CHILDREN HAVE NEVER HAD A HOLIDAY! MASSIVE GUILT!

[Una22]

I have recently been speaking to a friend who says my children have never had a proper holiday. They are 4 and 11. Most years we go away for at least 4 nights to a caravan park and she states she feels sorry for them as 4 nights away is not a holiday! My eldest does not want to go on a plane and I would not like to force him (he is autistic) plus he loves going to the caravan parks. I feel dreadful now as I feel now my kids have never had a holiday! We are saving towards a deposit for a house and I just feel that needs to take priority instead of spending loads of money on holiday which my children probably wouldnt enjoy. We also have our Mother in laws caravan that we stay in on a regular basis but again thats not a holiday! Was just looking for some honest opinions I feel like I am failing them. We are always doing various things with them but we just dont have lots of money.

Your friend is silly!

Your friend is ridiculous , loads of children don’t get to go abroad or indeed on any holidays at all . Yours go to a caravan holiday and frankly 4 days is plenty for lots of people , I find 3 days anywhere is perfect for me .

My mam couldn't travel abroad due to ill health, we also had an awkward custody agreement from a bad divorce that meant she would have needed permission from my abusive father.

I had great holidays, bus to blackpool and a B&B mostly... I often hear middle class people slag off Blackpool as 'tacky' but they obviously have never experienced the joy of it through childhood eyes. It was awesome.

My oldest has been abroad twice, my young two never (they have had caravan holidays like you describe). Until very recently in history going abroad wasn't that common for most families, a trip abroad could be once in a life time so not a necessity.

Any break away from home, change of scenery, no work/school is a holiday to me! I would have absolutely loved a caravan holiday as a child.

There is so much to recommend this sort of hol with young kids. Less chance of sunburn, a degree of safe outdoor freedom, familiar food and no dealing with airports/flights.

What your (rude) friend probably means is that she wouldn't want that as a holiday but who asked her? It's not as if you would invite her along!

The first time i went abroad was with school when i was 16 on a field trip. Mum worked her socks off to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, I started working at 11 to help.
we would go away either to the beach or to the lake district for a few days in the summer as our holliday!

I loved it, and never felt that i wasn't getting a holliday! a few nights camping/caravaning is great!!

I just want to say a huge thank you to all the comments. I am overwhelmed with all the kind words and support. I cannot express how much this has helped me, I honestly cannot thank you all enough for taking the time to comment. It has helped massively and I just needed an outsiders point of view. Was not expecting so many to reply so thank you. I know it probably sounds ridicolous but if I had seen anyone else put this question uo like myself I would be the same as you guys saying the exact same thing. When it comes to me though I am just very hard on myself and with my friend saying this it made me doubt myself. Honestly all I cannot thank you enough, its really lifted my mood.

Probably one of those people who thinks a trip on the UKnis a "staycation"....

A holiday is what you want it to be. You can camp in your own garden and call it a holiday if you want.

Well in that case I didn’t have a holiday until I was 26. Didn’t go abroad until 19 and never longer than 5 days.

What a bitch.

I am another who never left the UK until I was 15. But LOVED my childhood holidays having a week on the coast at a Butlins-style holiday camp nearly every year!

My 9 year old has been overseas and had a nice time but is mainly interested in the pool and beach which could be anywhere. She is desperate to sleep in a caravan and we're going to do that next year.

Holiday is any place away from home where all the family is having fun.

With friends like this who needs enemies.

You do what's right for your family. Strangely I think your friend must be jealous of you in some way to talk like this. Perhaps you have a close knit family that she does not have (e.g. you speak of MILs caravan). If your kids enjoy going to MILs caravan then be grateful and don't tell MIL her caravan is not a holiday - she might withdraw the offer!

Ah OP , stop feeling bad .. Your friend is talking rubbish .
You’re doing great 😊.. Of course away in caravan breaks are holidays 🤗… Also , you’ve mentioned you always do nice family outings together, well then , what more could you ask for 🤷🏻‍♀️
Don’t mind her ..
Well done on saving for your new house , I hope you & your family will be very happy x

Ignore her.

My children loved those holidays, we only went abroad when DD was 14, DS was 9.

DD had been twice before DS was born.

It's really not worth it unless it is easily affordable.

We're going to Spain this year, it was a ball ache making monthly payments.

I won't be going next year.

I feel really silly doubting myself tbf thank you x

I’m glad OP 🥰

So much outdoor freedom with a caravan holiday. All my childhood holidays were in a caravan. I have the best memories, and so will your children.

Echoing the other comments, caravans totally count as holidays and have been the favourite type for my kids for years! If you did fancy venturing overseas, we found campsites in France cheaper than UK ones, even with the price of a ferry added on.

Adding to the chorus of support, of course it’s a holiday. Tell your friend (she really isn’t, obviously) to give her snobbish, superior head a wobble as she fucks right off.

I thought you were going to say you always stayed home - which is what we did until I was about 8, as we couldn't afford anything else. Going away somewhere different for 4 nights is a holiday. Obviously it's not a big overseas trip, but it's still a holiday. There's no need at all for you to feel guilty. (Even if they'd never been away anywhere, because you're saving for a house, that's still nothing to feel guilty over. Most people have to prioritise in life.)

Me too, Sunny Co. Waterford or Wexford, 70 minutes from home.
The best memories.

Sounds like you need some new friends!

Those are the sorts of trips we would take. My daughter always enjoyed them. The friend is just being unkind because she can. Ignore.

Shes a snob. Of course its a holiday. They're literally called holiday parks.

Blimey your poor kids! And mine. Mine have been to butlins (cheap , before they started school) Haven, and camping. I'd bloody LOVE if we had access to a grandparents caravan!

I do feel a bit bad that they've never been on a holiday to Spain or Greece or whereever. A lot of their friends go several times a year, one goes to the Maldives twice a year. I am a single parent and just don't have the money but I think my DC have a pretty good time

I was something like 10 before we ever went on a plane and even then it was Jersey, so not exactly far flung.

We had a caravan and went all over the country. Loved it. We take DD on coastal cottage holidays and she has the best time. Loves the beach, walking the dog, digging in the sand, paddling in the sea. That's all she wants from a holiday and all she'd do abroad.

Your kids have had plenty of holidays. Ignore the crazy lady who seems to have rules around what a holiday must consist of.

My DD (13, ASD) is like your 11 year old, refuses the notion of going on a plane, and it's just the two of us so it's not like I can force the issue or have a standoff at the airport! She is happy going to the same UK holiday park every year so that's what we do. But honestly I am so bored with it! I was a big traveller before she was born and I just long to get out and expand her horizons. I'm hoping it will improve with time.