Upper Middle Class not well travelled AIBU?

[Tabbytiger122]

There are some very wealthy folk we know & some I'm acquaintances with on fb from college. All seem to run off similar schedule for holidays... Christmas skiing in France/Switzerland (same place every year) Midterm said place again, summer is always spent somewhere in France ,Italy or Greece (but always the same town)
That's it never different countries... it seems to me they are not well travelled & that familiarity is more important than going somewhere new for the heck of it! Aibu?

Yes I think that’s true. The upper/UMC seem to like to be exclusive in who they hang out with and these kind of social cues, where you went to school, where you holiday, what your hobbies are (rugby and skiing, not football and Mallorca), what language you use (as the PP demonstrates they don’t say posh they say smart) all help to differentiate the right sort from the hoi polloi.

Of course we all prefer to mix with people with similar interests but I couldn’t give a toss where anyone went to school or whether they ski with Binky Cholmondeley Horne.

I think this idea you need to collect different holiday destinations is generally a negative thing.

I can see the appeal of going back to the same place you know again and again, rather than going to new places just to tick them off. It’s a bit akin to buying quality clothing pieces rather than lots of different fast fashion clothes.

In any case, YABU for caring how others spend their holidays.

Lots of people choose to ski in the same place because skiing with kids can be horrendous. It can be a completely wasted holiday where you come back more tired than you went. The two working full time UMC parent families I know all have very stressful jobs. They’re not after an adventure. They’re after a recharge and some time with their kids.

Are you sure you're not extrapolating this based on a few people you know who don't travel a lot?

There are people across all sections of society who have all sorts of different travel preferences.

I’m definitely not UMC, but I’ve reached a stage of life where I have plenty of disposable income for travel and I’m childfree, so could technically go anywhere in the world.

My husband is pretty anti long haul flights (and too much travel in general) so we really only holiday in Europe now. We like climbing, hiking, cycling and skiing, so we keep going to the same handful of countries where we know we can reliably have a great time without too much fuss. We probably sound boring to our friends, we don’t care, it’s our free time.

They probably are well travelled though. They likely travelled extensively prior to having kids. When you have kids it’s then easier to stick to some sort of routine, including holidays. They probably see the same faces in the same places, so like a second set of friends, the kids likely have ‘holiday friends’, it’s all much smoother and easier. Then when kids age out, they will probably stick to some of that for the friendship aspect but also add on different places. That’s completely the norm with people I know.

Your post @Tabbytiger122 is riddled with assumptions.

• You assume that these folk aren’t “well travelled” just because their recent travel history has been to the same places

• You assume they are insecure enough to care about the same things you do. Most people in this bracket (ask me how I know) don’t want to boast about having “done Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar last year, and then have got Mexico booked for 2027”. It all sounds a bit “I live for my holidays”, posting pics on Instagram from the airport lounge etc

• There is a huge subset of British middle class people (and often women, for I am one) who travel to far flung destinations as a badge of honour, a way of ticking off the global points. Yet try and talk to them about what they’ve seen and it’s painful. Perhaps these UMC folk just don’t have that same need as their lives are fulfilled differently?

YABU.

Unless your friends own holiday homes, it sounds like you’ve surrounded yourself with boring people. We like to ski at different locations (Colorado, Canada, France, Switzerland, Italy), otherwise the runs get boring.

Different places for holidays too—for the same reasons—new food/restaurants, sights, and cultures.

Why are people getting uppity just because class was mentioned? Then post after post of the same "What's it got to do with you" comments, seem like people posting just wanna have a go at someone! Get a life instead of following the crowd, sheeple! Leave OP alone!

I like to do a mix of holidays - some are for exploring and seeing new places whilst others are for having fun and relaxing. For the latter I am happy going back to the places I know where I can do that (whilst also mixing in trying new ones).
It’s also very easy to get into a routine. I think everyone should be able to holiday as they want within their time and budget constraints

Going to the same place each year means a lot less stress, which is what many people want from a holiday.

People go where they like. You gonna start lecturing the working classes about always going to Benidorm or Ibiza?

This, some holidays are just about having time out.
other holidays are for seeing the world but I also did that pre kids and hopefully can when they are older again. That being said I do want to also take my kids to see the world and will do adventurous holidays with them but alongside the recharge ones

I'm currently on annual leave from a shitty admin job, staying in the same Spanish villa we've been to for the last decade. We also spend time in another apartment in Spain regularly - they're both family-owned places and we are so lucky to have the chance to visit somewhere we know is a great location, great restaurants, beaches, neighbours etc.

We've also had a handful of intercontinental holidays as well as short city breaks in Europe, because the Spanish places are owned we only have to pay for flights and entertainment so freeing up money for other trips. DH travels for work A LOT and appreciates the familiarity of returning to the same couple of places.

Not sure where/how shitty admin job and 2 Spanish properties at our disposal puts me in your class descriptors op?

There's a joy in familiarity too and from novelty. There's one place I return to regularly. I have favourite bars, restaurants, walks and places I love to go to. I'm considering retiring there. I also love novelty and exploring different places. The last holiday I went on we visited loads of places and had once in a lifetime experiences. I loved that too. It's not hard to imagine why people might prefer something different to you.

Do they work for their money? If they earn well they probably have demanding jobs and not much time to research new destinations every time. They might also find the planning stressful, so going to the same few places they already know and love eliminates that stress.

Skiing holidays are usually spent on the slopes. As long as you’ve found a ski resort that caters to your needs, there’s not much point changing as it’s not a sightseeing holiday.

I don’t think class is remotely relevant here. I know WC people who choose the same holiday destinations year after year.

It is just a preference.

I go to the same place at Easter for a holiday, same at Christmas and then my spring holiday in the same location (all different places) this though doesn’t mean I’m not well travelled.
, I’ve visited over 30 countries and stayed 3-6 months in some.
what I observe is you making assumptions

Working class and upper class have far more in common that the floundering middle 😉

Well it isn’t exclusively upper MC, lots of WC folk go to the same region every year too. I think some people feel more comfortable with what they know.

I actually wish I could holiday in theme parks at every chance as that kind of holiday makes me happier than any other. But now my DD is older I am taking her on all kinds of holidays so that she has more of a view of the world. If they are wealthy they probably did a lot of worldwide travel in their youth.

It's not hard to imagine why people might prefer something different to you. But sometimes we can be surprised. For instance, there were a couple of posts upthread about social capital from holidays - people regularly bonding with 'People Like Us' through leisure time in predictable places.

Despite having known a small horde of UMC people and having taken many of the same holidays (once each, for me), I'd never realised this. As soon as I read it, it made perfect sense.

See, you can learn stuff by asking questions!

This is us, essentially because we own homes in those places where we have all our stuffs, a great set up and loads of friends around. It doesn’t prevent us from travelling elsewhere from times to times for different holidays, but the main challenge for us now is finding a time when everyone (parents and children - teens & young adults) is free at the same time. We used to do it more when children were 5-15 but now it’s more complicated so we find having a base where everyone can come as of when they’re free even if just for an extended weekend is the best option.

If you are working , you have a set number of holidays a year. If you visit the same place on repeat, when do you get to travel elsewhere?

I love seeing new places, but travel doesn’t make you a better person.