To not be a 'holiday person'?

[GoldfinchFeather]

Totally appreciate I could be in the minority with this, but just curious if anyone else feels the same way towards holidays or if there's something wrong with me? 😆

So, the backstory is that this week I had two pieces of good financial news in one day. First, a letter from HMRC saying I'd paid too much tax and they owed me just over £600. The second, an email from my bank saying they were giving me £50.

I was telling a friend about this (not in a boastful way, just joking about how it must be my lucky day etc) and their comment was to me that I should treat myself to a holiday with it.

But the truth is that I haven't been on a 'proper' holiday (in terms of actually going away to another country) since before Covid. Truthfully, I don't really think I'm a 'holiday person'.

For a start, I'm single and of an age where we don't do family holidays anymore (early 30s), so in all likelihood I'd probably only end up going somewhere by myself. Which, if that's your thing, that's fine, but I can only imagine it must be quite lonely when you're in a foreign country.

Secondly, on times I have been away, I've always dreaded the 'going away' part. The faff of packing or going to an airport, then the torturously long journey just to get somewhere, only to do the same thing a few days later when coming home. Does anyone really enjoy that?

Finally, I'm very much a home bird and enjoy my home comforts. I seem to lack the wanderlust/itchy feet that most other people have. Seeing photos of the pyramids is enough for me to know they exist, I don't really feel the need to go see them myself.

Of course, you can never really say any of this to friends in real life, for worry they'll think you're odd/boring/unadventurous (so I'll probably get it in this thread instead). But does anyone else feel similar to me they they just can't be bothered with holidays?

YABU - you're a boring sod and really need to see more of the world
YANBU - you're right, and holidays are too much effort

Oh god, me too. I really thought it was just me though.

Your view is perfectly valid and if you are content with it, that is good. As long as you are getting time away from work as you should.

Im with you completely. Love a few days away in the UK. Can cope with a mini break in Europe.

Otherwise no desire to go on holidays whatsoever! Very happy to just take a week of annual leave and spend it at home and doing day trips locally.

Colleagues think im weird

A holiday at home is my favourite type of holiday.

I agree, OP. I like going on holiday to nice spa hotels in the UK where I can read and lay about in the pool. I have been on nice holidays abroad, but the ones I have enjoyed the most have largely been centred around relaxing. I have no desire to spend my limited annual leave 'soaking up culture' or seeing how other people live. I am interested in other cultures - reading about their history, speaking to people from other places - but not enough to centre my holidays around it.

I hate holidays.

Yanbu, you are certainly not alone!

I love holidays and live to go away but I can appreciate not everyone feels the same!

I’d love to feel more content staying at home to be honest, it gets expensive needing to get away😜

I don't think £600 is enough for a decent holiday so YANBU. But it really depends on what you like to do, surely?

I used to go on holiday on my own in my 20s and it was great, I could choose what do to without compromising with anyone else. I once went to Berlin and planned my days around walking to restaurants for lunch/dinner and just seeing whatever happened to be on the way. I was vegan brekkie it went mainstream in the UK so it was a novelty for me. I missed the usual attractions but I did stumble upon the Berlin wall. Everyone was flabbergasted that I didn't see any Anne Frank/holocaust stuff.

My SIL's MIL is a woman who has never left her home town, on purpose, because she's happy at home. She has never visited her grandchildren who live across the country for this reason too. I think it's quite sad but also it's not my life so I don't tend to give it much thought.

I wouldn't agree with either statement for voting but if you not wanting to go on holiday only affects you then of course it's reasonable not to want to go on holiday.

I appreciate there are likely far more spectacular places in the world than my good old Peak District - Alaska has been somewhere I've sometimes thought "maybe one day" - similarly Patagonia and New Zealand. But then the thought of the amount of time and effort it'd take to get there dampens my enthusiasm...as others have said, if only someone would hurry up and invent teleportation already, it'd be fantastic!

Even so, I still don't think I'd be off to NYC. Far too busy and peopley, and I've never been a city person.

As for comments about £650 probably getting you very far - I agree. I think my friend's comment was more that I could use it towards a holiday, but I probably phrased that poorly.

I love living abroad and have lived in quite a few different countries. I enjoy other cultures and like to be a daily part of them.

I don't enjoy being a tourist. I hate travel, particularly flying, but also transfers to/from the airport, public transport etc. It is so stressful it completely negates any pleasure a holiday might give. And let's face it, all holidays are very hit and miss. Could be good, could be awful. Out of all the holidays I've been on (used to go regularly until I worked out I wasn't a holiday person) I'd say less than 50% were good.

I don't enjoy being forced to be sociable with other people. I'm not a friendly person. I don't want to look at cultural stuff. I like exploring cultures but it always involves me being dragged by someone else.

If I could magically be teleported to a lovely beach, hotel, food, drinks, peace and quiet, I'd go for it. But that is so far from the experience of travel, that I'll just give it a miss and save my money.

YANBU of course for not going on holiday, that money is yours to use as you'd like.

But. I see this 'travelling is so stressful' all the time on MN. What is everyone getting stressed about? Just pack some fun clothes and...go? Airports are only stressful if you make them, it's really very simple. 99.9% of the population have access to a smartphone and therefore Citymapper, google translate and the general internet. Just bloody go, what's the worst that could happen? (Get insurance for that)

I just go alone…

I like a short holiday, max four nights, once a year, in the UK.
A foreign trip, max six nights, abroad, about ever 5 years.
That's plenty. I think lots of people are not keen on holidays. I'd rather go to a wonderful concert or a special walk from home.

Yes, I've done that and had a nice time. But it doesn't take help with the travel stress. I honestly find that bit so horrible now, it's put me off going.

I didn't know how to vote because I love travelling and definitely don't agree that holidays aren't worth the effort. However, that doesn't mean that I think you are unreasonable for not wanting to bother and I don't think you should travel if you don't really want to.

Yanbu

I love holidays.

My parents in law haven't been on holiday in 10 years, they said they used to go Spain/turkey etc every year until they suddenly came to the realisation they were only going because 'its what people do' and they realised they'd much prefer a week chillin at home with their home comforts instead of going away.

They occasionally do an odd night in lakes etc, but have no interest in a holiday.

Everyone's different

I don’t massively enjoy holidays but I do go on them. If I got unexpected money it would go on something for my house but that’s what makes me happy.

We went away recently and I realized it's four lots of packing and unpacking

Before you leave
When you arrive
When you pack to go home
When you're home

I mean, come on

Is it worth it??

I love a holiday & we spend a lot of our spare money on holidays, city breaks, UK breaks, days out & train trips BUT I am struggling with flying the older I get so we're planning to do more European rail holidays. I love coming home though, there is nothing better than my own bed.

i used to love a holiday but I think during the Covid years I have got out of the habit. I don’t think I ever loved holidays but it was just another thing we did as we thought we should.

What I will never understand is travelling abroad and not leaving the hotel you are staying in. This is my DB and DSIL.

I would be spending my £650 on something beautiful for my home.

Definitely. I won't stop travelling until I am physically incapable of doing it any more. Packing is easy if you have good luggage and use a list.

It's not just you!

I spent all of my 20s beating myself up for not being like other people my age and totally not being arsed about traveling.

Turns out I'm autistic and can be very sensory averse. Don't like getting hot, don't like crowds, confined spaces near lots of other people, airports, packing etc etc.

I like going places in the uk that i know and am comfortable with. Forests and lakes etc.

You should do what pleases you. Our dc are grown up so no big 7/14 days holidays anymore as we’re not sunbathing people. We like city breaks for 3/4 nights as we like seeing sights, eating out and walking about. I dislike the faff too and the airport but recently been to European destinations and as only a few nights we don’t take much and it’s a short flight. I also love travelling in the U.K. and spending a couple of nights somewhere different.

OP I think a lot of people go on holidays for the kudos and insta / Facebook posts. It’s a bit of what they used to call ‘Keeping up with the Jones”s’. My hairdresser asks me if I’m going anywhere nice. People at work ask. So I think sometimes it’s expected of you so you might feel pressure to conform.