Are holidays a flex now ?

[iloveshetlandponies]

I've noticed among most people I know both irl and on Facebook and work clients etc, it's now the normal to have like 3 holidays a year . And I always goes on fb / insta Some people I know have already been away both feb half term and Easter. It's abroad as well, not just UK. And when it is the UK it's always the more brag worthy locations like posh parts of Cornwall, and north Devon etc and in swanky accommodation

And I think it is more since covid - unless it was just my social circle it seemed that most people went once a year if that

I think social media plays a part as well , then others can see how well they're doing when they're tagging themselves at their 3rd fancy exotic location this year

I dunno maybe holiday bragging has always been a thing and I've not noticed. I'm guilty of it too tbh, I'm lucky enough to have been to some cool places in the last year or two and I've posted online not Gona lie 🫣

@4YellowDaffodils I think that's it- for some , making small changes can free up cash for something you realise you enjoy more- I tend to cook more and it's rare we have a takeaway more than once a month- I also cut way back on clothes and looked after what I had better- luckily at 62 I'm no longer that bothered about 'what's in fashion' so long as it's clean , in good repair and suits me and I cut back having my hair cut and coloured to twice a year and colour it myself maybe once in between. It's all easier if you earn ok once the nursery type level of childcare costs go away and certainly with holidays when you no longer factor in school hols

I don’t think it’s a flex or social media related. If anything my number of holidays have gone down since covid as I have a different job now. I grew up in the poorest of conditions and we always had a few UK holidays a year. Without saying how, we were really lucky in that a relative was able to facilitate it with a talent they have: it was a particular method can’t be done now 😂 think along the lines of joining the circus….

We go away a few times a year, only caravan holidays or Airbnb’s. Sometimes in the tent. My in laws prefer to have one holiday every 4 years in a four star hotel, rather than lots of little ones like us. Different people like different things.

It depends on what stage you are in life, really.

15 years ago, I'd been through a messy divorce, lost half my savings, had to buy a house alone. My Mortgage was £162k and I only earned £1200pm. I was putting the food shop on to credit cards.

Fast forward to now, I am married, so there are 2 incomes coming in. The kids have left Uni and are now working and self sufficient, so I don't need to sub them anymore. Through inheritance and redundancy, I've had lump sums which I've thrown at the mortgage. Oh and we also sold up the house and bought in a cheaper area, which wiped another £35k off the balance.

So mortgage is now only £28k and our joint income is £6k. After years of zero holidays, we now can take holidays.

We have more holidays than pre covid. Life is short. They are mainly cheaper holidays. Staying with friend, youth hostelling abroad, last minute deals. But I have learned how quickly things can change.

Mauritius and Thailand can also be better value than Spain in all honesty. The amount of clients that come to me for a family holiday to Spain or Greece and end up booking Mauritius or Thailand because it’s cheaper is getting pretty crazy! There are a few Maldives islands as well that would fit that category.

I also go to different places, it’s not to brag, it’s because I want to see the world not just Spain.

Exotoc places can be very cheap if you book independently. There is a reason they are popular with backpackers.

It's often really exotic show offy places and I'm sure some people pick them deliberately for the brag factor

It sounds mad but I’ve been to some exotic places that were cheaper than going to Cornwall during the six week summer holidays.

I think ‘flex’ is a gen Z thing. I am lucky enough to have older teens who keep me informed of the current language!

Of course posting holiday photos is showing off. It doesn’t bother me though. It’s harmless.

I have never posted a single photo of me and my family, hols or no hols and have no regrets. I have one friend who constantly posts and it looks like a pressure in itself. Every meal out, every walk, every trip etc. We are in our fifties and she is the only one of our friends always snapping away!

Of course posting holiday photos is showing off.

it really isn’t. I post my pictures for so many reasons that have nothing to do with anyone else. I lost my dad as a child, I don’t have a single photo of me with him that I don’t have to ask an elderly family to dig out for me ag a time suitable for them. I can’t look at it alone or cherish it. If I die tmw my kids will never have to ask anyone to see pictures of them on holiday with their mother.

if I get Alzheimer’s those photos will remind me of who I was and the things I did.

It’s fine to take either stance, but sometimes people just do things for the love of it, not to show off.

Actually doesn't surprise me tbh!

We are going to Cornwall in July then Spain in September

Cornwall is dearer than Spain

😂😂

I’m going to Dubai in July - it was cheaper than Greece.

Is it eck 😂😂

We use to flex our spliffy coats in the 90s 😂😂

What is a 'flex'?

Never heard this before.

I can't stand people who think anyone doing anything nice is boasting. I like talking about, seeing photos and hearing about people's holidays, nice places they have eaten, good places for days out or what they have done with their home or garden.

Where are the posh parts of Cornwall and Devon? Genuine question.

After many years of not travelling, I've decided to start taking several short breaks a year. I'm really looking forward to it.

Don't have socials, so no posting of holiday snaps

I always wonder whether their home insurance will be invalidated if they are burgled after they have advertised that their house is empty all over social media. Everyone seems to do it though, so I guess not.

Sailing places like St Mawes and Salcombe, I think. I think Rock might be considered posh as well.

Another one who has never upgraded from our basic 'starter home' and until very recently (inheritance) always had older cars. Also only had one DC.

We have never done the big two-weeks AI in the school summer holidays. When we were limited to school holidays we would go October, Christmas, Easter, or Whitsun and rented through Owners Direct or similar even before it was mainstream with AirB&B.

Now retired and go abroad out of season and mid-week UK breaks during the Spring and Summer months.

I find the idea that people would go on holiday with the purpose of bragging on SM very odd TBH. Surely if that's what you are prioritising it's because you enjoy it?

Even when I worked on 26k and DH on little bit less (pretax) we had 4-5 trips abroad and UK (more abroad than UK) . Tbf 1 was always family visit.
We budgeted for it. Lived in cheaper area, didn't go for expensive clothes, collected cashbacks, points etc for it. It wasn't for boasting, we simply wanted to do it.
I did post on insta, but I have under 20 followers since it's just some family and few close friends. We all post about things we like

As someone who was there last summer🙈 there is a reason for the price.

We will have been on holiday abroad three times this year. We can't afford to go to Devon or Cornwall though! Very expensive.

I think it’s a reflection of rising inequality more than anything else. Many people who were just about managing before are struggling now, and others who were already doing well before are doing really well now. A lot of these newly visible differences between e.g. people taking 3-4 nice holidays annually and others not taking any aren’t always tied to wage disparities; it’s more about things like when & where you bought your home, when/if you have children, whether you had parental help to pay for university and house deposit, whether you’ve had to deal with major financial shocks, etc. I think that can really throw people for a loop if they are assuming that similar wages should mean similar lifestyles... It is just harder to paper over the widening gap in lifestyles between those who are struggling and those who aren’t.

We are very fortunate and are able to travel a lot with our kids, but I stopped posting about it on my social media feed a few years ago because I thought it would be tone deaf to carry on. I only talk about our plans with small groups of friends now who (I hope!) understand the place we are coming from and will not take any sharing as an attempt to wow or impress.

It comes from this kind of flexing 💪, to show someone how big your muscles are.

We have 4 holidays planned this year , but only one out of the Uk ( at Easter) and all the remaining ones self catering. Trying to break up holidays with teenagers and make a few more memories . Loads of people I know though seem to have multiple foreign trips though .Nothing posted on social media