Desperately sad about holiday ending

[Jackolanterny]

We spend summers abroad, usually away for 4-5 weeks.

I love the climate here, the nature, the space, the vivid colours, the water. I love everything about life here.It’s Florida.

I don’t want to come home. I have about two days left and already feel the holiday blues creeping in and the anxiety about returning to the UK. I hate the weather at home. I hate the pace. I hate the greyness and bleakness of everyday. If you told me I could never step foot in the UK again, I wouldn’t be worried at all.

I was made for this place and wish I could just live here. I will cry my eyes out coming home as usual and will pine to come back, thinking of not much else. It’s a feeling similar to grief, as melodramatic as that sounds.

I know this is daft, that I should try to enjoy life at home, but I just don’t. I can’t move here, it’s not possible. Maybe I can retire here for 6 months of the year, but that’s a long time away.

Does anyone else ever feel the same? I’ve been coming here since 1991, but for longer stints since 2008. So this isn’t just a Disney bubble thing, I couldn’t give two hoots about Disney. I spend every spare penny coming here, saving like mad and going without, because I don’t see the point in spending on stuff in the UK.

Just posting because I feel so sad and wondered if this was normal and if anyone else ever feels like this about their chose holiday destination?

I think you are depressed and not happy with your life. A few weeks a year, you escape it and go somewhere else. It’s not real life though. It’s escapism and you are on holiday.

I don’t know why you can’t move to Florida, but I’d your so miserable why don’t you look at changing your life in the UK to better suit your interests you might enjoy it more then.

Surely this is depression and needs to be helped by medical professionals?

I miss the sun too @Jackolanterny
And I actually moved to the U.K. from a sunny place (yes absolutely everyone has always wondered why I did that….)

The Sun and the quality of the light is impossible to replace.
But, various reasons, I can’t leave the U.K. just now.
So my next best choice is to spend as much time as possible in a sunny place. I’m now spending about 3 weeks end of June and end of august around the Med.
The joy of seeing a bright sun, a properly blue sky 🎉🎉🎉

Always wanted to go to florida but can't afford disney. Have you spent much

To the contrary, working in education (as I do - and I live abroad too) is VERY doable, especially in international schools (but not only). Teaching couples (as in your case) are also highly sought-after. I would definitely look into it. You sound like you will regret it if you don’t.

This really isn’t healthy. Maybe look into Therapy.

Same here. We used to go to Florida every year, and I felt just like you when going home. And I don’t really even like America as a country and I would never live there. But going back I felt like I had a constant cold, and had allergies and excema. I felt like if I could just have one hour a day of Florida sun and swimming in the pool I would be happy! I know exactly how you feel.

You should probably travel a bit more.

I really don’t understand why so many posters can’t possibly believe you simply prefer and are better suited to Floria, and instead there ‘must be something wrong with your life here’.

Why is it so hard to believe OP simply loves the sunshine, the activities, the way of life over there rather than having some deep dark secret about living here? People emigrate/immigrate all the time, it’s only when people want to leave the UK that posters suddenly insist it must be because they’re running away from something?

Because she doesn't just prefer it there she obsesses over it to the point of being unable to enjoy her everyday life at all. She says she scrimps and saves every penny to go back to Florida ever year and has this year missed a family wedding just to be able to go on her normal holiday.

She doesn't just prefer being somewhere else and miss it a but she takes no enjoyment in her life when she isn't there. That's way beyond just having a favourite holiday spot and is no way for anyone to live their life

I feel the same about my uk holiday spot, right on the coast, the quality of life is way better than where I live, although most things are much more expensive. I feel like I should be by the sea and really miss it as soon as we leave.

Long time lurker first time poster….

Just had to comment as this is a post I could’ve written myself. It’s another part of the US I love (although have been to Fla loads too). I feel ‘empty’ when I’m home in England and nothing fills that void.

I am going to enter the Green Card lottery this year; official name Diversity Visa… it’s only just been opened to those in the U.K. due to smaller numbers heading there to live. Had to comment to let you know this.

Just hope we are accepted as at least I will stop feeling this way. It’s been a good couple of decades for me too so I feel your pain. I have a decent life in the U.K. but it’s nothing compared to my life there. I have a lot of family living in various States and without exception they all have a better quality of life. I want that for me and my children. Also I’m similar age to you. I don’t think age matters.

anyway, just wanted to say I totally get it. Enjoy your last precious hours in the Sunshine State. Xx

Yes and that’s not surprising given the UK and Florida are literally polar opposites, so everything she likes there won’t be here and therefore she is unhappy. Climate, hobbies and pace of life all have a massive impact on a person’s wellbeing - it’s only in the UK with our rubbish weather, lack of outdoor space and hideous work/lifestyle mismatch that we convince ourselves they don’t.

Probably because if we faced the truth we would all feel quite depressed about life here.

And for what it’s worth OP, if I were you I would pursue every avenue in trying to move there. Why not? Like I said nobody queries people wanting to immigrate to the UK, it’s only when a Brit wants to leave that it’s a ‘pipe dream that must mean you’re unhappy about something else’. Jealousy perhaps? Nobody wants to see somebody else have a successful dream and get ‘above themselves’? Who knows.

You’ll be grateful to live in England when the climate crisis really bites.

I completely understand your grief. We’ve been living on the southern east coast of the US for the last 2.5 years. The thought of going home to the dark, cold, great nights fills me with me dread!

Even people who have somewhere they would rather be usually manage to enjoy the most of the life they have at the same time as missing the other place. They don't tend to be utterly miserable for 48 weeks of the year and only get a glimmer of happiness in the other 4. That's very extreme and really not healthy.

Nobody's jealous or suggesting she's running away by considering emigrating, many have suggested that if she is really that unable to take any pleasure in her life she should emigrate and are surprised she hasn't already. It's the contrast between "I hate the UK it makes me miserable and I am only happy in Florida" with "I can't emigrate, no chance, not possible even though I have transferable skills and I haven't actually thought about it" that people are picking up on.

OP seems determined to carry on being miserable for 90% of her time.

But it’s the stock response on all such threads, not just OP’s with her specific circumstances. I’ve read a lot of threads where somebody is considering emigrating for a variety of reasons and the responses always make out they’re ridiculous to consider it, that they must be running away from something, why even the idea of it is absurd and a pipe dream. It’s very odd given the generally pro immigration and globalist views many/most posters have.

I haven't seen that on any other threads so I can't comment on those. It's not at all the case on this one

This time yes, as we brought our son and have done it all and stayed in a three bed villa and have had a lot of add-ons. It was a celebration trip that we have planned for a while, so we had money set aside for it. Normally we don’t spend so much.

In February we are back for a week and hotel, car and flights are costing us £1300, but I put £300 worth of Avios towards that one. We won’t do the parks, but will enjoy the nature preserves for free.

Thank you, I have discussed this with DH and he is absolutely up for a move.

Sound like you need to live in a better climate or find a place you like on the continent that you can easily and cheaply nip over to, to soak up.the sun and relax.
If you are in education I think maybe ur a teacher. Very stressful and demanding job. Lots of depression and burnout. I think maybe lots of more local holidays in the sun cud be doable? Best of both worlds.
The UK is Ur home so u may miss it if you left permanently.
Just some thoughts. Xxxx

We haven’t missed a family wedding to go. That’s next year and the date has shifted anyway, so it’s no longer an issue.

I didn’t know this. Thank you for letting me know.