To not understand why people go abroad on holiday in the summer?

[Dogscanteatonions]

My social media is full of people on holiday abroad at the moment. It's glorious here and I've got a few days off work so I've just been for a walk round my village and will spend the afternoon in the garden reading in the sun with a couple of glasses of something.

Britain is lovely in the summer - I'd far rather go abroad later or earlier in the year when the weather is not so good here and make the most of the weather here while we have it.

I've never really understood the desire to go abroad while it's nice here. Anyone else with me?

However, I think the issue might be why do those who can decide when to travel choose the high season either in UK or abroad?
I've said it before,if we are talking about visiting other Western countries such as those in Europe, they tend to have their festivals and interesting things going on in the summer months.

If you go in the middle of January places are often shut or you have a limited choice of activities.
I'd rather go when there is a happy vibe happening.

It was about staying home in the summer and going on holiday abroad at other times.

If you want to have a beach holiday then 'other times' with school aged children means that you have limited options in Europe, it's not really beach season in most European countries end of October for example.

How’s it snobbery to not like something? If you like it, crack on.

Reading in a tent in the UK…. It honestly sounds like my idea of hell. Lying on the ground, weather iffy at best or worse tipping down. What’s not to like (not!)

oh and what's wrong with a housekeeper? I'm not going on a holiday to cook and clean as usual, just in a different location.

We don’t go on holiday in July and August because we no longer need to go in school holidays and it’s more expensive. But the sun makes a holiday for me and I like it almost guaranteed. Having said that, we went to Italy in August one year and it rained for five days solid. I was gutted.

Reading this, I’m just glad I don’t have to go anywhere in school holidays

I get what you're trying to say so in that way YANBU, as you're right that it seems a shame to go away when you're most likely to have nice weather here.
Unfortunately though, you can't guarantee the weather here at any point, and although the same goes for anywhere, it's more likely here to not be sunn even during the summer months. For that reason yabu, so I'm kinda on the fence as I can see what yo mean, but it just doesn't work that way here.

If I could guarantee 2 weeks of hot sun in the summer here in the UK, then I'd definitely stay here and go abroad either late Spring or Autumn, but I would hate to stay here and waste my 1 holiday because it rains most of the time.

What is the ‘touristy nonsense’ then? I have no clue what you meant by that because to me, taking part in activities, viewing historical sites, and eating out are all common tourist activities. I don’t know what you mean by ‘touristy nonsense.’

I'm at an adults only hotel in Greece right now, no equivalent in the UK. (Weather, spa, food, location, no whiny kids, wonderful views, the sea, new culture, the sea again). I work non stop most of the year. I have grown kids, I've paid for super relaxation in a climate we can't replicate in Scotland. A pace I enjoy. The weather is crap, most of the time at home. It's so good to get away, and last but not least my skin in the sun is healing from my really annoying skin condition.

@Dogscanteatonions

Not coming back to admire your work?

Some people need to accept that we are all different and personal circumstances are different. I go in June or September and don't go on anything but the odd day trip in Uk - reasons as follows and are specific to me

1. Don't have to stick to school holidays anymore

2 I like the whole going to airport/getting on plane/ getting off plane and warm air hits -shebang !! I appreciate at the moment this part of the experience is not guaranteed to be the best and is a bit risky even given cancellations

3 I like a total change in scenery and vegetation /food/outdoor pools/balcony's/poolside snacks/bougainvillea- I just love to see white beaches and palm trees combined with sun.

4 I like nothing more than leisurely drives and walks through sleepy Mediterranean villages that are semi shut on hot afternoons but there's always one bar with locals sat out - a cold beer and a good coffee

5 I like being guaranteed within reason to be able to sit out in an evening in lovely warmth on a terrace or beachside restaurant

6 I like decent value for money and in the UK these days it can be very pricey if you want good quality - be that meals, cottages or hotels. A lot of seaside hotels here are a bit lacking and dated , service is poor- they seem to be fun for convenience of the owners and yet still not cheap- A lot of cottages too can be a bit grim at the coast , especially in lovely resorts, as they don't have to try too hard

A caveat to all this and to prove I'm not a snob is if you have young children then to be honest I think you can have a great holiday at some of the Havens and Butlins because half the fun is the kids having a great time and they are less weather dependent- I do think holidays abroad with under5s can be quite hard going- but as adults with no kids at home , the UK for me doesn't tick the boxes of what I enjoy on a holiday . For those who enjoy hiking and camping- absolutely nothing wrong with that at all but don't belittle those for whom it doesn't tick how they want to spend their cash. Anyway We are off in 2 weeks for 2 days in Palma followed by 6 days in a nice adults only in a resort I like in Majorca- with a car for trips out.

@Chouah I'm totally with you ! (Well wish I was) -

I've had many British summer holidays where it's pissed it down all week .

It's pretty fab. A few boat trips, imagine that in the North Sea, outdoor lunches! Fecking freezing as soon as a single Scottish cloud appears. It's literally not a thing where I live ☀️

Well we did the English summer holiday last year. North of England. Sat on the beach in a cardi. Going to Italy this summer !

I go abroad in the summer because I want to eat out every night without taking a coat or waterproof with me

Disagree. Half term where we were was so grey & cold that I'd happily happily have swum to Spain by the end of it. I don't even like epic heat that much...it's just that British summers can be fecking miserable, let's face it. There's nothing more depressing than paying an extortionate amount for a UK holiday & then it pisses rain all week.

@ForestFae

i don’t wanna be with my child 24/7 for six weeks over summer and I’m relieved when it’s back to school time not least because I work full time

does that make me a bad mother in your book?

No. It’s just not something I personally understand.

@ForestFae

what is your experience of the school hols?

@ForestFae

as another poster has said - when you have your kids with you, you have to strike a balance of what they want to do and what you want to do. Sometimes I just wanna please myself. Hence I love child free time

I home ed. So it seems funny to me when people say they find being with their kids for 6 weeks hard, I’m with mine all the time by choice and I enjoy it. It just reminds me people have radically different lives to me and that what is a “long time” is subjective.

I get that and I can understand wanting a childfree holiday now and again!

It's if you do a like for like comparison when it can be.

By comparing a caravan holiday off season with a 4/5 star hotel resort in august.

We did a like for like comparison for last summer's holiday with the year before. It cost more for two of us to travel to and spend two weeks in Cornwall staying in 4/5 star nice hotels with good food and wine than it did for three of us to travel to France and get many in similar level hotels with good food/drink. It was the same two weeks, in school holidays. We included travel, hotel and food when comparing the costs, selecting similar level of hotels and restaurants.

Yes, we could have had a cheaper holiday paying less, staying in cheaper accommodation and eating in cheaper restaurants or cooking ourselves. However, I wanted to compare like for like.

Cornwall also meant variable weather, where at best it was warm for some of the day with a lot of chillier cloudy weather with several bouts of rain. France and Germany were both very hot consistently, without rain, all fortnight.