To wonder why people go on the same holiday every year?

[malificent7]

Like my dad...bless him. Same holiday, hotel, tours, same experiences. I am fully prepared to get flamed as i know that people find what works for them but it is a vast world out there and isn't is nice to explore?. Hard hat on.
For eg...dad always goes to Rome....amazing...lucky him... but when i suggest Paris he sounds very uncertain. He goes to Rome for the art...but there is tons in Paris. I just feel like he's missing out on experiences before he gets too old to do them.

I get what you mean about wanting to explore, cross places off a "list" etc.

But...

When money is tight and holiday time is precious, its better to do what you want. Like what Zeffarana said.

I went to NY and have no desire to go again. Saw most of it and found the pace of life too manic. We had a family holiday to Portugal, AI and it was awesome. DS has already asked to go back, he had so much fun. We had one day out sightseeing in Lisbon (my thing), the rest was just chilling, in the pool, kids club, disco, reading, aqua park etc (all what DH and DS wanted). We were so chilled and happy. I would readily go again.

I've been to Paris many times, but I've never been to Rome. I'd better go to Rome before I get too old! But I've never been to Moscow, either. Or New York. Or Beijing. Or Leeds. How am I going to manage all this before death inevitably overcomes me, wiping out all my memories and making a mockery of my very ability to travel?

We have been going to Mexico for the past 10 years the last 4 years have been the same hotel
But I do take 2 /3 more other holidays normally to different parts of the USA & Europe and one or two weekend breaks
We like Mexico and this particular hotel because it’s great location we know what to expect. And the staff are lovely

I don't always go to the same place and travelled quite extensively when I was younger but I certainly have a favourite destination which ticks all my boxes and have returned there many times.

As others have said, it's tried and tested. I know that short of natural disasters I'll almost certainly have a great time. I feel safe there, know my way around, am familiar with local transport, know good places to eat, the best beach and so on. With a limited holiday budget, and limited time off at this moment in time I prefer to use those resources to the best of my ability rather than take a gamble with somewhere new that might not pay off.

Of course there are countless places I'd like to visit as well and if I had more money and more time I would! I can't afford a break every year, and have had several years pass without any sort of holiday at all at different points in my life, so while holidays remain a rare event for me I do all I can to ensure they're as enjoyable and sress free as possible.

People should go on the holiday they want to go on.
If they want to go to the same place every year then they should do that and if they want to go somewhere new every year they should do that too.
Rome is amazing and I can totally understand someone wanting to go there every year. There's so much to see and take in. There's something nice about going back to the same place a few times so you can really get to know it. I find the first visit to a new city sometimes a bit stressful - finding places to eat, working out the transport system, the language etc. The second visit is more relaxed and you have more time to linger over art etc. or visit museums again or go to a completely new part of the city. I've been to Budapest 5 times and will definitely go again.
I also like to visit a lot of new places too. We are all different.

Fear of the unknown, in some cases. My parents have an absolute horror of going anywhere for the first time, whether it’s a restaurant half a mile down the road from home or a different walking route near the same hotel in the same town 30 miles from home where they go on holiday. And it’s not age — they were like that when I was a small child — and it was a frankly depressing way to grow up, with ‘new’ always meaning ‘threatening and unwelcoming.’

I always used to think that people who went to the same place every year were boring and unimaginative, but have turned into one of those people myself.

We go to the same hotel every year, not always at the same time of year or for the same length of time, but we know it's a nice place to stay with pleasant staff, in a good location near decent restaurants and the general location has lots to do. We don't have to spend time getting to know the place or eating in iffy places and know we'll enjoy ourselves. We always find somewhere new to explore even though we've been about 8 times now.

I have limited time and money, I can't afford to have a holiday I don't enjoy. We usually go somewhere else as well each year but always go to this particular place for a truly relaxing break.

That said, we've booked to go to Scotland (Perthshire) next year. That used to be our "rut" holiday when ds was small, we used to go every year or every two years. We haven't been for many years except short breaks to Edinburgh and Glasgow, so next year we are going in May half term.

Rome is oodles more cultural than going to Benidorm every year.

Not sure I'd be too sneery about it.

My parents did all the exploring with me & my brother when we were younger to "get us out there, educated on different cultures" I don't even remember the vast majority of it. I found the holidays abroad mostly boring, hot, busy, strange and stressful.

The camping holidays, the UK seaside holidays I remember very clearly and I can't explain how much I loved them, and how exciting I thought they were. This is what I'm doing with my two boys now.

My parents now go to Turkey every year and meet up with their friends there. The times when they didn't go there, they wished they had and missed it... makes sense to me!

I'm with you - I don't really understand it. But different strokes, different folks.

I've not really gone back to the same places too often, but I can understand it and will probably do more of it in future.

For me, I hate the stress/anxiety of the unknown. Far too many holidays have been spoilt by bad accommodation, poor service, fully booked attractions, disappointing over-hyped attractions etc.

When I find a hotel/apartment that we like and didn't have problems with, in a town we like, and when we find restaurants with good service, etc., we tend to be drawn to go back, just for the peace of mind that it'll be less stressful, we know it, etc.

We've just been on a northern european cruise. I found it stressful for weeks before and right through the cruise. I was anxious about virtually everything as it was our first ever cruise and was "big" for us for a few family reasons. We had high expectations and the planning/organising was on my shoulders.

Once we were back home, I was planning to do it again next year. Same ship, same itinery. There was SO much we missed and a few bad decisions made, simply because we weren't accustomed to cruising. I know I'll actually enjoy it more next time as I won't be as stressed/anxious about every little thing, so will be able to sit back and relax.

Don't understand it either, but whatever makes them happy I suppose. Although I've been to Rome few times and would go back but not my main holiday every year 🙄 I like travelling though and exploring new places. 🗺

For us a fortnight in Cornwall is never tiresome. Often we don't fit in all the things we'd like to as there is so much to do.

Likewise the Lake District which has many different peaks to climb, boat trips to take and lovely little towns and villages

We’ve got a Caribbean holiday booked for next year. I’m taking the view of doing everything because we’re not going back, the world is too big and there’s too many places on my list to go back there. Despite all the tripadvisor reviews saying people go back year after year.

That’s the stage of life I’m in at the moment. In a few years, we’ll hopefully have kids and I won’t be doing exploring the world to the same extent that I am now. We’ll probably stick with holidays in the UK and find an area that works for us and stick to it. It might even be the coast 1 hour up the road from us, because I know there’s plenty there to keep kids entertained and it’s our favourite day trip place, we go several times a year. But as the kids get older, I imagine my travelling bug will kick back in and we’ll start going to different places again.

My in-laws do their exploring (Europe) over long weekends. They don’t just limit it to the major cities either and will do different things, even if they’ve been to that area before. But for their two week holiday is at the same place it’s been for 15 years. They know the people, where to go. They know their big holiday is two weeks of absolutely doing what they love in an area they love. They do the same activities, year on year. Eat at the same restaurant but they always have the perfect holiday.

Drumroll.....

Because he enjoys it.

People are so sneery about travels and holiday. Why shouldn't people do what they enjoy?

Personally I don't like travelling and I don't like holidays. My perfect idea of a "holiday" is simply taking a week off work with my DH and spending the time walking round London and having lovely lunches together.

We do go away because I think it's nice for DS but I'm not remotely fussed about travelling. I don't enjoy it.

I always think there's a degree of amused sneeriness behind this question...

Answer:- they like it and it works for them.

Not everyone wants yocexplore the world. Holidays are sometimes more about relaxing than travel, so being somewhere familiar thatbyou knkw you enjoy can be more relaxing than the uncertainty! I think I wouldn't want to go same place every year but not against revisiting places sometimes too

I always think there's a degree of amused sneeriness behind this question

There is. I've seen people say that they don't understand how people can't want to explore the world, how people who don't travel must be really boring

That last one is the one I'm always about, because who the hell wants to listen to someone endlessly drivelling on about their holidays?!

Travel, particularly air travel makes a lot of people anxious as does staying somewhere unfamiliar and also staying somewhere where you don’t speak the language. Returning somewhere familiar will alleviate that anxiety whilst still giving them a break from the routine and responsibilities of staying at home.

I understand OP. My parents and in-laws are the same and also want our „family get-together“ holidays to be in the same places time and again. DH and I resent using annual leave to have the same experience over and over again, but it’s always a challenge to persuade them to go elsewhere.

It’s not about being sneery. DH and I love travelling more than anything else and I just feel sad that our parents are getting older now, that their time is limited and that there are so many amazing places they won’t ever experience. I worry about them becoming more risk-averse in general because, while they might always be in their comfort zone, it means that their world is getting smaller and smaller, if you see what I mean.

Because he loves Rome? And who can blame him?

Some people’s money and time off is too hard earned to risk it on a unknown destination so if they find somewhere they love, I can see why they stick with it. Good for them.

"Not everyone wants to explore the world"

I get this. And there's nothing wrong with it. But in an era of climate change, maybe those people could just go to Blackpool on the train or sit under a patio heater or something, and flying could be reserved for those who actually get something more worthwhile out of being abroad.

I never thought I would but since having children we found somewhere we liked, that felt safe and was in budget and have been back a few times. True, at the moment the holidays are not about sight seeing they are about trying to relax and for the children to enjoy doing things they like doing. When they're bigger (and if we hopefully can afford a bigger budget) then we will start adventuring again.

If someone enjoys their holiday then it's not a waste. It's their time and money and luckily we all get to choose what we do with our own lives.

and flying could be reserved for those who actually get something more worthwhile out of being abroad

Are you suggesting you should be the arbiter of what is “worthwhile”?