To not really like going abroad?

[Zarachristmas]

Or maybe I'm going to the wrong places?

Ive been loads of times but I've only been to the Canaries, Greek Islands and Majorca. I have only enjoyed Greek Islands. Did go to France with school once too but didn't see much of it!

I don't like flying, I find it very cramped, tiring and boring. We did a night flight once and never again.

I'm fair skinned as are the dc so it's hard work keeping up with suncream and keeping out of the sun. Generally find the weather too hot during the hottest time, but too cold to swim during colder months.

I'm not keen on all inclusive buffets and hotel entertainment. Hate the crammed in feeling around the pool.

Dh would like to go abroad this year and I will go, also to give the kids the experience but I feel I should be more excited about it.

Past few years we've done short breaks in cottages in Cornwall and Devon and I've enjoyed that so much more, even in the rain we've found things to do. I've found some cottages with indoor pools on petting farms and with play areas for the dc. Dh doesn't feel it's a proper holiday because of all the driving which is fair enough.

I just love the UK for some reason, must be the greenery.

Is there anywhere a bit different but not too far away and still child focused. Thinking Cyprus, Italy, France?

I'd love to have a city break but no fun for the dc.

In not I'm
....

No one likes flying, OP. It's always cramped and boring. Even business or First, while more comfortable, isn't actually enjoyable. And why you have you continually gone on holiday types and to destinations you know you won't enjoy, and based an entire philosophy of 'not liking abroad' on? I've never in my 44 years gone on the kind of holiday you mention disliking, because I'd hate it too. If I'm solo or with friends, I go walking in Scandinavia or North Africa, go to Vienna or Istanbul for music/art/museums, see friends in various cities in Europe, head to a Scottish or Irish island, or do a writing retreat. If DH and our four year old are along, we often rent a house in France or Italy or head to a city like Berlin or Paris or Amsterdam. None of this may be your bag, but there's a whole world out there.

We never went abroad when the kids were little. Partly we'd have had to go without other things to afford it and partly I honestly think most kids don't get enough out of being in a different country to warrant all that expense and hassle. My mum is always complaining that we can't remember the holidays she took us on before the age of about 12. We went on cheap caravan holidays all over the UK and my kids had great fun at the time. And yes, they don't remember as much as I thought they would.
When my dd was about 12/13 I started doing mum and daughter city breaks once a year all over Europe with her and it's a lovely tradition that I hope will continue till I'm too decrepit to manage it. My son was too far in to his teenage years to want to go on holiday with his mum anyway. My DH felt a bit left out but we had plenty of holidays together the rest of the year so he came round. Now both dc regularly have holidays abroad but not sun, sea and sand ones, because, like you, they have that pale Scottish skin and burn easily. In fact my poor dd must be the only person in this planet who doesn't ever tan. I'm a bit of a sun worshipper and we did have one week in Sorrento together. When we got home, I was as brown as a berry and she was still so pale her workmates teased her about not having been away at all.
What will be the most fun for your kids, not where is the most important thing. Blistering heat isn't for everyone and there's plenty of time for them to get to know the rest of the world when they're older.

I hate travel
Haven't been on a package holiday since I was old enough to say no to my parents

Hate those huge hotel buffets

Rellies were in New York so have stayed with them then travelled on within USA but only stayed in smaller hotels or did self catering.

Discovered Wales last year! Beautiful and only took me two hours to get there. Also had sun while it rained in London!

Have a look at James' Villas web site

Jersey and Guernsey! We went when our children were 4 and 2 and had a really gorgeous holiday. We went for self catering (I don't like large hotels either) and stayed for a week on a farm on Guernsey, then hopped on a ferry and had another week on Jersey. I have really happy memories of that holiday and it did feel ever so slightly foreign. Both islands are small enough that you can never do loads of driving and I dont recall seeing any heavy traffic anywhere.

Thank you for all the tips.

Was probably silly to say I don't like going abroad as I've never been anywhere different.

I've went on a few package holidays because friends or family were going an I just tagged along, then dh and I did a few holiday to Greece with the dc because it was cheap and easy. It seemed a good option for the kids.

We've done two gorgeous holidays (neither especially cheap, but both RIGHT up our street....) One was 20 years ago, before DD, and we did a walking holiday in France. The route and everything was all mapped out for you, and they took your bags to the next hotel, you just had to walk there.
You had all day to do the walk (through beautiful countryside) and when you got to the hotel, you had a room, your bags were waiting and the meal was all in with the price.

We did the same thing a couple of years ago (this time with DD) but this time it was on bikes (which we hired out there).

We met other families who were doing the same thing with kayaks.

With all 3, it's a gorgeous way to see the country. It's at your own pace.

It isn't cheap. But , my goodness, it's lovely. Other countries do this too, it doesn't have to be France.

Greece is wonderful ... but not great if you have to go in the summer and can't tolerate the heat.

I absolutely love Normandy and Brittany in northern France and have been many times but unfortunately have always had terrible weather. Maybe we were lucky, but the weather in the Channel Islands that time was warm and sunny for 13 days out of 14.

I think you are me OP! We have just booked a holiday to mallorca but refuse to do the package hol so booked a beachside apartment through the 'home away' app. I'd be happy in UK too but a self catering apartment means we're not trapped in a packed hotel eating AI crap. Loads of other ways to holiday abroad like others have said :)

Another saying head to Northern Europe or Balkans. You absolutely don't have to do package and certainly not AI which I've never done but have heard nothing but bad about (even from people who continue to go on them at least once a year why do they keep going?)

Netherlands/Belgium etc you can get there by ferry so no flight either.

When my dcs were younger we stayed in holiday parks in the Netherlands. Basically you rent a house on a park and there are some facilities there, but it is really just a self catering holiday. We liked it when dd was young as you could request a house that had a play pen, cot, high chair etc. Some of the houses are privately owned as second homes so you get a mixture of people there. Weather in Netherlands was not hot (!) and as the children go back to school earlier than the UK the prices started to drop after mid August. I used this site a couple of times - it's in Dutch, but you get the idea.
www.roompot.nl/vakantieparken/

The Netherlands are fabulous, clean, welcoming, family friendly, most Dutch speak very good English, great food and drink...

I've actually considered living there I love it so much.