Has anyone else completely lost the desire to go on holiday?

[TrueCrimeFanatic]

When I was young I travelled a lot. First with my parents, then as a young adult. I travelled far and wide, to the USA in one direction and the far east in the other. I loved it and lots of places inbetween. After I met and married DH and had kids we settled into the Mediterranean style 2 weeks in the sun style holidays and breaks in the U.K.

we're now in our 60s, been retired for some years and just gone completely off holidaying, home or abroad. We think about the hassle at airports, the crowds in the cities at both home and abroad. The rain and general bad weather in the U.K.

We are away right now in England and it rained a lot of the day yesterday so we only went out for a couple of hours, did a museum and a cafe at a seaside resort, returned to our lodge and just sat and read. It was quite boring. Infact we are returning home today, a day earlier than planned.

Discussing it last night we realised we’ve both lost the desire to holiday, we miss having our stuff around us particularly as all our hobbies are quite creative. ( can’t exactly take a piano on holiday)

Have others reached this point where they just have no desire to holiday any more. Am I abnormal? Just curious if others have come to this conclusion or have opinions on this?

I don’t really bother to do UK holidays or beach holidays abroad.

However, I do multiple city break/culture every year and absolutely love it. So many things in the world I want to see and experience.

I am in my sixties and have a bucket list to wade through before travelling becomes too difficult.

I feel any enjoyment you’ve had is ruined by the travelling/trip home, endless “stuff’ on your phone - tickets,parking apps, airports - endless queues, overpriced food, badly behaved people - kids and adults, have caught covid on a flight three times now, we waited nearly 2hrs to get out luggage back a few holidays back…its not what it used to be and I’d not be sorry if they banned holidays although I enjoy it while there, the getting there and back is awful!

I'm with you. I find it all so stressful. The early start for the airport. Will the taxi turn up /car break down on the way? Finding where you're going at the airport. Luggage drop off. The whole airport protocol to get to the correct deperature lounge. The multiple checking of tickets, passports. Inaudible potentially important announcements. Duty free. Then you get to your destination, do all the tours, lie in the sun, try not to get lost, realise you needed more duolingo practice and are now confusing people, get taken advantage of because you might as well have "tourist" written on your forehead. Get the wrong boat to the wrong island...
Generally miss the familiarity and comfort of your own (clean - because we always clean for the potential holiday burglars!) home. For me coming home is always the best bit. Why people tick off calendar dates counting down to 2 weeks of stress I'll never know! .
Oh and children, they're usually in the mix too, either you'll have to bring your own or they will be there!

I used to travel a lot but I just find it a pointless hassle now. The travelling part is much more stressful than it used to be even the destinations are much more packed and homogenised. It's just endless stress in a new setting and feels mostly like a survival exercise. Two people I've spoken to today are away this week and both of their holidays have involved projectile vomiting. Maybe if I had endless money to throw at it? But even then I'm not sure.

I’m like this too- I like packing and airports -to me it’s part of the fun and I like the change of scene - just hate passport control , especially post Brexit and sometimes baggage reclaim if it’s really really busy

But these are all fixable.

The early start for the airport. Book a later flight;

Will the taxi turn up /car break down on the way? Make sure the car is fully serviced and check fluids the day before or use a reputable taxi firm or stay night before in a local hotel

Finding where you're going at the airport. Luggage drop off. The whole airport protocol to get to the correct deperature lounge. That’s not really thay complex, there are big signs or ask staff,

The multiple checking of tickets, passports. Inaudible potentially important announcements. Most airports it’s automated now apart from passport control, and for announcements just check the notice boards,

Duty free. Not required but just a shop

Then you get to your destination, do all the tours, lie in the sun, try not to get lost, realise you needed more duolingo practice and are now confusing people, get taken advantage of because you might as well have "tourist" written on your forehead. Get the wrong boat to the wrong island... pick your destination where people speak more English or plan ahead.

Generally miss the familiarity and comfort of your own (clean - because we always clean for the potential holiday burglars!) home. For me coming home is always the best bit. That can’t be avoided if you miss home.
Oh and children, they're usually in the mix too, either you'll have to bring your own or they will be there! Pick adults only hotels and fly In a higher grade cabin

No but I have been totally priced out of decent holidays

Sorry to hear that. Could you drive to France? You could stay in your car on the Chunnel.

Gosh no. I love love love exploring new places. I just spent two weeks travelling by myself in Armenia and Georgia and I felt more invigorated than I have in a long time. I'm currently thinking about trying to change my job in a few years so that I only work 9 months a year and can do some good long trips in the other 3 months each year. I am in my mid 50s.

Yip...I agree. Ive been to over 20 countries over the years. Just feel its repetitive now and the hassle of it too. Last twice flight delayed on way home by over 6 hours.
I just don't get the same joy from them as I used to....been there , done that
Love being around the house, garden but also have lots of day trips and then the bliss of my own bed at night . I' m very content

I’m early 50s and feel exactly the same. I also travelled loads (and solo) when I was younger but I find it so stressful now. I could happily never go away again. I wonder how much of this is perimenopausal anxiety and if just need some HRT!

Pretty much the same as you. I also travelled a lot when younger - extended world travel and plenty of long haul and short haul trips too. I think you can just sort of grow out of it. The planning is a pain, the packing, admin, travel, costs of travel, the dreaded airport. I struggle to sleep the night before because anxiety grows. Then there are things like a different diet when away, spending more money than you're used to, traipsing round unfamiliar territory if going somewhere new. I do get now why people go to the same destination year in, year out. It's not something I've done.

I always find the mentality that if you've not been on a plane it's not a proper holiday very absurd and narrow minded !! There are plenty beautiful and interesting spots to holiday in UK

I can’t believe so many are dissing UK holidays. We are in our fifties and have been all over the world. We live in London but love exploring the UK too. I mean, the Highlands 🤯. And Cornwall, Bath, Northumberland, the N York moors, the Norfolk Broads, Edinburgh, to name just a few!

I am iny 50s, been all over the world and feel the same way. I like both the UK and abroad, for different things.

I agree OP.
i’m 73 and sick of being the one who has to organise absolutely everything about holidays so no more. DH cba to do or contribute anything, it’s never a holiday for me so, if I want a break in future I will go on my own.
i intend to explore what’s available locally, I will even have a night or two away on my own.

On the contrary, we are travelling more. We're early/mid 60's and retired so we bought a campervan and are exploring parts of the UK we've never been to. As we can go whenever we like, we follow the weather forecast and avoid the rain as much as possible. Just got back from 2 weeks in the East of England where the weather has been glorious.
We do still fly abroad once a year but only short haul.
Our mantra is "let's do it, whilst we still can".

I use ChatGPT to organise holidays. It's briiliant. I also do at least 1 solo trip a year and 1 solo weekend away.

I hope to do more UK travel in the future. When we took limited holidays I tended to go abroad, but given more time to travel I would definitely like to see more of the UK too.

This is us too! I'd far rather spend the money on the garden or a nicer car and who's going to look after the dogs? Plus I like my own bed I like a weekend away we just did a walking weekend in Dorset and that's great but any more than 2 nights is too much faff

Depends on the holiday. I was cycling in Italy recently. Eye watering beauty in the high mountains and I stayed in a beautiful town. Watched and talked to people from other countries. On the way back the airport was fine and I got some nice shopping done. I went to Dubrovnik recently with my daughter. It was delightful and we loved seeing the Japanese women tourists styling it out for their Instagram. We are off to Rome next year and my daughter (16) is revved for it now. Japan is on her radar. I love being somewhere nice eating the food and just experiencing that life. International travel can be brilliant.

I’ve been lucky to do a lot of it

I don’t really want to do anything more now

And to be honest, I think if you travelled in the past you’ve had the best of it really

Now airports are so stressful I mean, I didn’t like them in the first place but… they have definitely got worse.

Blimey, no - as soon as I'm back from one trip, I want to book the next. And I'm the same age as the OP. I love a hotel (even the inexpensive ones), and the chance to be somewhere different, even if I am just reading my book. I don't know how it's possible to be bored on a holiday....maybe the OP needs to choose their trips more carefully?

Totally agree. UK holidays are fabulous. Ive been abroad often too

As I get older I enjoy them less and actually don’t even really look forward to them. I have a caravan site I adore with stunning beaches, is cheap to stay with lovely pubs only 90 minutes drive from home and I’d rather go there 5 times a year on spaced out long weekends than do a week or 2 somewhere abroad.

I find travelling stressful, the airports, don’t like planes, the worry about money, packing limits and having to decide what to take.

The caravan I take whatever I fancy, no rush on when to arrive or when to leave just total freedom.

I appreciate that with a higher budget going abroad would be more appealing.
I’m also knackered with work and kids and so city breaks don’t appeal anymore either. Lost my holiday mojo it seems but at least I save money that way.