Holidays are crap

[Basketofkittens]

Before anyone says anything - yes I’m lucky to be able to go on holidays...

But...DH and have decided that we have had enough! Currently on holiday and got stranded when the hop on hop off bus didn’t show up and had to pay quite a few Euros for a taxi back to the hotel. Standing in the sun in 35C for 90 minutes.

Had a couple of poor meals that feel like complete wastes of money. Got sunburn despite factor 50. Find other tourists pretty rude and entitled. Breakfast in the hotel isn’t great, staff all seem really fed up.

Then there is all the hassle of getting to and from the airports, security etc. The flight was awful, turbulence, dirty cabin, cabin crew clearly didn’t want to be there, nor did they care about safety.

We recently went to Paris and got caught up in the riots. Luxembourg was awful, nothing to do and changed hotels due to noise. Ibiza was okay but not much to do and we aren’t really beach / pool people.

Between us we’ve travelled to around 35 countries so we are pretty experienced.

The only holiday I enjoyed recently was a long haul holiday to visit family that my parents paid for - think business class and luxury hotels, no hassle at all. In fact the airport and flight were enjoyable!

But most holidays we just walk around getting hot and grumpy and everywhere is so busy and we spend loads of money eating.

We are seriously thinking of just not going abroad for a few years now.

@Basketofkittens

I wouldn't bother going on holiday if I was you and take busman's holiday instead.

I went to Devon in July and had a fab time with brilliant weather. My next holiday will probably be to Spains the end of September it depends what flights I can get.

Stealth boast alert. As a single parent I’ve only managed 2 foreign holidays in 12 years, and am still paying for the last one which was 3 years ago. My kids would kill to be able to go away more frequently, and the guilt that I can’t provide that for them eats me alive. But poor you and your 35 countries and 5 star holidays that just don’t do it for you.

Cruddles if you're flying business class airport security is much less of a hassle, queues at check in are minimal, you can take lots more luggage, and you may get private transfers that pick you up at home and take you to the airport.
And once there, you are can use the oases of calm (and free booze) that are the private lounges.

To some extent, this is a non-issue. Holidays are not compulsory. Foreign travel is not compulsory. So of course YANBU to say you won't go anywhere for a while.

What IS VVU is going to Ibiza when you hate beach holidays, going ANYWHERE in August if you hate crowds and heat, not going SC if you resent spending money on eating out, going on a plane and complaining about turbulence.

When we had to take our holidays in school holiday time we would go October / Christmas / Easter or Whitsun if we were going somewhere sunny. UK holidays in the main Summer.

We book a nice apartment or villa through homeaway or similar, with aircon, wifi, DVD, fully fitted kitchen, balcony/terrace/garden and pool. We normally eat out once per day but always do a supermarket shop when we get there so there is stuff in if we just want to relax.

Always hire car to pick up at airport - DH enjoys driving though. Then we do a mixture of sightseeing / relaxing.

I enjoy my holidays but we do plan carefully.

But I also plan a lot before we go - usually have a list of certain museums we want to visit/sights to see, but keep things loose so we can change our plans according to weather/time/mood.

So much hate for airports and flying on here. Why not just...not fly? Take the Eurostar, TGV, night sleeper if you're travelling in Europe, or , failing that, ferry/ drive.

I can't believe so many people are still opting for something that they hate that is also destroying our planet. It would perhaps be understandable if they enjoyed flying.....

People flew back into Prestwick last week to find their cars in 5 feet of water. 10 cars all scrapped.

Aww Run please don't feel guilty - I know this is probably scant consolation but looking back over my life, I was taken on plenty of holidays with the parents but I'd much rather they had loved me and had time for me instead. Wishing you future prosperity

I've always thought of holidays as "same shit, different location".

YABU

leaves out all the bits pointing out why I think you are...

Cruise is the way to go. I'm currently in the middle of the med somewhere between Spain and Ibiza. Balcony door open, 79 degrees outside, room service bringing breakfast in the morning so I don't even have to get up if I don't want to. Ship gently rocking, waves splashing outside - I actually couldn't be in a better place/holiday right now.

So does everyone else really enjoy every holiday? I genuinely can't think of a holiday I haven't enjoyed (and I'm in my 50s). We've done lots of different things from camping to yachting and while there have been moments I haven't enjoyed (mainly due to teenagers! or Ryanair!) there is not one i wouldn't repeat.

THIS----

Find other tourists pretty rude and entitled.

Holiday are not compulsory, OP, I do think YABU and looking for the bad bits.

If you prefer the luxury end of the market, why not save up and go away once every few years instead?

Hmm. You sound crap at choosing holidays, tbh! And what's with the obsessional avoidance of driving overseas? I think you need to research and plan your holidays better before you go and, if you don't like crowds and people, get over yourself when it comes to car driving, so that you can base yourself outside of the main resort areas and see more of the country you have chosen to visit. Crowding yourself into the same tiny area as a colossal influx of other foreigners all trying to see exactly the same things in the middle of August is self-evidently going to have its challenges and is entirely unnecessary.

We've been to Austria again this year - beautiful scenery, as much or as little activity as you like, good temperature and no need at all for a car
We are currently in Norfolk and have had very good weather, beautiful scenery, lots of places to visit, car essential
I didn't enjoy Ischia in August - way too hot, difficult to get to, car not required though

Some of the happiest memories of my life have been on holidays. I have photos and memories :).
I haven't been on holiday since 2013.
I wish I was in the position to be sad about holidays. I'd change the things I didn't like. So I hope you do that. Don't go to places with regional airports. Fly business class if that's what you want. Or choose places with just a 2 or 3 hour flight. Don't go somewhere too hot (I know it's hard to account for the weather).

If you don't enjoy it, don't go. It sounds like you're spending thousands and maybe you'd be happier going one county away and staying in a nice hotel there. If you're not beach people focus on what you enjoy or maybe try something completely different. Would you like going to Iceland for example?

Stealth boast alert
I was... what... 4 pages in... @Runbitchrun and thinking it was just me thinking that!

And also, the OP complaining other holidayers are entitled and NO ONE questions how entitled she comes across?

It's quite lovely how helpful they're all trying to be. All the other PPs don't realize she just thinks they're peasants for enjoying their holidays!

I've honestly never had a bad holiday thankfully. My last one was to Palma Nova in Mallorca. If I'm honest I found Palma Nova a bit run down and the shops were (in my opinion) naff, but I didn't pay £££ for it. The weather was amazing. The hotel lovely and you aren't confined to the resort there was so much to do and see. Holidays really are what you make it. Some people are hard wired to whinge and moan. Before I went I read the trip advisor reviews about our hotel and the reviews I read and the actual experience were polar opposites. There really is no pleasing some people.

Op. I haven't enjoyed a holiday in about 10 years but that is because we have a child with ASD who makes holidays very very difficult to enjoy .

If I didn't have to take ds's needs into account ( or max 3 nights or preferably no holiday at all) I like to be away for 10-14 as otherwise, the organisation and packing and actual travelling ( which I loathe) is not worth it to me. I don't want to move location more than once in that time. A road trip sounds like hell to me. I like to spend the first 2-3 days doing very little , . wandering around, light sightseeing, sitting in cafes etc, getting used to the atmosphere of a new place and destressing. Then alternate lazy do nothing days with activity days. I used to love holidays. Not any more

We are already planning next year's holiday. I know the kind of holiday DS and I like and we work around that.

I hope the OP returns and tells us what she has planned for her next trip. The world is such a big place and an amazing place with so much to see and experience - catering for all tastes.

We don't like extreme heat so we avoid most southern European destinations in the summer. France tends not to be quite so hot and we've had some lovely holidays in the Dordogne when DS was younger and an activity based one at Morzine last year.

The one time I really regretted a holiday was when we did a fortnight in Portugal in July. DS had finally started sleeping to a reasonable time so it was far too hot to go to the beach or pool when he got up and the hotels were horribly expensive for what they offered.

I love holidays though , but do find the airport faff quite stressful as I get older.

I'm trying to work out what shots us for holidays. We've done
Pool / fly and flop
Self catering UK
City break - fancy hotel
Cruise

I find airports stressful.

I've worked out we like:
A decent swimming pool warm but not scorching
Stuff to see
And probably self catering as we like some space.

I'm aiming for Brittany next year. Taking our own car.