Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel down about UK holiday?

173 replies

WoahThereNelly · 20/07/2021 08:09

Of course I already realise I am BU when some people don't get holidays at all, have been horribly impacted by covid etc.

Just using this to vent and get some perspective.

Feeling so gutted that we can't go to France to see family we haven't seen in over a year. It looked like we could go, then at the very last minute the rules have changed again and now we can't. We do have a 1 week UK holiday booked but it won't be as lovely, or seeing family, or getting out of this country!

Feels like we've worked all year, through all this rubbish...for nothing...and now it'll be another year again before there's another chance (we only ever get a few days in the other holidays, with longer ones at summer).

Ok, tell me I'm being ridiculous and hopefully I'll feel better about it. Just feeling v sad and flat at the moment.

OP posts:
iBrows · 20/07/2021 09:08

@Demelza82 What is your point? People are allowed to want luxuries, and often work hard to afford them. If only having basic necessities is enough for you then fair enough but I want my life to be way more enjoyable than that!

OP I totally understand, UK holidays aren’t as good and I hope normality resumes ASAP!

countrygirl99 · 20/07/2021 09:10

@Macncheeseballs

I'm really looking forward to my UK hols, this is an amazing island to explore, covid has given us the opportunity to do so
Why do people spout such rubbish.Covid hasn't given you anything of the sort. You always had the opportunity, whether you chose to take or not was choice not lack of opportunity.
rantymcrantface66 · 20/07/2021 09:13

@BillyWhozz

As someone who loves UK holidays and is heading up to N Yorks next week YANBU. It's not about UK vs Abroad, it's just the teasing of the light at the end of the tunnel then not quite getting there, especially when it keeps families apart.
This is why I decided a long time ago not to pay any heed to the crooked politicians promises of light at the end of the tunnel and to wait til we are actually out there in the sunshine - saves a lot of frustration and disappointment.
MarianneUnfaithful · 20/07/2021 09:13

The nit seeing family is hard and it is always disappointing to look forward to something and then it fall through.

Just because it is happening to so many other people just means… many many people are feeling the same.

It’s the feeling of the pandemic.

actiongirl1978 · 20/07/2021 09:15

Yanbu, I'd absolutely rather be on a Greek island. Holidays in the UK are not really holidays - proper holidays involve a stack of books, a private pool and air-conditioning at night.

However as we own a caravan in Cornwall and DS won't go abroad, this is our lot!

We have had an awesome fortnight. Booked all our lovely restaurants in January so had no problems getting lovely meals (although one place cancelled as staff had to SI).

Weather has been heatwave like. We've even got parking spaces which doesn't normally happen!

So I reckon if you try and book some things in advance OP you'll have a great time.

Samanabanana · 20/07/2021 09:16

I'm sad that we've not been able to travel abroad since 2019 but I am SO looking forward to our UK seaside holiday! The weather looks mixed but we've got beautiful beaches to explore, lots of lovely dinners and lunches booked and lots of activities planned! It's all about mindset. I hope you have a great time!

korawick12345 · 20/07/2021 09:17

@Direstraitsmates

I don't get why people think other countries are better than the UK. We have some of the most beautiful countryside, mountains, loughs and coastlines in the world. The weather is fantastic this summer. Going to a different country doesn't make for a better holiday. Getting there causes more environmental damage. Yabu.
LOL - The weather has been absolutely appalling this summer in lots of areas. I can count on two hands the number of days it hasn't been grey or overcast since about april. Not to mention the neverending rain. On top of that holidaying in this country is an insane rip off in terms of getting any kind of decent accommodation.
sadperson16 · 20/07/2021 09:19

I'm amazed you have found a holiday in the UK.
I would be disappointed too.

rantymcrantface66 · 20/07/2021 09:21

LOL - The weather has been absolutely appalling this summer in lots of areas. I can count on two hands the number of days it hasn't been grey or overcast since about april. Not to mention the neverending rain. On top of that holidaying in this country is an insane rip off in terms of getting any kind of decent accommodation.

Where ever are you? We've had wall to wall sunshine for the last 2 weeks solid and temps well in to the late 20's before that we had some wet days and heavy rain showers but plenty sunshine in between and in in Scotland so hardly renowned for its wonderful weather.

rantymcrantface66 · 20/07/2021 09:23

@sadperson16

I'm amazed you have found a holiday in the UK. I would be disappointed too.
Why are you amazed? That's odd. I don't know anyone who hasn't found a holiday in the UK between colleagues, family, friends and DC's friends. Every single one of them have found a holiday.
TheMoth · 20/07/2021 09:24

I'd be gutted. I usually spend this week preparing to go abroad. It's the one week off the year we're actually a family and do things together without work interrupting. I have to stop myself thinking about it. We live 20 or so minutes from places people come on holiday to, but a holiday for me is being able to swim in a pool or the sea all day, then drink cocktails before tea in seafront bars, then wander to find the nicest restaurant. No planning. No organising.You just can't do that in this country.

korawick12345 · 20/07/2021 09:24

@rantymcrantface66

LOL - The weather has been absolutely appalling this summer in lots of areas. I can count on two hands the number of days it hasn't been grey or overcast since about april. Not to mention the neverending rain. On top of that holidaying in this country is an insane rip off in terms of getting any kind of decent accommodation.

Where ever are you? We've had wall to wall sunshine for the last 2 weeks solid and temps well in to the late 20's before that we had some wet days and heavy rain showers but plenty sunshine in between and in in Scotland so hardly renowned for its wonderful weather.

SE Engand -absolutely dire!
TempsPerdu · 20/07/2021 09:34

YANBU at all in my book OP. We’ve just got back from a very disappointing week’s holiday in Norfolk - wall to wall low cloud and drizzle making everything look grey and bleak, very limited indoor options due to to social distancing and advance booking, self catering which involved seemingly endless emptying and reloading of the dishwasher…

I know some people love U.K. holidays, but I just can’t get the same level of joy and excitement from them that I can with holidays overseas. I need novelty, adventure, the sense of discovery you get with an unfamiliar culture - and yes, at least a bit if sunshine. The vast majority of people I know feel the same. On the rare occasions we’ve holidayed in the U.K. in the past we’ve always booked a separate foreign break to ensure we still had all these things if the U.K. trip turned out to be a bit grim - obviously at the moment that’s not really an option.

Most of all, though, not seeing your family is really rubbish and you’re entitled to feel a bit down about it.

rantymcrantface66 · 20/07/2021 09:34

@korawick12345 you've been pretty unlucky as the ready of the country has done nothing but whinge about the heat 😆. You might do well to holiday in a different part of the UK in that case

BeachPicture · 20/07/2021 09:36

You know during the war right they didn’t have holidays? You can have a lovely time in the U.K. yes not seeing family sucks but take out that part and if you’re alive and safe and still have your your house then all good

Amboseli · 20/07/2021 09:42

YANBU We are away at the moment (fingers crossed we make it back) but a UK break just doesn't compare to a Mediterranean holiday. The UK is beautiful but I need to go to a foreign country to really feel I've had a break from my life to just relax and completely switch off.

I'm sorry you couldn't go, I completely understand how you feel. x

TempsPerdu · 20/07/2021 09:42

I also find that one of the main benefits of a foreign holiday is the sense of genuine escapism - a new/unfamiliar language, and different media, with news that you’re slightly ‘distanced’ from so you’re not quite a stressed out by whatever’s in the headlines there.

Not at all the same with a U.K. holiday, with the same old hyperbolic media headlines and everyone around you talking about the same stuff that was stressing you out at home. Unless you can go completely off grid (pretty impossible with a three year old in tow) it’s very difficult to recreate than sense of true escapism.

JassyRadlett · 20/07/2021 09:46

@BeachPicture

You know during the war right they didn’t have holidays? You can have a lovely time in the U.K. yes not seeing family sucks but take out that part and if you’re alive and safe and still have your your house then all good
Gosh people set a really low bar, don’t they?

People are allowed to hope and wish for more than a roof over their head, an absence of armed conflict and not having died.

It really is ok to want nice things, like seeing family and going on the sort of holidays you like.

Personally, we’ve always gone on at least one U.K. holiday a year (and usually with my family who live abroad). They’re almost always lovely but agree with others that the hassle factor and expense tends to be higher than a lot of European holidays even in non-Covid times (and I’m not a resort person).

It’s ok to feel disappointed about not seeing family. I’m getting used to the idea that I won’t see mine until this time next year; I haven’t seen any of them since 2019. We’d hoped this summer for a backup plan of one of my favourite places, a lake in the Austrian Alps. Swimming in the lake every day, great mountain walks, lots to do, really different food and scenery, and some cousins who live not far away. It’s totally ok to feel sad about missing these things.

ToastandPeanutButter · 20/07/2021 09:47

First of all, you are NEVER EVER EVER unreasonable for feeling your feelings. All those toxic people who trot out the lines 'oh well if that's all you have to worry about' can sod off. They are the sort of people who really cause serious mental health problems. You have no idea what people are going through and what they rely on to keep them going. They are also the sort of people who are only happy if they're unhappy and other people are too.

I get what you're saying OP :( We have been incredibly lucky this last 18 months (only lost 1 person in that, compared to the previous few years where we lost multiple loved ones in close succession) but we're really pinning hopes on our 10 day break abroad for some family time away from the stress of real life. And that's not including missing family members. I'm so sorry you're going to miss out on seeing them again, and you are allowed to feel shitty. xxx

Branleuse · 20/07/2021 09:48

its not unreasonable. You cant help feeling disappointed and sad. Not every emotion has to be rational and reasonable and in perspective in order to be felt deeply. The rules about france are stupid and excessive and its unfuriating the constant changing. My dp is in the same situation

OhGiveUp · 20/07/2021 09:57

I understand you op. I haven't seen my parents since last June ( not British ) and I can't even Skype them etc as they don't have internet, let alone mobile phones and computers etc. They're in their late 80s so I worry.
UK holidays are shit. Complete rip off and shit weather. They don't even have hotels offering outdoor pools and scarcely any nice outdoor dining, even just having a glass of wine requires sitting in a tatty pub garden.
I'm not surprised that you're gutted op. Hope you get to see your family soon.

garlictwist · 20/07/2021 09:59

I think YABU. You just need to look at things more positively - you're going somewhere new, even if it's in the UK. If you start out feeling negatively about it then you won't enjoy it. It's a shame you can't see your family, sure, but other than that have fun on your break and enjoy the change of scene.

FluffMagnet · 20/07/2021 10:00

OP I'm with you. We've got a short break next week - weather forecast is currently rain every day, thundery and humid. Which means I'll have a banging headache all week. It is so expensive and everything needs to be booked in advance, although I'm expecting some to be cancelled last minute, and a lot of being shut up with extended family in a lodge for a week with Disney films on repeat. I love to travel, explore and learn about new cultures. We have always had decent UK holidays in the past too, but back when you were free to choose on a day to day basis what you were up to. I would love to go to my parent's house in France, to visit my cousins in the Netherlands (and to properly mourn the loss of my uncle who died last year) and to see my in-laws in the US. None of this is looking on the cards for another year at least.

We'll make the most of next week, but it will not be a holiday that rejuvenates me and I can't help but feel short changed.

Darbs76 · 20/07/2021 10:02

It’s not unreasonable to miss a foreign holiday. I miss going abroad with my mum & eldest son on a planned cruise, cancelled Florida with the kids. Don’t fancy a U.K. holiday, might try Majorca in august but last minute booking. We have Covid at the moment so least that’s one less worry

Tinkerbellfluffyboots79 · 20/07/2021 10:05

I totally get that not seeing family must be absolutely gutting for you, and in other circumstances you’d probably enjoy a U.K. break but this is clouding things because you were looking forward to one thing and now doing something else. It’s incredibly hard op, I’ve not seen my folks since December 2019, it’s rough.

I would say, try and make the best of it, enjoy it with the people who are with you and have time away from work and home. I hope things change and you can get to see your family as soon as possible, hard thinking about it being another year I know.