AIBU to not take my children on holidays....

[nonsense0name]

I can afford to go but can't justify the price, I hate flying, travelling and the sheer hassle of the whole thing, the packing, organising, being disapointed when it's not fab.

or am I robbing my kids of precious childhood memories?

we have loads of days trips and outings to the beach, park, beer garden in the summer, zoos, picnics etc etc

but I can't bring myself to part with the near £1k it costs to book a decent holiday cottage in this country or go further afield

What do you think - am I missing the point?

oh I paid for the one that was nearly a grand YOS because I just needed to book it. I will try and shop around a bit more next year :)

Are all these cheap holidays in the school summer holidays? We have bought a tent as it is the only way we can afford to go anywhere abroad. It's still not that cheap especially if you go to France.

I love holidays! It's getting right away from home which is relaxing imo.

We go to Centre Parcs but DC are pre-school so we can go off peak which is cheaper.

We also do cheap-ish package deals to Menorca etc - which are very family friendly, and sunny!

I find flying with kids fine - you get to queue jump - and yes, they can kick off on the plane (if they're babies/toddlers) but I don't get why that's worse than if they kick off in the supermarket (for example)

Packing - well again, I never worry about this as they have shops abroad if you forget anything!

Can I ask, the cheapy package hols abroad, what do you do with little ones in the day. Mine are 4 and 3, I cant imagine them being entertained by the beach/pool all day every day for a week... but what else do you do when they are that little?

(this comes from my childhood packed with fabulous (on paper) holidays where the entertainment was the above with a little sister - bored to tears, literally, every single fuckin time. This was slightly preferable to the day trips aimed at adults - boat trips, sight seeing, shopping)

Okay I admit, i am a miserable cow but genuine question all the same

My DC are a little bit younger BabyDubs but I think pool/beach does entertain kids for a week (me and my sis loved similar holidays when children!)

Thinking back to our last holiday - there was kids entertainment on everyday, singing songs, putting on little shows, playing pool games etc. As I said DC a bit young but it looked to be of good quality to me. There was a good play area as well.

Also, just being with mum/dad uninterrupted for a week!

What do your kids like to do at home?

Hoseasons is good and does affordable summer holiday prices. As a rule of thumb, the fewer facilities, the cheaper the site, but you can get lodges, cottages or caravans. I don't work for them anything, but have had two good affordable holidays that we all enjoyed.

babydubs - we have never done beach holidays. I don't like sitting by a pool or on a beach for hours at a time. I can manage the odd hour here and there maybe. We just get out and about. We hire a car and we explore. We go for walks, we go to museums and castles, or other places of interest. We have coffee and cake, and eat in restaurants. When DD was little we would stop at little parks - many places abroad have them all over - or look for road trains for a ride. DDs never really liked the beach although does like to play in the sea or a pool - but again, only for little periods of time.

It depends on where we go as to what we do - but we have had at leats 1 or 2 holidays a year since DD was a baby and never done a sitting by a pool/beach holiday int hat time - and DD has always loved our holidays.

My parents paid to take us all to a gorgeous villa in Portugal a few years ago and although we all had an amazing time, the DC only ever ask to go back to the Haven caravan we went the previous year (under £100 with The Sun vouchers). I had some really very grand & luxurious holidays as a child flying first class etc and my memories are no more or less fond than DH's annual pilgimage to the Welsh coast.

I think i am selling my dc a duff ride, looking at a few of the things recommended on here I think they would enjoy them, and not be a mojor headache for me either. I think i have been building it up to be some kind of relentless kids entertainment search when in reality they spend most of their time at home just dossing about playing with each other and their own imagination.... oh bugger. How crap am I :(

Like the look of the hoseasons, and very cheap too, have ordered a few books to look through.

Will have to start simple though i think... my three year old is desperate to go 'tenting' bless her. That could just be a couple of nights couldnt it, break me in haha

How do these sun things work, seen a few people mention them on here but i never buy the paper?

thanks youoldslag( tehe @ you name )

i will look on hoseseans

we dont do beach holidays i hate sand and sitting around

You see for me camping is only done if really necessary - ie a festival - and there isn't another option. I don't find camping a holiday - a nice b&b preferred here. However - children generally love camping!

That sounds blissful lequeen sit sip something alcoholic and let them explore

dubs what do you do with little ones in the day?

The same as you would at home, with some beach/pool/zoo/attractions thrown in

OP I loathe packing. We drive to France every year though, which means basically chucking everything in the boot of the car at the last minute. No ridiculous packing planning required. Besides, it's not like they don't sell anything you might possibly forget in France, is it?

We missed the ferry one year and even that was OK; took the bikes off the cycle rack and rode up and down the coast at Portsmouth for a bit. Ferry co didn't charge us extra and it was an adventure.

I do think if you can possibly manage it, getting away - be it to stay with friends or family, to stay on a campsite, or to jet off somewhere - is a very fine thing to do.

OP, I'm a bit like you in that I'm too scared to fly and find that hugely inflated prices for cottages are just not on.

I would really, really urge you to give camping a go, and this is why. It's the only time that I feel I get a break (am a SAHM). DH tends to do a lot of the cooking, DCs do the washing up, eating out is great, because you haven't paid much for your holiday then you can afford it. The children, particuarly your 7 yr old have a terrific time, playing with other children and getting freedom they may not be able to have at home. Make sure you get comfy beds, take plenty of wine and you'll love it, honestly. If you need to have hairdryers etc then make sure you book a site that has good facilities - you don't have to look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards just because you're camping.

You could always go for several short trips to different places, then your DS can say he's had several holidays, not just the one

Jenai... Yes i realise that, i feel like a tool but have built it up in my head to be something requiring military planning or risk screeching dc for a week... not really how it goes though is it... not sure what i was thinking tbh

I am going to quietly hide behind the plathora of brochures i am ordering so go on a weekend away this august...

Things to do with small children in a French campsite whether in a tent/chalet/mobile home:

• lizard hunting
• campsite playground
• swimming pool
• buying breakfast
• 'washing up' - ouside
• watching the Dutch padlington players
• having an ice cream from the campsite bar

Essentially everything you would do at home but slower!

lequeen A holiday should be a combo of sitting reading drinking eating and exploring in whichever order you wish to do it

Then don't fly and you don't need to spend £1000. How about a caravan? Children love holidays.

Babydubs. What DO you enjoy doing?