To never go on holiday again?

[IfyouseeRitaMoreno]

Too much heat. Too much waiting around at airport and various add on transports. Too much money spent. Too much responsibility. Too much trying to entertain technology addicted DC.

Too much time spent learning foreign language only to be responded to in English.

Admittedly having injury hasn’t helped. But really AIBU just to stay the fuck home next year and save my money?

We did Cape Verde with TUI Sp with 14 yr old son I didn’t see him apart from breakfast and supper was very relaxing and he had the best time ! Sal has diving and water sports ideal for truculent teens

I love all of that. I find waiting at airports exciting! I am weird.
But I am an ignorant Brit who just uses google translate as I had to one a market stall in Budapest last week.

I feel exhausted though. With you on the technology addiction!

Every year I say this and we only do a British holiday. It’s not really a holiday it’s doing the same stuff else where just spending more money. And now before we drive home tomorrow I’ve got so,e sort of virus that cause headache. Fatigue and loss of appetite, back at work on wed 😬

Cruises with kids are OK as long as you are happy to put them in the Kids' Club pretty much full time and don't want to do any activities on the ship as a family, which is fine if that's what you all want but not if you don't. We found on a P&O cruise that the Kids' Club monopolised all the sports courts, table tennis tables and kicked us off them when we were trying to do stuff with our kids. Plus it was pretty much like Butlins on the sea and we couldn't escape. And our "family" cabin (by no means the cheapest) was so small we were ready to kill each other by the end of the week.

Problem is DS isn’t sporty. He has aspie related paranoia about kids his own age so bit of a no win situation really.

Don’t want “Butlins at sea” but could give it a go on a short cruise. If that doesn’t work I will staycation forever more!

Our 15 year old ds1 ruined last years holiday and has sworn never to go with us again.

This year we are taking now 14 year old ds2 for a UK city break whilst ds1 goes to my mums and I have just impulse booked 5 nights for ds2 and me to go to Lake Annecy. Dh and troublesome teen will stay home.

I cannot holiday with grumpy teens anymore!

I feel like this last year and we haven't been this year except for a couple of Uk weekend breaks.We went to Tenerife last year it was so hot. the teenagers got burnt on the first day despite my please to re-apply sun lotion. then they just wanted to stay indoors for most of the rest of the week. The airport queue's , the cramped flight making me feel panicky and claustrophobic, feeling responsible for everyone having a good time !! I was glad to be home and a year later have no real desire to go abroad again.

No fly cruises are great - Norway, the Baltic, Iceland etc.
There are great west and east Med cruises but generally you have to fly to Barcelona or Italy/Malta for those.

I would be terrified of going on a cruise with my two (7 and 4).

Different as you say with teenagers though

My SP friend went on an Acorn Holidays holiday specifically for single parent families. They went to France and had planned activities (for you and DC) and sort out all meals. Am thinking of booking for next summer. She said the activity holidays tend to be older children.

Best holiday we've had recently was a villa with pool holiday in Italy (though it wouldn't matter where it was as long as sun was shining). 13 year old and 9 year old swam all day, every day. Happy children = happy parent.

Oh, just saw your DS is not sporty so may not be best holiday for him. I think they do other non sporty holidays too though.

Another vote for a cruise, although with a teenager I’d go for RCI or NCL. Agree P&O tend to have kids stuff separate but that’s certainly not the case on other lines. I’m struggling to see the comparison to Butlins tbh., P&O aren’t my favourite line but I’m guessing anyone saying it’s like Butlins at sea hasn’t been to Butlins!

Pack them off to PGL for the week and take youself off to a remote island.

Suflower Nooo. Corfu is next on my list of places to go. I love Greece so much but the airports coming back are shocking. Crete is diabolical too and Rhodes has only recently improved due to a major re-fit. It wouldn't put me off going but I bet it does for some.

Probs no consolation right now OP but I look back with enormous fondness on the trips my parents took us on as kids and I hope yours will too. My folks were both extremely poor as children and determined we should all see a bit of the world as a family. Wasn’t luxury and we spent a lot of time learning about the culture of where we were. My sister and I loved animals and they would try to involve that in our trips too. Obviously we argued like hell some of time once we were teens!! But I am looking forward to doing the same kind of thing with mine 😊

Ps @witchofzog Corfu airport is diabolical - at the moment at least! 😂

Airport lounges make time at the airport much more bearable.

Or some airports allow you to drop luggage off the night before. You could then stay close by and arrive at the last minute?

Honestly @witchofzog, I have never seen anything like it, ever. And we've been in some godawful airports, including Bali! Practically every around us was saying never again. On a plus note, when we eventually got through security the staff on the other side were lovely. We barely had time to grab a bottle of water before boarding. There was a flight announcement for a London flight saying, we're leaving in 5, if you're not onboard you're staying here.

Massive queue to get in the airport, massive queue to check bag in which you then had to collect at the end of the row of check in desks and then join a massive queue to put it through the scanner then you had to go back join another massive queue for security. You literally were standing on top of each other, and tripping over bags of people wading through the queues to get to check in.

However, we had the most beautiful holiday, stayed in a gorgeous boutique hotel and hired a boat and cruised the coast. So it was worth it for that. We don't generally holiday in the same place twice but we both agreed we really would love to go back. Just need to win the lottery and hire a private jet

Airport lounges make time at the airport much more bearable.

Definitely, we have lounge cards and generally go a bit earlier to the airport to have a drink before boarding but absolutely no chance of that at Corfu. Almost 3 hours from getting there to getting on the plane. And we were flight only.

Currently on holiday with grumpy teen but he has been ok! Room has WiFi and after breakfast his disappears leaving me to my sunbed and book! He materialises about 11
And we have a Potter around the town and harbour. Lunch. More me time whilst he goes on YouTube. Evenings out and about. We have done a couple of day trips
I was dreading it as he has social anxiety around people - but it's worked well as I have just let him do his own thing!

with a autistic 13 and 8 y old i havent been abroad in over 10 years

there is lovely places in the uk

I live for holidays.

We did Burma and N. Thailand over Christmas with 5 and 7 year olds.
It sounds like the tech addicted child is the issue. Change that. You are supposed to be a parent.

I really can't imagine no holidays. We love our holidays. Teen Dd (16) is the same - we are always concerned it may be the last time she wants to come away nowadays but she is totally up for it. She's always loved holidays.

We are fortunate that we can get away a few times a year and can visit places that suits us all. We tend to go away abroad at least 3/4 times a year, with a fortnight in the summer. Some holidays with family or friends, our summer break normally just the three of us.

Currently sat on a terrace overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in California. It's evening now. Me and dh are sat outside with drinks reading and catching up on social media/news from home. Dd is laid on her bed reading her book. We've been exploring Santa Cruz today - a sudden change of plan as Yosemite is closed and our hotels cancelled. We've seen seals and seal lions, sea otters, pelicans and even a whale. We've explored some of Northern California and have just under a week to go.

We try to include something for everyone in our holidays, taking into account the different ages between us and dd, and interests. Always have done.

We do try to not set expectations to high. We know things might go wrong. We know that some days might not be as planned (this holiday - Yosemite!) but we try to be flexible and go with the flow. When Dd was younger we were lucky as she wasn't one for strict routines. If she went to bed late she woke late, etc.

I don't like flying but for me it's a necessary evil. Dh and dd love it!

It sounds like the tech addicted child is the issue. Change that. You are supposed to be a parent.

Thanks for reminding me of that. I’m sure you’re the perfect parent, Little Miss Smarty Pants.