If you have a second home, how much of the year do you spend there?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

I'm curious how much time different people spend at a second home/ holiday home, if they have one. What made you decide this was the better option, rather than booking a cottage for the weeks/ months you spend there? It's nicer to have your own place, but is the downside that in a way it keeps you from exploring other new places?

Do you still go to other areas/ different countries if you have one?

I'd love to eventually have a small place back in the area I'm from, but then I wonder if it's a tie to a particular part of the country.

COVID must have changed patterns of people going to second homes overseas this year, so it probably isn't typical in terms of time spent if your bolthole is abroad.

As you said not typical this year but usually it’s about 6-10 weeks a year.

We have a second home in Southern France, we spend 3-4 weeks a year there. We will spend more time there when the children are older and we are not tied to only travelling during school holidays. Although we don't spend a lot of time there a lot of our family and friends use it too. We go to other places on holiday, I wouldn't want to only ever go to France or feel like we had to go there because we somehow have to justify having a, second home there. If that were the case I wouldn't have it.

Interesting, thank you!

That's something I hadn't considered - that while we mightn't use it loads at first and be there half the year or anything, eventually we would be able to use it more as life circumstances change.

Am very homesick today, and just want to browse property wistfully

My in-laws have a very remote cottage and spend about half the year there. It does mean they never go anywhere else for a holiday, which I would personally hate but it's not my decision!

Haven’t been there at all this year but also haven’t been anywhere else.

The same with boat people not being allowed on their boats during covid. Many of them spend weekends and holidays on them. Daresay caravan owners are moping too.

My mum and I own a house overseas (I inherited my share from my dad) and last year I spent six weeks there while I was on mat leave, although not all in one go. Typically I’d spend three weeks there and then probably another three weeks in other countries throughout the year. My mum is retired and usually spends about six weeks there and probably another three or four elsewhere. We haven’t been since December and I miss it so much, and we have some issues that we can’t deal with easily from home, fortunately one of our neighbours has been and sorted some stuff out. We also rent it to friends and family and friends of friends for a few weeks a year. If it was in the UK I’d be there most weekends!

I have a home in Spain and it’s usually 10-12 weeks per year.

Most years, we spend about one-third to half the year in the secondary place. Sometimes a long weekend, sometimes a few weeks at a time. It depends on work patterns, to be honest. We wanted it to be more than a 'holiday home' (and in fact I go there to work sometimes) and be somewhere that we spend significant amounts of time when we're away from the city. It's close enough that we can go for a long weekend, or even just a couple of nights if we feel like it.

If it got to the point that we were only spending two weeks a year there I'd sell it, to be quite honest.

We still go on holidays; for us it's a different mindset, somehow. We tend to go abroad and do the fancy hotel thing.

...10-12 weeks per year (all school holidays) and I rent it out the rest of the time so it pays for itself. It is mortgage free so this covers all bills, taxes etc. Sometimes we drive down, so we get to visit other places or rent it out at ‘school holiday’ rate if we want to go elsewhere for a holiday.

Easter weekend, week in August, and then generally about 4/6 weekends through the year.
However I do air BnB it. Which means I get the luxury of a little cottage in my favourite place that pays for its self.
I hope to have it forever, and would like to think it's a legacy and my children enjoy it with their own families in tune (they of course will probably want to sell it and spend the cash!)