person.

Regardless the increase in energy costs is ridiculous and unacceptable and it shouldn't have to be a choice of a vacation vs heating.

Because holidays are great and you get more out of life.

Because they’ve grown up with the expectation that if they have above a certain level of job they will be able to afford both.
People can’t tolerate their long-held expectations being disappointed. It’s a component of civil unrest and conflict for a reason.

Because if the necessities are so expensive you can’t afford the nice things, which help to make life enjoyable. Think most people who took holidays this summer probably booked them before it was clear that the cost of living would increase so dramatically.

Fab for you. I go to Mexico for the UK winter. It costs no more than UK winter fuel bills. I need warmth - disability. Your choices aren't those for others. The UK had been let down by politicians, not by people who made the best choices for themselves.

I'm happy to pay my 2.5k holiday abroad for next year because:
If I cut back on other non essential things I can afford it
2 weeks away from the stresses of life / work / routine
Not had a proper beech holiday abroad for almost 7 years
My children get to spend time in a different country, and experience the joys of travel
We go on lots of excursions and try things we wouldn't normally at home
Life is too short not to do the things you enjoy - even if it doesn't appeal to others