To remember a time when we didn’t book everything

[labamba007]

Did you prefer it when we didn’t have to book everything in advance? I feel like since Covid everything has to be booked - restaurants, cafes, softplay, museums, bowling, any sports, swimming etc. I just remember turning up to stuff and it being fine. Now you can’t go anywhere without booking and nothing is spontaneous. Maybe it’s because there’s more people so you need to book to guarantee but I do miss it!

I'm also chronically ill, I have EDS, and I'm going to disagree with you about holidays. I have a day by day itinerary and book everything in advance then too, whether it's things like the Colosseum or outings and restaurants on cruises or whatever.
I fully admit most people think the way I do holidays is odd though, as I've read the menus for potential restaurants before I've got to whatever city it is.

It is a pain when i have to pre book things especially when i have gone on holiday. It just makes me feel like i would be better off at work.

I was actually thinking of the 80s and 90s - I never mentioned pre-covid.

Yep if something has bloody time slots and it is a drive away that could take 20 minutes, usually takes an hour but often takes 2 + hours I have to set off allowing 2 hours then kill time for an hour and half if the roads are clear or gamble on clear roads and risk not getting in. If I didn't have to pre book for between 9.23 and 9.28 I could just leave at 9 and arrive at 9.20 or 11.30 depending on the traffic.

Yep I hate it as well.

Sometimes you just want to rock up somewhere spontaneously, no chance these days.

The person I am on the day of booking is not always the person I am on the day unfortunately

It doesn't work for me really

I missed the spontaneity. Now I can’t afford to keep losing money or the disappointment when I have to cancel things booked in advance. One of my covid infections launched me into long covid. I now don’t know in advance if I’m going to be able to get out of bed, let alone do something. When I get a glimmer of a good day, I want to grab it. I don’t know how many hours I’m going to get and then it’s endless pissing about trying to book something simple, standing in one queue to another, blocks of people parking and leaving car park at the same time as everything is in slots. My kids are so young, I’m desperate to spend time away from the house with them when I can as I’m stuck in the house so much.

I agree, I hate booking everything. Somehow it feels too official to book and it puts me off. Then I realise too late that I have missed out and we end up doing nothing. It is an additional task to do, relies on extra mental load and time, and I really dislike it. I also feel like I rarely remember being turned away due to things being all booked up but now things get booked way more in advance. Possible due to people booking just in case - I’m not sure!