To feel frustrated so much has to be booked in advance these days?

[Teentrauma]

I'm talking mainly attractions and days out. I've found that increasingly over the last few years and certainly since Covid many places require booking online in advance taking away spontanaety as they're often full up on the day. For example, tickets for a kids Father Christmas experience locally sold out within hours of tickets going on sale the other week - in August! We also booked to go up the Snowden railway - had to do in advance as wouldn't have got on otherwise. On the day, the weather was appalling and we wouldn't have gone if we didn't have tickets. We saw nothing and it was a total waste of money!

I get it's more efficient for the businesses and also takes away the need to queue. I'm probably a dinosaur but I hanker for the days when you could just decide to do things spur of the moment!

One persons spontaneity is another’s chaos but I also understand having things planned could be another’s shackles.

It's often practical for us rather than personality - we rely on public transport and it hard to judge times as so much is unreliable of late.

Eating out since covid is also hard - it's getting somewhere then it not knowing how long attraction will take - either have to take chances or rush or hang around. Also pre-booking doesn't seem to mean they are expecting and set up and half time it's poorest position still and treated like an inconvenience.

Locally it’s been a game changer, for the better, it’s taken away huge queues on hot days. You can still book on the day - if there’s space, saves a wasted trip or huge queue

It doesn't bother me, I just plan and book ahead. Some things though like having a specific time slot and account to book swimming at ott.

Totally agree about the tourist attractions. We prefer to be spontaneous and what we ant to do will often depend on the weather on the day.

I do love the pre booking at the tip though. You used to have to queue for hours at ours at the weekend. Now it’s drive straight in. You can usually get same day slots.

Better to book than turn up on the day only to find you cant get in because its full. Imagine going all the way to a big theme park with the kids and then being turned away

I agree. It drives me mad - it stops me doing things, because I just can't be bothered with the stress of pre-booking. I'd like to go to exhibitions in London, but it's impossible to be sure of hitting the time-slot if you're relying on public transport. The only pre-booking I do like is the system at my local pool - you have to pre-book, but you can do it just before you set off. It's totally done away with the insane hour-long queues in the hottest weather.

Fully agree. I hate it. I already booked 2 Christmas things in August as they will be fully booked soon.
worsr I heard my friend booked a seaside caravan for July in December! Literally there is a day when booking opens in December and then the summer holidays sell out within that day. It’s so hard to plan holidays when you can’t plan far in advance for work reasons.

I’m a planner, it suits me. But I love Disney and you have to book each element in advance or it doesn’t happen. I completely get why too. However, once I’m there, because I’ve done all the hard work, I can completely relax and not worry about anything. There’s enough freedom in the days to be spontaneous as well. Ahhh, bliss!

Agree. Oh for the days when you could just turn up at the pool or soft play. Now you have to have an account for everything and spend your life logging in and remembering passwords.

I agree too

I do understand it for some time sensitive things such as a Christmas event, as it’s likely to only happen a limited number of times etc. But for general things like attractions it does grate.

And I don’t think it reduces queues either, we went as a group to Twycross Zoo a few weeks ago. We all paid online but STILL had to queue for an hour before we could get in, it was a joke I was fizzing by the time we got in, I didn’t even want to be there anymore.

What fucking grates on me is all these places you have to book in advance, make sure you cancel if you can’t go, tell them if you’re going to be late etc. But you rock up to an attraction and there is zero communication about things that are broken or aren’t open. Customer services has definitely taken a back seat since covid

Oh I love booking for the tip. I used to often end up in a 2 hr queue, now I just sail in. I don't know if it more difficult elsewhere but I can normally get a slot the same day but at worst it is the following day.

I agree op. I think it's ridiculous, especially for outdoor stuff.
There should be a choice. If you want to book ahead then you can, but if you want to take a chance and turn up on the day, then that should be an option too.

On the day, the weather was appalling and we wouldn't have gone if we didn't have tickets.

there's your answer. They got your money on a day that would normally be half empty.

This is my pet hate. I don’t mind easy pre booking but every time I have to put more info about myself then when I’m going through UK border control. And sometimes about other people who are going to be with me, and then make up “a unique “ password and then I have to remember all these passwords without writing them down.

I hate it too. I am disabled and Ds has autism and learning difficulties so sometimes things don’t always go to plan. Having to book to arrive at a specific time slot just adds an element of stress and anxiety for us to a day out. Lots of pressure to make the time etc, often it just completely puts me off bothering.

Yeah I'm slapdash and spontaneous and I hate prebooking. Diaries are a nightmare for me. I once had a kids party invite 2 months in advance from my very type A friend and planned it as if it was a month ahead so had to be reminded last minute anyway. I tried to take the kids icesakting at the weekend and it's borderline impossible.

All our planned days out have involved whiney kids who are overtired and don't appreciate the ridiculous amount of money we have spent to be there for forced family time. This weekend we went on a very very last minute trip to the lego shop to make a free harry potter wand and got a cake in the city centre and it was a cheap and cheerful very unexpected lovely day out.

I'm in the camp that doesn't like pre-booking, that thinks it takes all the spontaneity out of life.

I remember, years ago, we had some friends came to visit from London. We went for a spontaneous pub lunch. They couldn't believe it! Where they were, with so many more pubs, they had to pre-book.
We, locally, are now in the same situation: many more places avaiable but more pre-booking required. It seems counter intuitive.

It does put me off. I have done the frantic refresh/refresh/refresh when gig tickets are released on the net at 9a.m. on a Friday morning but not any more. (I think we've gone beyond that haven't we? Don't you have to queue to queue now?) Again, in ye good old days, you could get hold of tickets fairly easily and cheaply. These days tickets are like golddust, despite costing an arm and a leg. Who has all this money to splash in CoL times?

We seem to spend all our time at National Trust properties these days.

Yes, I think it is a shame when there are only pre-bookable slots, as it removes spontenaity and makes life harder for those who are not easily online

(But the popular Father Christmas tickets used to sell out rapidly as soon as they went online, even way before the pandemic).

I don’t mind booking in advance so much, but I do mind booking a very specific time slot. It stresses me out if it’s something we are driving to so need to allow time to be stuck in traffic or having to stop for some reason. I end up arriving early to be on the safe side and that’s annoying in itself as you then have to wait around.

I’ve found it has really cut down on the amount of things I plan to attend, things I really want to attend or I have to travel to I make sure I book in advance. Other things I was just musing about when I see them heavily advertised 4 months ahead I just don’t bother as I don’t know if the day/ time will work for us so far in advance. Sometimes I’ll remember nearer the time and book if there are still spaces but often I forget and don’t bother.
I feel totally different when I go somewhere on holiday though, I like to get things planned and booked so that I make the most of the visit.

I see no problem.
They have to know whether its worth putting something on.
Some People want to know upfront they have a place.

Totally agree.
I still remember the huge stress of trying to get tickets way in advance for a Thomas The Tank engine 'experience' and still having to pay way over the face value. That must have been about 15 years ago now!

I mentioned the tip.
At our local tip you don't (yet!) have to book. Over the bank holiday I cut back several trees in the garden and took all the garden waste to the tip. (No queues)
Even a few days beforehand the forecast was that it would be raining all day so I hadn't planned to do the garden and thus have the stuff to take to the tip.
Where my family live you do have to book. We cleared my dad's house out a few years ago after he died. In other circumstances we'd have gone to the house at a weekend (50 min drive) done several tip runs during the day and gone home, and taken in turns with siblings. As it was we could book 1 slot per week and had to take BIL with his id and proof of address . In the end it was easier (but more expensive) to get a skip

I have to say, it's been a positive for my ND child who needs preparing before we go out and used to struggle if we were turned away from somewhere due to it being full.