To not "get" holidays

[tootsietoo]

So all anyone is talking about now is where they have been or where they are going on holiday. The discussions started at about Easter - "have you booked your holiday yet?" And, feeling like a complete freak, I say, no, we haven't got a clue what we're doing in August.

Every year it's the same - around June we feel that we really should do something for a holiday, start looking into it, get staggered at the amount it will cost us even to go somewhere basic that we don't really fancy and give up.

We are lucky, we live in a nice old house in the middle of nowhere and I love it. I don't want to leave it and the dog. DH works away a lot and so it's a novelty being here all together. We have loads of stuff round here we like doing. DH is on holiday for 2 weeks now, and we're staying here. We've got loads of things we want to do (day trips to climb a mountain, go to beach, bike rides and so on) and really looking forward to it.

But the children (5 & 6) have started asking why we don't go to Spain and telling us that ALL their friends have been on a plane and they haven't. So then we start to think we're weird.

Are we? Is anyone else a conscientious holiday objector?

When my husband was self employed, going away meant we got him and his attention. If we stayed at home, he would soon be lured away to work. Even his paternity leaves had phone calls which other people could have dealt with for a week.

We've just had a fortnight in Davenport near Orlando and we needed it as a family to be away from home and having some family time which didn't have me doing stuff in the house, dh being on call and the kids bored. We really came back together as a family and it was well worth the money we spent.

My dad was totally meh about holidays and we had no money. I'm certain my DM would have loved to go all sorts of places. My sister and I certainly would have liked a change of scene.

As it was we went to see our grandparents for part of each school holiday and that was it!

My DCs will never understand quite how special standing watching the fire works at Disney was. Just for a moment I was that little girl again.

Please OP if you can afford to take your DCs on holiday do!

Keep going sparklingbrook, I hear ya! And some parts of the midlands are very nice. Although mostly a long way from a beach......

Sparkling we have only ever had self catering holidays but are going to Disney World next week - so no cooking or washing dishes for 2 whole weeks. (Though there will be some laundry). It is going to be weird.

That will be weird pointy. I am weird in that on SC holidays I use the washing machine daily and bring all clothes back clean ready to be put away.

I went to Disneyland California in 1990 and I am still all Disneyed out. If the DC want to go they can go when they are older.

I don't really 'get' why a beach is required TBH tootsie. After seeing a fair few British seasidey places thay ain't 'all that'.

We're both in intensive jobs with long commutes and holidays and short breaks help keep us sane. It's great to take the DC to different places and experience new things. If I won the lottery I'd spend the rest of my life travelling about.

I love holidays! I work hard and live in a flat with no garden. I love the sun, exploring new places, eating new food, everything to do with holidays.

I work full time and I'm a single Mum, so my holidays are a time for me and DS to spend some quality time together. We always make a scrap book of all the lovely things we've done when we get back and look back over our holidays when we are waiting for the next one!

What I most love is that I have no housework, no cooking, no washing, no bills to worry about and guaranteed sunshine! We can completely concentrate on having fun together!

What I don't get is camping as a holiday! The reason I go away is to have a rest, I can't see how creating more work on holiday is relaxing or fun? But I seem to be in the minority, I have 4 sets if friends currently camping, all of whom spent the past few months trying to convince me to go!

yes afro I know loads of people that love camping, but I really would hate it.

Freddie I agree! If I won the lottery first on my list would be a house! Then the rest would be spent in holidays! Lol!

I'm with you, lots to do that's fun round here. My oh is self employed and the only time he gets peace from his phone is when we are away.
I can remember the other kids holiday brags of hotels and planes (always camping for us) and is feel sad. Looking back as an adult they were fab holidays but as a kid I always felt we were missing out

Some people don't live in lovely houses between the mountain and the beach. If I lived in a place like that I probably wouldn't want to go on holiday as much.

It's fine that you don't want to go on regular holidays - it's just rather odd that you don't 'get it' for everyone.

This thread is turning into 'oh no I don't do that dreadful 'touristy' thing of going to spain 'shudder' - I'm a traveller - now where's my yurt?'

I think I would like, in an ideal world to do lots of day trips to foreign places, and be beamed up there like in Star Trek.

I would love to have a day in San Francisco, show the DC Alcatraz, then home to my own bed, then a day in New York, a day at a Caribbean beach maybe.

That would be lovely. But sadly impossible.

I get twitchy on holiday and start looking for 'work' to do. But then I have a stupidly high Puritan work ethic.

I live somewhere gorgeous and love my family, my house, my garden. I feel no need at all to go away on holiday, to deal with stress, travelling (stress), packing (stress), adventure (another word for stress-that-is-supposed-to-be-fun). :(

DH and I are going away for a week for our 25th wedding anniversary in November. I am already twitchy.

OP I feel your pain

I kind of get what you're saying. I never get the 2 weeks lying by a pool/beach in Spain thing. I find it BORING!

And I love staycations where you have fun days out with all the money you save on travel/accommodation to spend - especially if you're in or close to a big city. In fact, one of the best holidays was when I lived in London was when we had guests and went all over London doing fun stuff for a week.

However, I do love holidays and going away and doing stuff I couldn't do at home, different cultures etc. But going away for the sake of going away, no.

I love this thread! I feel so less weird now.

We live in a beautiful area and we spend the summer exploring it.

My children are little and I think it would be utterly pointless taking them somewhere hot on a plane they would hate, when Britain is beautiful in the summer.

I read somewhere once that

'Holidays are for people who have lives that they need to get away from'

I don't mind not having a holiday but it is nice to go and experience different cultures, see different things etc. I also love camping. Don't worry OP. Holidays are not for everyone.

YABU - as you say:

We are lucky, we live in a nice old house in the middle of nowhere and I love it. I don't want to leave it and the dog. DH works away a lot and so it's a novelty being here all together. We have loads of stuff round here we like doing. DH is on holiday for 2 weeks now, and we're staying here. We've got loads of things we want to do (day trips to climb a mountain, go to beach, bike rides and so on) and really looking forward to it.

So great, you are very lucky. If you lived in an inner city environment you might just want to get away to somewhere akin to where you live.

Living where you do I can understand your POV - but not everyone lives liek you.

yes I am a conscientious holiday objector!
last holiday I had was about 15 years ago, last time I needed a passport was 25 years ago.
I hate traveling and holidays just never seem worth the hassle and the expense.

I do live by the sea though so during the summer I sort of feel as if I am on holiday but with home comforts too:o

I find holidays stressful and they always feel like such a huge amount of money to blow in a week or two and I can never pick them because the stress of making the wrong decision overwhelms me!

So the only holidays I really enjoy is every couple of years when my parents, who travel a lot, take us somewhere. I've just spent a week with my MIL and I find that my parents are superior in every way to my in-law, not that I'm at all biased...

I go to the med & hot countries during winter & Easter but stay in the UK for the sunmer. It works for me temperature wise as it doesn't get hotter than 26ish which is my ideal temp.

What you do sounds perfect and avoiding airports during the summer is a wise thing to do.

I love holidays. I can't quite explain it, but there is something about just being in different surroundings that brings a different side of you out. It's nice to experience that and see it in your loved ones. We had shitty holidays when we were younger, spent going round to houses of various family members which was just incredibly fucking boring. I take my ds on nice holidays now, and I love spending quality time with him away from all the mundane pulls of attention that you get when you're at home.

YABU. Some people are more naturally explorative than others OP. Some people are really interested and curious about different places and cultures, and enjoy finding out about them.

Boozy I couldn't agree more I live in the midlands. Miles from any sea and you can only look around Stratford once a year. I love my holidays and they are nothing very exciting my kids are happy with a Haven caravan its just lovely to see the sea and have a change of scene.

Camping is a holiday to those among us that enjoy camping, like me. I'm passionate about it! We've done a week in Aviemore and a week in Perthshire this summer and both were great. I get post camping blues.

I agree though - any holiday with kids is a busman's holiday. There is no relaxing, no keeping to your own schedule. No hours spent just reading and maybe having a nap. No break from the constant demands.

I'd love a week off from that.

I have never been on a proper holiday. Although I suppose you could count a week in my great aunt's caravan when I was 9, though I ended up with a sinus abscess and my whole face swelled so it wasn't that much fun.

I am 43 (44 in 2 weeks) and I just can't be doing with all the planning and kerfuffle.