Holidays in the sun - what is wrong with that

[mids2019]

I was listening to some radio piece about residents in a Spanish island wanting fewer UK tourists. There was a girly middle class commentator on this story supporting the islanders claiming British tourists are awful, wanting just to drink and eat bad food, dressing inapproriately,, drinking to much and being leary. All the Brit abroad sterotypes.

However I feel there is a large amount of class.snobbery here and a lot of families just want a week or two somewhere hot, have a few beers, relax and try and get a tan. Some of us don't want a.cultured or stressful holiday and I am very much each to his own on this.
As long as there isn't any breaking of laws I think we shouldn't be ashamed of breaks to the costs del sol etc.

Prices in the UK are extortionate and our weather is miserable. Viva Espagna!

Ex campsite rep here.

Every time we got a new coach load of people in the hostess would give us a heads up of what to expect for the next two weeks. Sometimes she didn't even need to, as she looks so drained so we just knew.

What we found was that the cheaper dates attracted the 'more boisterous' crowds. I just loved the most peak of peak season, those weeks cost way more, and the pax booking those were the less 'boisterous' of them all. I did wish that was a calibre of all our guests, but sadly not.

The absolute worst were single sex groups. They were an embarrassment to themselves, never mind their country.

It was quite shocking just how much time I spent at Spanish hospitals. Not for myself but for so many ridiculous alcohol induced injuries and illnesses. Oh, and sunstroke.

Utter class tourists act like tits as well

Just because you are getting pissed on champagne doesn't make you less pissed.

I've seen some very bad behaviour in upmarket ski resorts.

If some tourists are behaving poorly and it is impacting on the locals' quality of life and the environment, they are perfectly right to be annoyed and complain about it.

Your post sounds rather entitled...

Nobody wants a bunch of drunken, loud and arrogant idiots who leave rubbish everywhere they go in the vicinity.

This type of Brits need to learn to behave better and be respectful of the locals, not expect everyone to put up with their crap.

Most of the anti social behaviour in our neck of the woods is from entitled middle class visitors. No class is devoid of arseholes.

There are some families that will avoid cultural hot spots e.g. Rome, Venice, Barcelona etc. and will always very towards the well established, sun, beach and booze holiday.

What if they like to do both?

It’s not a question of anti-working class snobbery.

Its a question of rude, disrespectful, ignorant, entitled, obnoxious behaviour.

That can happen in a resort full of working class families letting their hair down for their week in the sun in Tenerife. Or it can happen in the most upscale, 7* hotel in Dubai where rooms start at £1000/night.

Both types are equally awful.

It’s not snobbery-holiday makers from uk and Ireland generally make up the majority of pissed, lairy, pushy, lousy, entitled tourists when you go abroad. And yes not all people are like that of course, but if the only trouble you see is from people from those countries of course at some stage you’ll wonder is it worth it having them there

It's not all Brits - I used to work in the tourism sector and German, Swedes, Israelis, Russians and Americans can all be bloody awful too!

You couldn’t pay me to go to somewhere like Magaluf. It’s just Basildon on sea.

We were on Majorca last summer and in the next cove down the coast from Magaluf. Very different vibe for sure, no bars and clubs, and more big villas - Simon Cowell has a home there. I had similar preconceptions about "Shagaluf". DH, DS (20) and I walked into Magaluf one morning from our hotel and had a coffee in a wee bar overlooking the immaculately clean, sandy beach. It was very pleasant. Would I want to be there at 2am with a lot of partying teens - of course not, but I am not the target market for that sort of holiday. We had a similar experience while visiting the Costa del Sol out of season one year when the kids were toddlers, they had a fantastic time playing on the beach in Torremolinos.

it's like the whole covid thing all over again - there is a hardcore of people in the UK who love to think that the UK is the worst at everything, the "laughing stock" of the whole world, and that every other country in the world spends their time talking and discussing how AWFUL Britain and the British are, rather than just getting on with their own lives.

I think certain places attract a certain type of Brit. And sadly those places tend to be in Spain. FWIW we went to Turkey last year and I was shocked by the behaviour I saw on show by people I assumed to be Russians and Israelis, they practically spat on the waiting staff and there were kids kicking cats and the parents doing nothing. The Brits at the resort were absolutely fine. And trying to save the poor cats!

It's ashame that those types of Brits have to ruin it for the majority of us. We've booked Tenerife for this December and after hearing about all the protests there recently, I really hope we won't be seen the same way as those people and not made to feel welcome there.

I don't really get what you want out of this post tbh ? If you want to go to Spain go to Spain if you don't then don't simple Yes some English act like morons abroad and that must be annoying for the locals but they need the money so hey ho

Yes there is a snobbery on MN towards AI holidays in general. From the camping types to the cultural city break types. In my opinion, it's why half the time they make comments like "same shit different location" and "holidays are so stressful " when they travel with kids.

I'm the AI type. Sun and lots of swimming, relaxing, nice food. The alcohol is a nice bonus as i'm not massively fussed.

In the real world though, as I have said before the actual issue is behaviour not the type of holiday. No one complains about tourists spending all day in the pool/on the sun longer, having a drink or two, doing some evening entertainment and then going to bed, do they?

In the real world though, as I have said before the actual issue is behaviour not the type of holiday. No one complains about tourists spending all day in the pool/on the sun longer, having a drink or two, doing some evening entertainment and then going to bed, do they?

They do moan about the damage AI does to the local economy. I have heard them.

I don't really get what you want out of this post tbh ? If you want to go to Spain go to Spain if you don't then don't simple Yes some English act like morons abroad and that must be annoying for the locals but they need the money so hey ho

I think the OP was trying to raise a debate/bunfight between tourists who like a Spanish all-inclusive and those who prefer a cultural holiday. I actually like both, and I’m probably not the only one!

They do moan about the damage AI does to the local economy. I have heard them.

I can understand this. We do AI where possible, but it’s often such good value that we still go out to local restaurants in the evening, and waiters regularly look surprised (and tell us as much) when we buy dinner in their establishments whilst wearing a bright yellow AI wristband! So yes, it has definitely knocked business, although in the busier resorts the local eateries still seem to be busy.

Any post on here disapproving of people doing the school run (on foot) in their PJs, or shopping ditto, is bound to get replies telling the OP to mind her own business, stop being ‘judgy’ (a daft word only ever seen on MN). ‘Why do you even care?’ is typical, too.,

No wonder some people think it fine to wear pyjamas in public
IMO a brilliant, old-fashioned word for any woman who does, except in the occasional real emergency, is ‘slattern’. The male equivalent would presumably be ‘slob’.

Very true

I don’t understand why people want to stay by the pool all day and eat English breakfasts. They’re not interested in exploring or absorbing the culture.

I’m currently on holls close to some beautiful beaches and the swimming pools are jammed full of holiday makers - I suspect 50% of them don’t even know the beaches are there.

I see your point - some of this needs historical context too - the Chinese don’t typically go to countries with overly entitled behaviours - many British however do and the sentiment that they own the world and can do as they please is one that sadly hasn’t left them. Of course this isn’t a summary of every single British person but a typicality seen of negative behaviours abroad.

Obviously this!

It’s what I thought

I don’t understand why people want to stay by the pool all day and eat English breakfasts. They’re not interested in exploring or absorbing the culture.

But does it really matter? Such tourists do no harm surely, and it would be a boring world if we all liked the same sort of holidays?