To think people are too obsessed with taking a holiday?

[Tepoi]

I don’t get the attraction of saving for months to go somewhere for 10ish days. Fine if you have money but hearing how people are spending the equivalent of 1 - 2 months take home pay on a holiday strikes me as very odd. Maybe because I don’t have the money to spare.
if you do go on holiday, and it takes 4-6 weeks’ take home pay, can I ask why you go?

Spent the day with friends yesterday, a couple and kids with my DH and kids. We had a lovely time but honestly all we talked about was our respective holidays, last years holiday, an upcoming ski holiday in Winter and prospective future holidays. This was interspersed with comments on how it's not enjoyable anyway with the kids and how you'd be broke after and have to make sacrifices etc. But it's still the only thing anyone focuses on, especially DH. I don't think we had any conversation of real substance. So yes as of today I agree OP.

@Ginmonkeyagain how was Perpignan, got a couple of nights there next month as flights back from there were a quarter of the price of Girona.

@Scottishlanza Perpignan is a lovely city - lots of historic sights, not too touristy, warm weather, laid back mix of Spanish and French culture and food (eg lots of casual tapas places, later dining than in many other areas of France). You are a short bus or train ride from beautiful beaches. We had an amazing time.

We would recommend Hotel de France - it is reasonably priced and right in the centre. It is a little old fashioned (our bathroom was straight out of the seventies down to the brown tiles!) but clean, quiet and the hosts are lovely.

If you are short for time we'd recommend Halles de Vauban - a partially gentrified market hall - it has a very buzzy outdoor bar and lots of casual food counters where you can just grab a stool and order small dishes to eat there or take to the bar.

NB lots of stuff is closed on Sunday and Monday - the city really comes to life from Tuesday onwards.

Thank you @Ginmonkeyagain we only really have a day and half and plan to do Perpignan on the half day and evening and maybe Canet Plage or Culliore on the full day. We get there on a Tuesday so good to know it gets busier then. Think we will do the little road train tour to get our bearings.
It sort of fits in with this thread as it’s very much a budget trip, we have two nights Girona, 5 nights Roses and two nights Perpignan. 7 nights are in 4 star hotels and Perpignan is a three star (the NYX). Ryanair flights with minimal luggage. Will do trains/buses between the different places.
It’s cost us 422 each before train fares for 9 nights starting end august. I sort of agree with @Tepoi that I’d find it hard to spend 4-6 weeks take home pay on a holiday but I want to go 3/4 times a year. This last few weeks in the uk have been awful and I can’t wait for some sun

We would recommend Collioure - it is beautiful. A bit touristy, think Cornwall - so be prepared for some pricy ice creams and spendy sea front cafes but it is a delight none the less. One of the beaches has decent clean public toilets so there is somewhere to change if you don't fancy walking around all day with your costume on under your clothes.

It is an easy 20 min train ride from Perpignan - be warned though the trains are only every two hours (no idea why seeing as it is v local and v popular- French provincial train time tables seem to be a law unto themselves!)

And this conversation reminds me why I go on hoilday - on a horrid wet and windy morning I have lovely memories of swimming in sheltered cove with crystal clear warm sea, sitting in shady square with a cold local beer and plate of tapas, propping up a buzzy bar on a hot evening with freshly grilled merguez and cold local wine, walking back to our hotel past a beautifully illuminated fourteenth centure castle while locals gather for Catalan style dancing and communal improtu singing.

Nothing better!

Very true

Wistfully looks out window at gale force winds wind and lashing rain. No summers great here - really…

It’s gales, windy and bucketing it down here. Suspect the beaches are lovely too!!

Why on earth would you want to stay in the Uk??

‘Darren and Rosanna Price, who are sharing ice creams with their sons Dillon and Luke, say they have no regrets about not holidaying in Europe. “Some of our friends are abroad at the moment. From looking at their pictures, you’d think it’d be more relaxing than here, but you never know,” says Rosanna. “It can be pretty stressful trying to apply suncream to kids every five minutes!”

Methinks Darren and Rosanna secretly wish they’d gone abroad this year.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/05/its-more-february-than-august-holidaymakers-sit-out-storm-in-cornwall

Posts complaining about the impact on the environment make me just want to book even more holidays. Stop picking on those that take two flights a year and go after the big guns in China if you really care where there is little to no crap given about the environment. I recycle where I can, work hard and love seeing new parts of the world. Just got back from Greece and have two more holidays - well short trips abroad - booked before the end of the month

I'm more than satisfied day to day.
Just I like to see/experience something a bit different to home a couple or so times a year as well. A nice mix to compliment my every day home life. And after this summer holiday - a bit of sun and warm is nice.