I hate my budget holiday

[ValentinaTheVampire]

We have small children to do things on a budget so we tend to do self catering in the UK to avoid paying for flights and also so we aren't all squashed into a hotel room.

But ugh, it has been so miserable this time (we are away at the moment). The weather where we are staying is pretty miserable. We are staying near family where I grew up as we tried to do holiday and family visit in one and I am honestly just counting down the days. I'm so tired from all the driving about and visiting and trying to keep kids entertained in the rain with none of their usual stuff around to help.

The cottages we've had the past few holidays have been so tired looking and even then they are so expensive.

I have a small but perfectly nice house at home. Kids aren't exactly getting a cultural experience here (although they are loving seeing family).

Dh wants to do another holiday cottage for my 40th birthday which is coming up over other school holidays and I've just told him no fucking way 😂.

I'd rather spend the money on my house or save for a nicer holiday even if we don't get one as often.

I can't tell if holidays have got worse or if I have become a that who just likes staying at home.

We have small children and HAVE TO do things on a budget*

YANBU. Holidays with small DC can be the opposite of relaxing, especially when the weather is awful. At least if you go abroad, they can tire themselves out in the pool. Personally I’d go abroad less often than holiday in the U.K. where eating out etc is very expensive and I hate cooking/washing up on holiday.

YANBU. I had two holidays in succession in budget hotels, one in the UK and one abroad and the hotels I stayed in were so horrible, they spoiled the places they were in for me, both of which I'd visited many times before and loved.

Personally I find with UK holidays that days out are so expensive that it doesn't work out much cheaper than a budget holiday abroad - where the days out/eating out tend to be cheaper.

Butlins next week with my 6.5yr old. We are going to have the best time even though it's not a hat I would choose. Be grateful for what you have? Paid time off and a kid of your own? Sorry if that's harsh.

@ValentinaTheVampire I agree with you- I would rather not bother if it's a worse experience than being at home.
Some people constantly feel they have to be booking holidays

The only enjoyment with young children and a holiday is someone else cooking and cleaning and good enough weather that they play in a pool all day.
id rather forgo a holiday than self cater in shit weather- sorry!

Does your budget stretch to a short break at butlins?

It does sound pretty miserable. I think our likes of holidays change over time. Maybe you need to do something completely different?

I was also going to suggest Butlins - it's what we used to do when we stayed in the UK when DS was primary school age - at least there's always something going on if the weather's bad - and you can still get out on the beach/ slight see when the weather's good .

I think it's the weather. If it's good weather, it doesn't matter where you are.

Stop driving and start relaxing. Have the holiday not something that sounds like a chore!

We had a budget holiday a few weeks back. A caravan in Skegness. It was pretty muggy but ducking hell it was nice to not be working.

@Royalbloo my salary is pro rated. I don't get summer holidays paid.

I am grateful for what I have - a nice house which we managed to buy which wasn't easy. I don't feel at all grateful for paying £1500+ to stay in a pokey, dark, 90s cottage with bored kids when we'd be happier at home.

Enjoy Butlins though! I'm sure it'll be fun and your kids won't be bored. Not the same thing

Also did @Royalbloo seriously respond to me not enjoying a holiday with "be grateful you have kids"? 🙄

I didn't say I wanted rid of the kids, thanks.

Self catering in the UK with small kids is hell. YANBU.

I hated my budget holiday too lol. I miss the days pre covid to be honest. Everything seemed better before then. It feels like it sucked the fun out of everything

YANBU clearly plenty of people do it but I would never spend money to go and stay in a self catering cottage that’s worse than my own lovely house.

We usually holiday in the UK and it is NEVER cheaper than going abroad. I think if you are on a budget then you would get a better quality of holiday abroad, we've found that in UK you need to go for top end/luxury cottages in order to have a good experience.
We will spend approx 1.5K on accommodation in UK for 1 week for 3 of us + dog. That's on self catering basis so by time you add in food + petrol I'm sure you could go abroad for that.
However just to also add that I don't think any holiday is 100% enjoyable when kids are young. It only becomes bearable once they get a bit older.

The last few cottage holidays we've had in the UK have been enough to make me say to DH I'm just not doing another. I end up cooking, clearing up, looking after our dogs while he sits on his arse watching TV and napping. It's so much harder being away from home, and even the more expensive holiday lets just end up being so disappointing. And 9 times out of 10, the weather is shit. We went away to Cornwall in March to avoid the crowds, and it really was a bleak week.

YANBU at all.

I hated my holiday cottage this year..wasn't even that cheap...I wanted to come home on day 2....to my clean house

I feel as if self catering places have got worse, but maybe it's that my tastes have changed or that we just can't afford the nicer places anymore and this is what we get for that sort of money.

I just think of all the things we could've done at home for the money we've spent.

I'll try and get through the end of this one as merrily as humanly possible, but my point is really about booking the same type of holiday again which I feel like never doing again. Cannot understand dh wanting to!

I also just think of the very unmagical memories for the kids. They cried when they saw our holiday cottage which was probably a mix of the awful weather and them being tired after the journey but Jesus 😩. It really isn't that bad, but my house is a lot nicer!

Nice holiday cottages in the UK are extortionate, the cheap ones are dated, grubby and smell of mildew. When mine were little we did static caravans or Premier Inns because at least you knew what you were getting. Day trips, going out for breakfast and takeaways are the way forward op.

have your tried to look at anywhere abroad for yoir budget ? even driving and boat with self catering mobile home on some euro campsites? at least then you more likely to get the weather and kids have a pool.

I did Eurocamp / Keycamp as a kid and loved it! I had assumed they'd be out of our budget, but I'll have a look for next time.

How small are your children? If they’re pre-school age then obviously you’ll get much better deals in term time and usually the weather’s better in June/early July. But I guess you’re probably holidaying in August because at least one of them is school age.

The best UK holiday with our DD when under 10 was a farm holiday. Look at parentfriendlystays.