Package holidays aren’t chavvy!

[Polarbearflavour]

DH and I booked a half board holiday via Teletext Holidays online. It includes flights and a five star hotel in Malta for a week and is pretty cheap.

A friend of mine made a face and said package holidays are “common” and for chavs. Apparently she only flies BA club class (not charter airlines or low cost airlines) and books hotels separately!

What on Earth is wrong with a package holiday deal?

I usually do diy holidays booking our flights, accommodation and transfers separately but have used package holidays a couple of times for example ski trips that have lots of extras to sort such as transfers in poor weather, ski carriage etc and Cuba when I simply couldn’t do it myself. Both were brilliant and Thomas cook came up trumps when we were trapped there for nearly a week with hurricane Irma. Tell her to fuck if

What is a typical Brits abroad destination?

In a completely non-scientific 10-minute Google search for popular summer holiday destinations on Google, I've picked up this:

Majorca
Tenerife
Crete
Benidorm
Ibiza
Lanzarote
Canary Islands
Algarve
Orlando, Florida

This couple we know are a bit snobby they do all their own booking and are friends with the hotel manager so they organise airport transfers the place they go is so dangerous they are advised to stay in the hotel complex for a fortnight yet they turn their noses up at out fortnight in Spain

Well we're definitely chavvy anyway as Tenerife is one of our favourite holiday destinations for winter sun

Aahhh we've not had a Bash Package Holiday threads in a while! I spent much of my childhood living abroad due to my dads work so would consider myself fairly well travelled but I love the convenience, ease and reassurance if things go wrong, of a package holiday. Do we spend lots of time by the pool, eating and having a drink or two? Hell yes. We work hard and enjoy the break and DD turns into a fish and spends literally every minute she can in the pool. We also get out and about and explore.

And as for the sneering at AI and never leaving the resort? So what if that's what people want to do?

Some people on this thread and your friend are just judgemental knobs.

Have a lovely holiday OP we'd like to go to Malta one year it looks beautiful.

you never hear proper posh people making comments like this it’s always the wannabe posh trying to prove something.

Enjoy your holiday op

I'm pretty sure your friend has been on a package holiday at some point. She sounds a bit of a twat to be honest.

I dread to think what she thinks of people who go camping or to a holiday park! Sometime people make decisions based on what their kids will like (which is cheesy entertainment, water slides, kids clubs, other kids being around to befriend). It's not exactly my first choice, but my son's enjoyment comes first! I bet she is one of those people who drags her bored kids around bars, tours and malls that have no interest to them whatsoever.

In a completely non-scientific 10-minute Google search for popular summer holiday destinations on Google, I've picked up this

Which is utterly rubbish, except for maybe Benidorm. For all the islands you have listed there will be one or two small areas where most of the tourists are British and there are a lot of AI hotels but all these islands also have quiet, more authentic areas too. They all also have areas more popular with other nationalities, including Spaniards from Mainland Spain.

We've been to Paguera in Mallorca, which is a small coastal town with lovely beaches and most of the other tourists were German. Also Costa Silencio on Tenerife, which is as quiet as it's name suggests, is very popular with Belgians. Little or no AI in either place.

Some people just think this! It’s quite odd.

Our good friends ribbed is for our honeymoon. It was a BA package holiday to a 5* resort in the Caribbean.

They were saying “ooh did you have chips at the buffet, did you go on the kiddie slides LOL” and things like that. They imagined it as one of those type of places, when it reality it was an adults only resort the size of a village with 12+ a la carte restaurants (as well as a great buffet!), 6+ pools, beautiful spa, fab entertainment etc.

FWIW those friends choose to pay through the nose for their holidays and they never seem to enjoy them! Wheras we rave about ours.

Your friend is not protected if a company she's used goes bust when she is abroad if she hasn't booked a package.

tellmewhenthespaceshiplands
It's not sneering to not like the idea of a holiday where you sit by the pool in a resort and don't leave any more than its sneering to not like a skiing holiday, or not like cruises, or not like water sports holidays, or not like city breaks.

MaisyPops
tellmewhenthespaceshiplands
It's not sneering to not like the idea of a holiday where you sit by the pool in a resort and don't leave any more than its sneering to not like a skiing holiday, or not like cruises, or not like water sports holidays, or not like city breaks.

I think it is sneering.

Just because you don’t enjoy something doesn’t mean you should look down on others.

I hate AI. I understand that some people like it.

No it isn't sneery to not like a certain holiday but it is sneery when a holiday is seen as chavvy btw the old word for chavvy was common so the Op friend thinks she is common some friend.

But it is sneery to assume that everyone who goes to an AI 'resort' never leaves the hotel and gets up at 5 am to bag a sunbed before fighting for chips at the buffet. Also sneery to assume that all holidays in Spain, Malta etc look like this. These places have culture and outdoor activities too.

And since when has the word 'resort' meant a huge hotel complex? In my mind, a resort is a town or village on the coast with hotels, apartments, restaurants, shops, waterpark companies etc.

"In a completely non-scientific 10-minute Google search for popular summer holiday destinations on Google, I've picked up this:

Majorca
Tenerife
Crete
Benidorm
Ibiza
Lanzarote
Canary Islands
Algarve
Orlando, Florida"

I agree that these ^ do figure highly, but there are many other destinations that you can get a package holiday to.

I have been on package holidays to Sicily, where most of the holiday makers were Italian; various places in Italy - most holiday makers were not British; Croatia, where there were very few Brits at all where we were; Rome - we were the only English people in our hotel; The Azores - very few Brits and Madeira - yes it is popular with Brits, but not a "chavvy" destination.

Your friend is a snob.

Ali1cedowntherabbithole
I've said it's not sneering to not like something. You've then said it is sneering not to like something, but your not liking something is fine.

My DH doesn't like city breaks and doesn't really get the appeal of them. It's not sneering. It's something that has no appeal to him.
I don't get the appeal of the all inclusive in Mexico resorts. It's not sneering. It's just not my type of holiday.
I quite like camping and walking holidays. It's not sneering for some of my friends to see no appeal in it.
mrs
I agree seeing a broad category of holiday as chavvy is sneering.

I can't afford a bloody package holiday. Both me and husband in decent jobs. I wish I could reach those dizzy heights of chaviness!

We did a package hol to marrakech. Much as I would have loved to stay in some little riad, they aren’t practical with small children. It was fab, lovely facilities,
Kids club, food available whenever and yes we did leave the hotel and go to souks and sightsee!

It's not sneering to not like the idea of a holiday where you sit by the pool in a resort and don't leave any more than its sneering to not like a skiing holiday, or not like cruises, or not like water sports holidays, or not like city breaks

Big difference between not liking something and looking down on others who do though.

Who cares where anyone else chooses to go on holiday? Seriously. One of my friends is a “flop by the pool and stay in Tenerife all inclusive” girl. Another is a jungle trekker. Neither of their holidays would ever appeal to me.....but why would I care? I hope they both have a super time.

I don't have an issue with package holidays. Certainly did them when kids were small.
I don't fancy Spanish Costa that are "Blackpool by the sun" type places.Had bad experiences on a couple of occasions by drunk folk at 3am shouting and screaming, and then going out and hassled by timeshare tourists. Er no! ( was a while ago, admittedly). I've probably chosen wrong places.
Some of my friends love them. We all want different things from our holiday.

I can't afford a bloody package holiday. Both me and husband in decent jobs. I wish I could reach those dizzy heights of chaviness!

Same here, we're hardly on minimum wage but the cost of living and childcare means it is out of the question (although having a baby this year and a no deal Brexit hanging over us is not making me keen either).

My holiday last year (caravan holiday in S of France) was the first trip abroad in 8 years! Luckily have outdoorsy OH and DC who love camping in the UK so have done a mix of that and glamping. I feel luckily enough to afford that. Although if it was a toss up between Benidorm or camping in Devon I would choose the latter hands down. A 5* package holiday to the far East would be lovely though.

”I have a lovely AI package holiday booked - call me a chav if you like, I can't wait! In our family we call it Fly and Flop.

We also do bespoke holidays - we like both. Does that make us half chav / half posh ??”

Yup, @Vargas - either a chosh or a pav - your choice.

There was a programme this week about the cost of AI holidays, and whether it was worth it. The journalist tried to replicate the AI holiday on a DIY basis - he did make a saving on the cost of travel and the hotel, but his arrangements were not ATOL protected, so I assume that most, if not all, of his savings there would have been wiped out by buying travel insurance.

He also worked out how much the daily budget for entertainment and food was, within the AI package, and found he couldn’t replicate it himself, within the daily budget. The family he followed had young children, and they had a great time on their AI package - loved the food and the entertainment, and the ease of booking etc.

"Majorca
Tenerife
Crete
Benidorm
Ibiza
Lanzarote
Canary Islands
Algarve
Orlando, Florida"

That list is bullshit.

Orlando=Brits abroad? Not at all. Not my choice, but the people that I know, go for a Family holiday.

The Algarve is on there because the Golf aspect makes it so popular.

Crete and the Canary Islands attract a mixed crowd.

My first AI was in Cyprus. When we were chatting to people, they'd paid well more than us for just flights/transfer/accommodation. The food was good and so was the wine. We still didn't stay in the complex.

My others have been Eygpt and Morroco. Again when pricing up, it worked out cheaper and as said, they offer greater protection and its not the package passengers that get bumbed off the flight. Or are the ones left waiting for a flight if flights are disrupted.

When you book with TUI your day trips include your lunch/dinner/drinks. At the Ouzoud Falls we were given VIP treatment because they charge TUI top price for whatever we have. I noticed the locals haggling prices.

I'm pricing up Canada for December/January. Package deals are looking, once again, better value and easier.