Friend said our holidays are boring

[SusanandMidge]

My friend and her husband love travelling and go on about 4 holidays a year. This year they've been to Egypt, India and Japan and are planning a trip to Croatia next month,
We prefer to holiday in the UK. Just throw everything into the car, no airport security, worrying about losing passports, delayed flights etc. We genuinely enjoy driving around places like the Lake District, Devon, Wales etc., stopping off at nice villages, chilling out in the garden of rented cottages with a glass of wine and a book, pottering up to the local pub for dinner and all that.

Last night, after a couple of drinks, my friend asked me why we go on such 'boring' holidays. I just said I wouldn't really enjoy the holidays she goes on but each to their own. She started persisting, saying 'don't you want to see the world' and so on. I pointed out that when we were younger we went to the States, Australia and lots of European countries. Then she said yeah but that was years ago, and we should 'treat ourselves' to a few nice holidays.

We're about to head down to Cornwall for a week, but her comments have kind of ruined it. I really don't want to go on long haul holidays and was content with our UK holidays but now just feel like everyone thinks we're boring and unadventurous. AIBU.

I voted YABU, but onIy because you are aIIowing someone eIse's opinion to "ruin" your enjoyment of your own hoIiday. Some peopIe need constant stimuIation. Very often they do so because they have no reaI, compIex inner Iives. Some enjoy quiet moments, treasure them. I am one of the Iatter, and I find your hoIidays enchanting. When asked, once, about my ideaI hoIiday, I repIied, "I want to be where nobody who knows who I am knows where I am, and nobody who knows where I am knows who I am, with a taII stack of books, and decent room service!" Compared to me, you are just the souI of whirlwind activity! You go enjoy doing you.

Holidays are meant to be relaxing and the idea of spending 24 hours navigating the arseholery that is the airports at either end, transfers etc isnt my idea of relaxing.

DP and I live together apart. I did a holiday with my DD and my sister this month and he did one with his kids this week. We both need a "proper" holiday to relax on so are booking our holiday for just us for next month. We are finding a cheap premier inn that has a bit of country and a pub nearby, that will do us!

I've done both and love both! Me and my DH did exotic holidays before DC and can fairly say the caravan and cottage ones we've done in UK have been equally as lovely, morw so to see the happiness of our DC enjoying the simple pure pleasures in life. No holiday is boring, it's a break and for us fresh air, walking, extra activities is jist as good as a week in the sun abroad, often better. X

I would give this friend a wide berth from now on. She is rude and judgemental. There are loads of lovely places in the world and quite a few in the UK. We went to Canada last year but Dorset this year different holidays but both nice in their own way. We live in Cornwall so see plenty of that too. The weather is supposed to be nice down here next week and the kids back at school so less busy. You will have a great time.

If she had said something like that to me I would have said it is a good job we are not asking her to come with you and what works for her wouldn't work for you.

It would be boring if we were all the same!

It's almost like a classist kind of snobbery.
Enjoy your free time any way you want.
I love playing tourist at home and in my own province. It makes me feel good supporting local businesses and meeting people visiting from other parts gives me a bit of pride that they enjoy their time here. 😊

I don't like airports, heat, bitey insects - ok we get those here but please can I come on your holiday??

I love programmes like Susan Calman's tours round Britain.

I love villages, scenery, seashores, lakes, mountains, moors, ancient history, standing stones and barrows, architecture through the ages, historical cities, museums, theatre, tea rooms, national trust properties, second hand book shops, canal boats, indie cafes, fields of sheep and cows, pheasants wandering through misty fields, steam trains ...

I'd quietly tell her I wouldn't dream of being rude about her holidays and interests.

The problem isn't your choice of holidays, the problem is you have a rude and condescending friend!

Because only the elderly enjoy relaxing by the coast and visiting villages? No right minded person in their 20s would take that over an 18-30 hell holiday in Ibiza?

TBH, I very much doubt OP’s friend would give a shit about her carbon footprint (a lot of people don’t and certainly would not feel guilty about going on holiday).

She has the carbon footprint of a small country and you don’t.
She sounds objectionable not really a friend.

Cornwall will be amazing.
My friend came back from Nicaragua with a stomach problem which has left her with severe IBS.
Ignore her.

Ignore her. Or tell her to fuck off.

I'd tell her you don't believe in flying so much because of the carbon footprint. Make her feel bad.

It’s her problem, enjoy your holidays wherever you take them. I find a lot of holiday competitiveness amongst groups of women, not sure why 😊

My thoughts exactly 😊

I'm surprised you're friends considering you're so boring and she's so wild and exciting.

I love UK holidays but they can be boring if you don't get to do stuff you like. I enjoy hill walking and perversely shopping but if that's not your thing it'd be boring if u come on my holiday.

Don't let their ideas ruin your holiday. Enjoy.

Self-catering holidays in the UK are 100% not for me.

However your friend was rude. And everyone is different!

“We're about to head down to Cornwall for a week, but her comments have kind of ruined it.”

Wow. Are you being serious? 🤦🏼‍♀️

Ps. I’m embarrassed for your mate. What an arrogant snob!

I second this! “I’m like soooo well travelled and culturrrrred!” Fuck off.

Have the holiday you love!! Don’t let someone else’s opinion on what a good holiday should be ruin your holiday! There’s lots of beautiful places in our country - get out there and enjoy them if that’s what makes you happy!!

Why on earth are you allowing this persons comments to affect your holiday in any way. You do what you love to do, her comments should have no bearing on how you chose to holiday. Have a great holiday and think no more of it.

My SIL makes comments like ‘can’t you afford to go abroad’ when we say we are holidaying in the U.K. for one of our holidays (we like to do one U.K. and one abroad). But she is the one taking kids out of school to go to some crappy AI in the med! We could afford to go abroad, but choose to have fun adventure-filled holidays in the U.K. because we like it. It’s so irritating when people think because you want something different to what they want, that it is boring or because you can’t afford to do otherwise.

Don’t be daft, you’re overreacting. Why would it ruin your trip (that’s a bit snowflaky!) ? They’re your holidays, you do what you like and she does her thing. It’s just a different opinion.