To like the idea of going on holiday more than the reality of it

[ShouldIworryornothelp]

I'm due to fly home from holiday today after a lovely time with my family. However the rest of the holiday experience has been horrendous due to other holiday makers thinking being away means you take a holiday from parenting the children and a holiday from any manners of your own

The behaviour of other people really has ruined my break away and, as this has been our first holiday in years as we haven't been able to afford one, it's really upset me.

Perhaps I shouldn't go away any more and just stay home? The idea of holidays is so much better than actually being on one!

DH and I booked a last minute holiday for a couple of weeks time on Thursday. I'm really looking forward to it apart from the airport and the plane!

Yes that's what they said and they loved all the sitting outside in the sunshine having coffee at all the cafes. They said it wasn't quite the same going back to Costas!

YY Fairy even the words passport control/luggage carousel/doors to manual/ make me feel a bit tense.

Wish I could be beamed to theses places a la Star Trek.

on plane now so switching off

Safe flight Enough,

I'm a bit the same.

I hate the stress of travelling. Certainly can't stand large hotel/resorts.

Though I have had some nice holidays on smaller, quieter islands in Thailand, etc. but these days the stress of flying outweighs it all.

I've bought a nice caravan and have decided that I like caravanning. Find a nice, peaceful site. Pitch up, go walking, cycling. Am happy snuggled up with a book if the weather is crap. But I feel I'm on holiday, feel more relaxed than at home.

My friend loves the travelling. She's one of those 'journey is part of the holiday' people. Weird. Journey is just a huge PITA.

The two hours before I board the plane I spend wondering if we should just go home already. Once I am on the plane with all those anti social people I wish we had.

I am glad I did a lot of travelling prior to marriage/DC because I sure CBA with it at the moment.

I like holidays, but not in resorts!

I tend not to worry too much about things on holiday live and let live is my motto. Unless it is people getting plastered, swearing and brawling in the bar with kids in tow then I tend to switch off to what other people are doing

I'm like that. Tend to avoid places where British tour operators go!

Travel even all the crappy bits like passport control and check in? The awful plane journey cooped up with all the anti social selfish folk? The luggage carousel and all the waiting about?

or do you have a chauffeur and a private jet?

I hate the planning bit and am confused when people say 'it's all part of the fun'.

I've just planned what is for us an ambitious tour of Andalucia that involves hotels in 3 cities, a hire car for 2 days, some attractions that must be booked in advance or else you can't go, and bus/train travel between the 3 cities.

I will worry constantly that something will go wrong and I've booked the wrong thing for the wrong day so we'll be hundreds of miles away or that we'll miss the train on the last day and therefore miss the flight home. When doing all the booking I was almost thinking it wasn't worth the stress.

If it all comes off that sounds amazing Ilkley, I would share your fear though.

Packing itself makes me anxious. It starts as soon as the suitcases come out of the loft and goes on until we are putting them back.

We like many are at the mercy of school holidays, the madness of travelling during peak times! Over the years I've learnt to detach myself from others and how they and their children behave! Life is too short as are holidays! Focus on your own family and not others... Judgy pants up to your pits on your holiday not with it imho...

Woops "worth it" darn auto correct!!

We are just back from holiday. I was ready to come back once we'd checked in in Manchester. All the planning booking shopping packing tidying booking pre-travel checking. .... It's absolutely exhausting.

We go away quite a lot and I have really speed enjoying it all. The huge buildup, the horrendous checkin which gets more onerous each time (this time I had to shoes belt and Cardigan and suspect one day we will be going through the scanner naked) the watching kids constantly, other people. .....

I also tend to assist from heat and tension headaches and by day 3 I am usually bloated and avoiding other holiday makers. ... Then there's nightmare journey back and horrible airports with overpriced good and dirty toilets.

I love holidays but I never do packages. Rent somewhere, bung everything in the car and drive. If it is a long way, we make something of the stops. These days a lot of places have TV and Wi-Fi, washing machines and all mod cons. My idea of hell is 2 weeks in a hotel room with buffet meals, no matter how fantastic the facilities.

Overpriced food that should say.

Also I forgot to add that is taken 2 days to wash iron and sort out our suitcases.

I love holidays; deciding where to go, looking forward to it, being away from normal everyday chores, more time with DH & the DC, no cooking, more time lounging about.

I agree the journey can be grim but, for me, it's a means to an end.

Don't like all that washing though. But it's lovely to get back to my own bed.

YANBU. We usually go self-Catering and I've often wondered why I paid a shed load of money to sleep in a crap bed and sit on the most uncomfortable furniture when I have a lovely big comfy bed at home.
We stayed at home last year and I had the most relaxing fortnight ever. Glorious weather, pottering in the garden, trips to the local beach where you can shove everything in the car instead of paying 15 euros for a sunbed and some shade.
I am however stupidly going abroad this year for ds's sake, I drew the line at 1 week though, that'll be plenty long enough for me.

Oh, if I lived near a UK beach I would never go on holiday again.

And don't forget the horrible cold/flu you'll inevitably end up with after travelling by plane

YY the flu/jetlag combo. lovely.

I love it it absolutely loathe the packing and preparation, I end up a nervous wreck shouting at everyone and getting really stressed.
We've just come back from a few days and despite the pre holiday stress I felt really relaxed the minute we got there.