Why is the answer always 'a holiday'?

[MorganMankini]

Not really a TAAT, but slightly prompted by one.

Why is a fantasy spend, from a windfall or prize or inheritance, always a holiday? It's usually the answer on here, and on quiz shows etc. Why not a car, or a garden makeover, or jewellery, classes in learning the trombone - even 'I've always wanted to scuba dive in Bali'. But it never is: just the generic Holiday.

As you can see, I can think of loads. I struggle to believe I'm the only one with imagination for something more specific. Or - maybe, as I suspect with quiz shows, code for 'bugger off, it's nobody else's business' so that the winner can just pretend to family and friends that the money has all gone on a holiday?

Light-hearted. But curious.

Maybe because they are too embarrassed to say:
Pay off my credit cards and loans.
Pay for dental treatment I've never been able to afford.

The first thing I would do is pay off debt but I wouldn't want to advertise that as people would judge why I was in debt in the first place.

One of the many things I would like to do if there was enough money is to buy my sister a house outright wherever she chose in the country in a trust so it went to her son in the end. I wouldn't want to announce that publicly and embarrass my sister or cause issues with her partner (who isn't very nice and is the reason I want my sister looked after and no one else able to take the house).

So a holiday is an easy thing to say without revealing too much personal information. Or maybe they just haven't had a holiday for a long time so that's the first thing they want.

Because I would rather a holiday or to travel than spend it on the house/car or material items. Perhaps not all of it (depending on the amount of course)

I don't think 'a holiday' is any less imaginative than the things you mentioned, though. What's imaginative about a car or a garden makeover or some jewellery, really? They're also just generic expensive things.

I expect when people say 'a holiday' they either do have a specific type of trip in mind but just don't bother to share that detail with the viewing public, or perhaps want to leave the specific destination/type of holiday choice until after they've actually won the money.

Because a holiday is frivolous spending. It’s not an essential so people end up spending their savings money on semi boring day to day stuff like bathroom upgrade or new fridge or garden plants.

If you suddenly have an extra £10k you weren’t expecting then you have the luxury of being able to spend £5k on a holiday ( and £5k on more boring stuff)

My answer isn't a holiday, but it is basically building the financial security so I can go on holiday more of the time.

I actually did win 10k, and I invested it!

Yet this is an anonymous forum. You could admit to paying off debt, or funding family, or whatever. And replying 'holiday' seems such a conversation stopper - fair enough if it's public, but why on here? Why not expand on the idea if you're going to contribute to the thread at all?

Maybe I should start a Very Specific Holiday Windfall Fantasy thread.

I don't think I would go on a holiday if I won a large sum of money - I'd rather spend it on something useful like investing in my pension or replacing the white goods in the kitchen and getting a new dining table! But those don't sound anywhere near glamorous or exciting enough for a TV audience

Holidays seem a lot more imaginative than jewellery to me. Immersing yourself in other cultures, seeing spectacular sights, eating amazing food.

Why is it a conversation stopper on a posting forum like this. It’s the same as saying ‘pay off debt’, or ‘buy some earrings’.

There are many that would just love the opportunity to pick any holiday they like, so why would they need to narrow it down for Mumsnet purposes?

But holiday can mean such different things

Say you have a love of Roman history and want to see what’s left, a lot of it is stuck to Italy.

or Elvis’s house, or the Grand Canyon.

To do these things you need time and money, time off work and money.

Most people with an interest or passion or just curiosity want to go somewhere symbolic of that particular thing.

And as you get older you know travelling can become more complicated.

So a common desire, or even advice, is go whilst, when you can.

I don’t really see what is surprising about this.

I didn't realise you meant just on here I thought you meant in general if people come into money what would they do with it.
10 grand or less I would pay off debt.
100 grand or less I would pay off debt then fund my son if he decides to go to uni.
500 thousand or more I would do the above then get my sister a house.
I have travelled a lot so I wouldn't prioritise that but when I retire I will get a bit sum and I think I would like to use time of it to go and see gorillas in Uganda.
I already have a house as do my 2 sons although theirs are rented out and they don't live in them at the moment so we wouldn't buy new houses.

I would absolutely spend a windfall on a big long haul holiday. We spend pretty much all our time and money making sure we cover the basics and 'sensible' extras, like mortgage, car maintenance, extra curriculars for the DC, reasonable birthday gifts, new winter coats, paying into a pension, etc.. so a holiday (which we don't have very often) offers a real sense of escape from being sensible (or at least from having the bulk of our time and money organised around being sensible) all the time.

Travel, for me, offers genuine rest and recreation and fun and a spirit of freedom and adventure. I don't get those same feelings from the idea of a new car or landscaping, even though our cars are nothing special and our garden is very tired! But I appreciate we are all different and others might not get those feelings from a holiday, and might instead get them from designing their garden or buying art / a new car / etc.

Of course if the roof needed fixing I'd spend the windfall on that first. But assuming the basics are covered, it would be travel for me every time.

I think if the answer is a holiday, it's probably not a huge amount of money. So the real answer is that it'll just get put in the bank and spent on the things you normally spend money on. Or put into the rainy day emergency fund. Whereas if you take the win as a cue to book your holiday, you can feel you are earmarking the money for something specific, maybe spend a bit more than you normally would, or like some pps, have a holiday you weren't otherwise going to be able to afford at all.

My answers are: £100-500 - buy some nice shoes.
£500-10,000 - finish decorating my house a bit more quickly than it'll otherwise get done.
£10-20k - replace the main bathroom with one that's not horrible.
£20k+ - some of the above but probably just invest most of it.
£300k+ invest it and use it to retire early.

Because that would be my truthful answer.
Im old I don’t want any more ‘stuff’, rarely drive nowadays, can’t be bothered with the house, it’s okay and that’s good enough for me.
However I do love a holiday and spend any spare money on them.

What are you talking about? You are very biased here.
Many people say paying down mortgages.

Holidays are fun.

It's easy OP.

I work all year as a single mum. I get ds up, make breakfast, do school run, go to work, collect ds from the bus stop, go home, make supper, eat, tidy up, prep for tomorrow, watch half an hour's tv, go to bed.

And then I get up and do it all over again. At the weekend, substitute washing, hoovering, food shopping etc for work, but it's much the same.

So when offered the opportunity, I want

Someone else to make my breakfast
Some guaranteed sunshine
A pool to swim in
Somewhere beautiful to explore
Rest

I don't care where, within reason. A holiday with all the above is all I need to recharge my batteries. I am easily pleased. 😎

I don't have any debt. I'm quite happy with my Fiesta, a neer/bigger car wouldn't add anything to my lie. I rarely wear jewellery etc. But I love travel and have adventurous and expensive tastes so I'd say a holiday but it would be a safari in Botswana (££££), a riding holiday across the Andes (££££), diving in the Seychelles or Phillipines (££££) etc. But I'd probably just reply holiday on a thread.

I agree with you. It's never "put it towards my kid's house deposit" or "get new flooring in the kitchen". Maybe that sounds too boring, and the mental picture of two weeks lying on a sunny beach while drinking martinis is more aspirational. The answers on The 1 per cent Club are often a bit more imaginative. "Buy a giraffe" is the only one I can remember, but they're often daft humourous ones. Not to be taken seriously, in other words.

To be fair the answer to most questions is a holiday, either that or 42.

lol at you thinking your answers are imaginative in comparison to a holiday 😂

I was one of the people on the thread you’re talking about who said that they’d spend the money on a holiday and I absolutely would. For the whole of my adult life, holidays have been carefully costed, go where I can afford, package deals. Of course I’m going to spend my imaginary windfall on a holiday where I don’t have to count the pennies, I can upgrade to the bigger room, I can spend an evening drinking cocktails even though they cost £12 each! How is that less imaginative than a pair of earrings?

I don't knowI don't relate to the holiday answer on an anonymous forum but if asked IRL or on record I'd say it because it's a safe answer. If I said veneers or tummy tuck I know I will get judged and I'd rather not let people know my business and sore points. i'd want something useful and lasting. All the relaxation of a holiday is wiped the moment I land back home but I will say it to give a diplomatic vague answer.

Because being anonymous and online doesn’t always lead to franker or more self-revelatory responses. Sometimes it involves fantasising, presenting a self people wish they were, or outright falsehoods.

Plus, judging by the number of people on here who, in different contexts, admit to loathing and fearing holidays (stress about packing, airports, fear of flying, anxieties about foreign food, sun-loungers, languages, not liking sleeping anywhere but at home etc), some people wish they were the type who could enjoy holidays.

My family like holidays. I couldn't say where i'd choose to go as it would depend where we'd already been by that point. Each holiday for us isn't just relaxing, we do go out a lot and explore, do excursions etc.
The house and garden don't need any work, no debts other than mortgage which happy to keep paying to allow us money to spend travelling.
Car is a not very old expensive car so won't need replacing for a few more years.
I don't wear jewellery, not fussed by buying new clothes other than when i need them, same for shoes, don't use expensive skincare/make up

No way I'd waste it on a holiday. I'd have my garden landscaped or get a bigger house or maybe a facelift.

Ive never understood this either.

Most peoples daily lives could be improved by, say, a £10k win. Not by buying a new car or holiday but by paying off debt or employing a cleaner or going part time for a while or saving it for the kids future or your own pension.

Two weeks in the sun is nice but won't make any sort of lasting difference.

I am aware I think differently to other people