I hate our holiday and want to go home

[Backwoods57]

I need to rant.

Day 10 of a 13 day visit to the UK. We moved to the USA in 2014 and have to come back every year because MIL can't afford to visit us, and is scared of flying. We are in Aldershot/Farnham area. There is nothing to do apart from walk up and down dead high streets. Traffic is terrible, I smell the pollution and cigarette smoke everywhere.

If we don't come we get a massive guilt trip about MIL not seeing grandkids etc.

This trip cost $4000, we have done very little apart from visit family and sit in my SiL's cramped dirty messy house.

2 weeks of my 3 week vacation allowance has been thrown away. I have start working remotely for A. Something to do, and B so I can claim some vacation days back.

I miss my home, our dogs, I miss countryside and wildlife, I want my space back.....and tap water that doesn't taste like bleach.

Book a few days in London, so much to do. If you limit your entire holiday to MIL house then it will feel like you’ve wasted some of your leave

@geywen oops missed that part. If that’s the case then I’d be doing every other year to visit instead of every year.

When you say you are missing wildlife, is it killing wildlife that you are missing?

Only 3 weeks holiday allowance sounds pretty shit op. Why so little?

To be fair to OP I have 11 paid days.

Just go to a nice pub somewhere

She's on us t&C's at work.

Next time include the cost of car rental into your holiday.

How is shooting an important skill? You've obviously been in the US too long 😂

I don’t know how you can drink the tap water in the US? It’s absolutely vile. I’m in Scandinavia though, and there is no way we would drink the tap water in the US.

A couple of things I’d do…

Next time plan in some day trips or even an overnights stay. Get a rail card and book your train tickets in advance, gives the added bonus of having concrete plans and is the cheapest way to do it.

Arrange to do a few days remote working for the hanging around days and let your DP and his family entertain the kids.

A day trip to Woking! From Aldershot! I can't understand why you're not enjoying yourself.

I was about to say something very similar. I was also going to ask the OP if they don't have cigarette smoke or traffic pollution in the States.

Really!? That is so little. 😕 I have 7 weeks, would love to have more though. 😅

There is so much to do in the Farnham area that I could easily fill 3 weeks!

Wow OP. You’ve come to the same area for 10 years. You’ve chosen not to hire a car or use your initiative in any way to hop on public transport. (Trains here and buses here being very accessible and buses very reasonably priced). You’re just moaning and taking no accountability for your actions.

the tap water here is fine?! Also it might be expensive here but it’s definitely not eye watering compared to the USA 😂

maybe next time, don’t come to the uk and spend your time at your cabin shooting animals instead having more fun

Yes I am British, we lived here for 30 years. Moved to the USA in 2014

Maybe MIL could pay for you to hire a car since she can’t go to yours? And stay elsewhere next time, so it feels like a real holiday for you.

@pegpuff I like living in the USA but miss my holiday allowance. I have unlimited unpaid time off and a higher salary so it balances out.

I can confirm that happily shooting animals isn't necessary for survival here though, even in areas which hunt heavily.

It must be boring for your kids too. I’d reduce it to every other year and hire a car (maybe MIL can pay since your the ones paying and travelling to see her) you could visit France or visit Center Parcs for the kids. Something more fun for you and them.

Ok so in reality you can actually take more time off then, if you just save up.

Small dc would surely like the beach, seeing ponies in a forest, Peppa pig world and the big museums in London?
It doesn't usually take much to make small dc happy, the only thing my dc remember about their first trip to France age 3 is having pink donuts for breakfast.

Wow, Guildford. As a day out?
Surely there must be some nice country walks not far away? For me I assumed Farnham etc, it was pretty semi-rural?

Can you get the train into London and spend the day there? You don't need to be with SIL, just get a cab/uber to station if it's not walkable.

If the tap water tastes bad just drink bottled. Some areas have nicer tap water than others. When I was in NY it was unheard of to drink the tap water, I don't even think it was safe?

Can you go to the beach on the train?
You simply must get out of the house and the area by public transport.

Ok so in reality you can actually take more time off then, if you just save up.
Yes, the Americans don't actually do this but they understand I'm a crazy European who needs more than two weeks off a year.

Next time, hire a car.