Are you jealous of people who go on lots of holidays?

[Jobs4kids]

I know a number of people who go on multiple holidays a year, often to exotic, "bucket list" places. Mostly I find out via their Facebook posts. I don't do too badly myself (generally 1 main holiday abroad plus at least 3 short breaks per year) but I often feel quite envious and wonder if I should be doing more before I get too old (am in my 50s). However, although I mostly enjoy my holidays, I'm always glad to get home to my own space and think I would actually find it quite stressful to go away so often. I'm aware I'm lucky and know there are people who never get away, either due to financial, health or other constraints or simply because they don't want to. I'm also aware you can have an enjoyable life without going away from home - seeing friends, hobbies, days out or even at home baking, watching netflix etc.

I realise that pre-social media I probably wouldn't even be aware of most people's holidays unless I saw them and they told me about them, so that's obviously a factor too.

Anyone else feel like this?

my mum lived in italy in a beautiful place in Tuscany near Siena. we used to go multiple times a year but only had to pay for car hire and flights.

sadly I went from very high functioning traveling the world with my owl which I loved as I love travel btu nine years ago I had a pscytoic break and even though we now own the place in Tuscany I find it so so hard to go there now becasue it reminds me of life befroe the breakdwon and im utterly traumatised and dont feel sane now at all. im not me - I used to love to ravel.

This. I find it concerning that the environmental impact very rarely seems to factor in to decision making over holidays or even get mentioned. People care about recycling and natural habitat preservation and garden wildlife and so on but don’t appear to give a second thought to flying for holidays.

Nope, not at all. But I’m also not on social media.

I like holidays as much as anyone, but I genuinely don’t feel the need for multiple a year. I’m too lazy to organize and pack for them, I suppose! I like hearing about them but I think I prefer city breaks.

i only know a couple of people IRL who have multiple exotic holidays a year. One has a high-stress career/home life (single parent with uncooperative ex) so she need to decompress. The other is bored with her career and dislikes where they live so wants to get away regularly. Good on them for doing it.

Yes, I feel the same. Think social media makes it worse

We stayed in a villa just inland from Olbia a few years back and apart from Olbia itself, it was very quiet.‘ it seemed in that area (Costa Smeralda) there were a lot of developments around marinas which were pretty dead outside of the main summer (although that did mean restaurants closed). Do you have to travel in school holidays? As that can make a big difference. I would think that most places considered popular tourist areas have villas which are set in the hills and peaceful, and cheaper if you can travel May or October.

@Musicaltheatremum

My brother always comments when I go on holiday "another holiday" with a sad emoji. He is single, never had a girlfriend for years, but he can afford it. I was single (widowed) for 6 years but I went on singles holidays and enjoyed myself. My new husband and I want to do many holidays whilst we can. It annoys me but I ignore him. It's his choice.

Couldn't you invite him along ?

I think people who say they just need to ‘get away’ are often just very busy and need a bit of space to relax. Or they just need a bit of sun in the miserable UK winter. However, an awful lot of people (and this includes most people who have several holidays a year) go away because they want to see different places or experience different cultures. It doesn’t mean that they hate their lives but holidays and/or travel add something to them. Maybe it’s not for you, but looking down on others, or feeling sorry for them, because they like to go away is an odd take on life.

Actually some of my favourite holidays have been in the UK, so easy to chuck everything in the car and go! Did loads of "Sun £9.50" breaks when the kids were younger. Used the van as a base and explored. The kids look back at them fondly. One of my favourite ever holidays was a cottage in Northumberland (& I've done quite a few long hauls in my time). The weather was kind, we did lots of exploring and it was so relaxing! My kids are adults now, as are most of my friends', so maybe that's why I've noticed it more, many of them are doing it now because they've got their freedom back.

This is how I feel but I still get holiday envy, even though I dont actually want to go away. I love being at home with my dogs.

We go on lots of holidays/travel alot..we have a lovely life at home. I'm not trying to 'escape' anything. I also love my dog & have a lovely house and garden and leave near the coast. However, there is nothing like experiencing new cultures, seeing fascinating places etc
I would also argue there is a huge difference between holidaying and travelling. Holidaying in the same place year on year on all inclusive deals is not the same as travelling on road trips in foreign countries and experiencing places off the beaten track.

I would love to travel more but can't afford it so I am envious.
But I try to practice contentment and making my home somewhere that I love to be, and working on making my garden really pretty. I'd rather work on appreciation of what I have than feel hard done by.

I think it comes down to the extent to which one is prepared to accept the harsh truth of climate science and act as if it is real, even when it means changing one's own behaviour and, in some cases, going without that which one enjoys. The cognitive dissonance is considerable for many. I don't fly for holidays anymore, and very reluctantly travel by plane to see my siblings in the country of my birth every 5 years or so -any more feels irresponsible- despite loving the bones of them and their families. But if this comes up in conversation "Ah, you're from X; do you get back much?" and I say I try not to fly, people tend to look at me as if I'm mad. Some feel it is a judgement on their choices and respond with suspicion or defensiveness, a bit like how some respond to vegans.

Yes that is what is so disconcerting. That even mentioning environmental concerns is apparently so out there. It would be nice if people showed even a passing consideration for it. “We’re thinking of going away for Christmas but we flew twice already last year so we’d rather not add to our carbon footprint.” Or “I’d love to go to Mauritius but long haul flights are so bad for the environment we’re going to save it for my 50th and stick to Europe for our summer holidays”.

Sometimes. I tag along with dh work trip one weekend a year. Other than that haven't had a holiday since 2013.

I holiday a lot, probably more than the average person - I always want more because I want to see the world, but there’s never a bit of me that’s jealous about package all inclusives when I see them.

@QuizzlyBears Same here! If someone posts from an AI in the Maldives, I think ‘lovely, enjoy your luxurious break.’ But if I see a photo of a friend on a pony in Lesotho, of their battered boots on the Camino de Santiago or at a carnival in Brazil I want to climb into the photo and join them.

I have friends like this, but I don’t envy them at all. Pre-children we could afford to go on multiple foreign holidays a year, but choosing to stop that meant I could afford to be a SAHM. I’m much happier to have that time with my young children and reduce my own spending in many ways. They are very appreciative children of whatever we do within the UK.

No because I find going on holiday a big faff. I also did lots of travelling and lived in different places when I was younger so I dont feel im missing out. I have a friend who's always on holiday and she just seems bored of life tbh. She just posts pictures of herself constantly: sun bathing and drinking cocktails and eating out - and it looks so dull, like she's trying to fill some kind of void.

No. I’ve started to hate all the faff involved with travelling now, it wouldn’t bother me not to go abroad this year although I’ll go to keep DP happy. I also don’t care about other people’s holidays, it’s like listening to people telling you about their dreams for me.

Ditto. I don’t know how people find the energy for multiple holidays a year.

Stay away from Faceache (Facebook) !

I agree! Pre-kids and husband, I went to Fez with my then bf. Jumped on a train on Tangiers, found a cute little Riad, and spent a few days wandering the city meeting.

Then, about 6 years ago, we took my then 8yo stepdaughter to Marrakech. DH said AI would be easier. It was but it was so boring. Big hotel in the middle of nowhere that could have been anywhere. Not safe to go beyond the confines of the resort. There were excursions to Marrakech centre but it felt to me like we weren't really experiencing the city.

We started discussing a summer holiday this year. I wanted a week in a guest house in Tbilisi. He wants to go to an AI in Tenerife with a kids disco. We've parked it and booked a few days in Blackpool. 😂

@TheBestThingthatAlmostHappened Georgia would be an amazing country to visit. We did the same as you in our twenties- landed up in Marrakech and just took it from there- finding amazing riads around Morocco. We travel a lot with our teens but it’s pretty meticulously planned. I can’t wait to be able to just rock up somewhere again! One of my DD’s is exploring the Silk Road cities by train this summer, the lucky goose.