Can't see the point of this holiday

[lurchersforever]

Currently on a trip with my two teen boys using rail to visit three European cities. We are just under halfway through the two weeks and in the second city.

On paper it's an ideal trip and the sort of thing we usually do. I love the apartments we're in and the first was also lovely. Boys had a hand in planning the trip and have had their moments but mainly been fine/good.

But I just feel so weary and it all feels pointless and horribly expensive. I can afford it but with them both about to go to uni in the next five years it feels wasteful. I feel like we're dragging ourselves around looking at stuff that only one ds really cares about (history fanatic) while the other one is counting down to the next phone stop. I feel on the verge of tears half the time but not because they've done anything awful.

It's been an utterly awful year at work and issues aren't resolved so maybe that's why. Has anyone else felt this way on holiday? All I can see is another 8 days of paying out money for things that no one/some of us don't even want. I've loved being a single parent to them over the last decade and especially the holidays we've done. But now I just feel lonely yet also sad it's probably one of the last such holidays even though I'm not really liking it!

We did a "big" holiday recently. The first bit was the same as you - city breaks. It is mentally exhausting working out times and cost and how to get to places. I did a lot of that in advance to give us a rough itinerary and to see if stuff was good value or not. Second part was more chill. I sat at the pool and the others were on screens. It worked ok.

We are going to do a cruise next year as you still get to see stuff (DH is happy) plus chill (kids) and someone else does all the cooking (a break for me!!)

Seriously, if you're in a German speaking country, an afternoon in an outdoor swimming pool is a cultural must do. They're as Germanic as currywurst and döner, so you can view it as educational. They're enormous, normally have food, sometimes have wifi, and often diving boards and slides. There is a complete cross section of the local population. It's totally fine to swim for 10 minutes then lie on the grass reading your phone

Tbh any sort of holiday on your own with older kids can feel a bit like working as a tour guide to a group of really hard to please guests.

I considered a city break with mine, but I knew i would just get irritated by them not getting up and out in the morning, I'd be trailing around at mealtimes trying to find somewhere everyone likes to eat in places I don't know. It can be more of a chore than a holiday.

In the end we've stayed at home. Boring I know, but at least not expensive and stressful.

It doesn't sound like much of a holiday, it sounds like an educational school trip.

And a teenager wanting to be on their phone while on holiday is perfectly normal - I'm not sure what you mean by "phone stops" but I assume you're not taking their phones off them or anything? Surely your older son can see the sights while your younger messes on his phone and you do whatever it is you'd like to do?

Instead of rushing from one country to another by train could you not find a quiet park and sit and read a book or stroll around the park, you could always meet your boys later for dinner. They could go off somewhere together and you take a break and rest a bit.

Well, that thought is always helping me. It puts things in perspective