Why don't people take their kids on holiday?

[Micnerhss]

Just to be clear, I don’t mean people who genuinely can’t afford holidays... I’m talking about people who can but still don’t.

In my close friendship group, I’m literally the only one who takes my kids away. We love seeing the world, exploring new places, different cultures, and just getting out of the UK for a bit. I honestly think holidays are so important, its proper family time away from the constant busyness of life.

But none of my really close friends ever take their kids away, not even for a little UK break, and I just can’t get my head around it.

The excuses are things like “I don’t know how airports work” or “I wouldn’t know where to go”… but there’s a whole world out there!

If you can afford it, why wouldn’t you treat your kids to a holiday?! They are missing out on so much by never leaving the UK!

My husband (42) never went on holiday as a kid, ever. They did the odd day trip but never an overnight anywhere. It makes me quite sad to think about. They weren’t poor, it just wasn’t something they did. His dad would even tell him about all the travelling he did himself but never thought to take his own kid on holiday.

Thank you, I believe it’s very important to take his wishes into account, despite his lack of verbal language.

this - i second it

side note in general for this thread, it royally pisses me off when people comment and say how your child is missing out by not going abroad.
My children have the best uk breaks/days out and wonderful times. We havent been abroad for years as frankly we are skint.
But does not mean to say they don't have fun

also would never go away without my child on holiday!

Although I love to travel (and particularly solo travels and living and working in different countries for extended periods when I was a young adult) my memories of family holidays abroad are predominantly of tension, my parents fighting because they were stressed about potentially missing connections or being lost, being forced to share a bedroom with and therefore look after younger siblings, siblings vomiting in vehicles, sibling using the excuse of cramped sleeping arrangements to step on my head repeatedly 🧐,) I don't have especially fond memories of the long haul holidays especially...
I have fond memories of some of the different countries I lived in as a child, but not of the holidays. Which is why we kept to Europe and mostly avoided flying for holidays with our kids especially when they were little, to keep things low stress (we had unavailable flights with kids as parents live abroad- not really holidays though).

Holidays can be nice, but there are more important things overall. Knowing how to navigate different transport is important though.

Because they don't want too

I don’t understand it either. I think it’s bonkers to deprive your child of travel and seeing the world because you think ‘airports are stressful’ and the like.

I’m inclined to think it’s genetic, as PP suggested.

I agree. I can’t think of anyone I know who doesn’t love going away with their kids at least once a year.

Your circle sounds completely alien to me OP

Honestly? Haven't been abroad since 2008, pre kids. Wouldn't even know where to start looking for a holiday. Don't want to waste shed loads of money on something shite. Worried that ASD child will freak out at the airport and refuse to get on the plane.

Easier to just stay at home.

I never travelled as a child and I don't feel like I missed out.

We’ve only just started travelling abroad again after 10 years of holidays in the UK, and I could cheerfully knock it on the head. Even as a child I would start counting down the days until I could go back home.

The idea that it's 'depriving' children is mental. We couldn't afford to go on holidays when I was a kid at all and believe me, that was the least of our worries. Of all the things I was actually deprived of and that impacted me, holidays are nowhere on that list. If we could have afforded it and only stayed in the UK, I would have been none the wiser.

@Micnerhss basically people enjoy different things.
It's as simple as that.
Every parent will want to give their children different experiences but it's physically impossible to experience everything that exists in life - so for most parents what they do with their children will be what they enjoy in life.

We didn’t travel much as children, maybe once every 2-3 years, and I definitely felt like I missed out when I turned up to university and everyone around me had travelled half the globe. Luckily I had the wanderlust gene so corrected for my travel deprived childhood with lots and lots of travel in my 20s including a gap year after university. Travel gives you intangible benefits in life.

I don't love whole class parties, but you can suck it up and deal with it for your child's birthday, surely.

We’ve never done one, we did soft play parties with half the class, never did an all class one. I didn’t realise that was in the mandatory childhood rule book.

Nothing is mandatory, but they're not a big deal either. They're not different from soft play parties with half the class for example.

Are you asking why they don't travel in general with their kids or why they don't take their kids when they themselves go on holiday? I can certainly see the latter, our hearts always sink when see lots of kids at our hotel, kids are horrible on holidays.

But if the birthday child doesn't want to invite everyone to their party and only does it because the parents have some whatsapp or social media issues going where their world will end because some school parent they want to impress child is not going to be invited if they actually allow their child to have the birthday party they actually want?

I see the pp doesn't get sarcasm.

We have a tourer so go away regularly in our caravan with our 3 year old. We have taken her abroad once, she absolutely loved it! We went away for a wedding without her and I felt soooo guilty because of how much she loved it when we went as a family. I wouldn't go away on holiday without her it just doesnt feel right. Although she loves the caravan holidays too just as much!

I agree. I’m not a traveller but my children all say that they’re so happy to have the nice memories of childhood holidays that we all had together when they were small and as they got older.

I presume most kids have fond memories of what they do in their own families whether it is a grand holiday or baking or going to a favourite resturant or playing in a park or a million other things

Who is to say what is appropriate or not, every day there ia 'well I say of you dont do this you are wrong ' threads who is the odd one with these?"it is not one way is right

No, sorry that's just lame. That's like excusing wearing a fur coat because the original owner was "already dead".
If people weren't buying tickets, the planes wouldn't be flying empty.

We all have collective responsibility for the state of the planet. It's unfortunate that there are still so many of us who think that responsibility is someone else's.

I ‘travelled’ extensively as a child to many far flung corners of the world. Bizarrely it didn’t spark any wanderlust in me. I remember being dreadfully bored and wanting to go home for the whole time.
I like where I live and don’t feel the need to ‘escape’. Holidays are not a necessity to me like they seem to be for others. I’d be happy not to go away, and only really do so for my DH who does love to get away. I’d never say it to him, but I spend most of a holiday abroad secretly wanting to go home.

Right and not every kid wants a whole class party? Can’t say they were all that common, sure we went to a few, but not 30+ a year, so clearly not the majority doing them.