Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

So when you go away on holiday (with 5-12s rather than tinies), what do you actually DO all day?

77 replies

roisin · 03/08/2007 17:02

Often when I look at photos of hotels and resorts and read their descriptions, it just makes me shudder.

I think I just don't like people, let alone crowds. And when on holiday I make the most of the idea of getting away from everything/everybody.

So, when you go away for your main summer holiday, what do you actually do whilst away? What is a typical day for you?

OP posts:
Anna8888 · 03/08/2007 18:19

forsale - our children are 12, 10 (boys) and 2.9 (girl) and the children in the family we have just been away with are 7 and 5 (boys). It was a more successful holiday than the previous one because our boys prefer going away with other boys. Age didn't matter so much. At Easter we went away with a family of girls (11, 9, 7) and that was less popular - though not a disaster by any means.

roisin · 03/08/2007 18:27

This is really fascinating! Thanks for all the posts so far.

OP posts:
Skribble · 03/08/2007 18:29

Usualy head out for the day

Drive up the mountains abd have a picnic
Find a nice village and expolre then find nice cafe for lunch.
Trip into big city for the day and do the touristy thing.
visit nearer attractions.

Don't socialise.

Kids might do a few activities at the club if we are on a camp site, kind of clubs where they just go and join in, not a secure area where they sign in for a session ie not child care so we sit nearby hopfully in the cafe bar,

BUT to be honest I prefer getting out and about and exploring, don't sea the point in sitting about when on holiday, OK it is nice to have some time to relax but we do that in the evenings, leisurly dinner then chill out and kids go to bed, we don't spend all night in the bar with overtired kids trying to sleep on plastic chairs.

hatwoman · 03/08/2007 18:30

Anna - we've been away with 1 other, 2 other and 3 other families. and without doubt the best was 3 - ie 4 families altogther. It was good because with that many people you abandon any ideas of doing stuff en masse - so there's no getting frustrated waiting for other people's kids, and/or feeling harried into going out earlier than you want; it was also good because there was a big age range of kids - they would swap around who they played with etc but then all enjoy a game of hide and seek together - and, in a sense, the same applied with the adults - not so much the age range - but the fact that they'd always be someone on for a swim, or a walk, or just sitting having a coffee - and so you varied who you spent time with, and then we'd all come together for dinner. but - and I think this is key - we were in a HUGE house with a big garden and fantastic weather. turn that into small house, no garden and crap weather and your friendships would really be put to teh test!

Skribble · 03/08/2007 18:34

When kids go away with PIL they do the ferral thing all day as PIL go to Caravan club sites that aren't too big. They sit around all day and kids play on bikes or run about with freinds they make and go to the games room or the beach [shudder], MIL eventualy goes hunting for the at dinner time. Personaly I couldn't relax if they were out of my sight running wild for that long , but PIL can, so I think it is good for the kids to do what I would have used to do with out a thought. God remember the days .

Anna8888 · 03/08/2007 18:36

hatwoman - sounds good, you're giving me the courage to do what I want to do . We were definitely thinking of a nice climate (Italy probably), big house with a pool, some cleaning help and possibly an au pair so that the parents can come and go and they'll always be someone around to supervise the children, make them light meals etc. All the things you say were good about a large group were the things I was hoping were true

Skribble · 03/08/2007 18:42

LOL I am talking about campsites and you are considering a holiday aupair, different worlds I suppose .

Ellbell · 03/08/2007 18:45

Don't do hotels or resorts; hate crowds; can't sit on beach/by pool for more than a couple of hours at a time; don't like hot weather... Boy, I am a really holiday party-pooper!

Normandy is fave place to go (Cotentin peninsula - some Brits, but not too many, fab food and no resorts). Always go self-catering (gites in country), preferably without near neighbours.

We mooch about, shop for food (markets are good fun for kids too), cook food, eat food, talk about what food we'll have next (are you spotting a theme?). We'll go to the beach for an afternoon, but not every day (build sandcastles, swim, paddle, whatever). We'll do the odd day-trip (recommend Bayeux Tapestry). We'll go for walks and (this year for first time) bike rides (lovely greenways, no traffic). We'll read books (me, dh and dd1 once dd2's in bed). Umm... that's it really.

And definitely no socialising (unless dd1 finds some other child of her age, preferably but not necessarily English-speaking, in which case she will make friends and we may have to swap niceties with the parents).

Tinker · 03/08/2007 18:47

I hate talking to other people (ie other holidaymakers, locals are ok ) and always choose somewhere a bit remote and quiet (have had to stay in UK last few years, unfortunately). But, but, but I've realised that this is actually a bit boring for kids now so am considering more sociable holidays in future. Woudl never do hotel/resort/pool thing though.

Anna8888 · 03/08/2007 18:47

Skribble - maybe, though in fact in the scheme of the holiday one au pair (shared between four families) isn't going to be significant in the overall costs (travel, accommodation, food, outings will all cost much more )

Tinker · 03/08/2007 18:49

Would hate to go away with otehr families though

handlemecarefully · 03/08/2007 18:49

Roisin - forgive my impertinent question, but why don't you like people?

Anna8888 · 03/08/2007 18:49

Little, family-run hotels are lovely though - we just stayed in one with fourteen rooms (no restaurant) and a pool, it was great

foxinsocks · 03/08/2007 18:51

we get up late...have brunch

go to beach
dh builds giant sandcastle effort with dcs while I swim
dh then reads his book and falls asleep on beach
I swim with dcs and do some catching waves with them
We wake up dh
Go rockpooling
We go home and give the children something to eat, put them in bed and then have dinner, too much wine and fall asleep semi pissed in bed
Repeat ad nauseum

We often see friends on holidays. Will plan days out with them and if we are staying in a big enough cottage, will invite people down with us for parts of the holiday.

filthymindedvixen · 03/08/2007 18:51

up and cook breakkie, go to beach. boys surf, paddle, swim, dh and I read. A Lot. Have lunch at cafe. Do more beach. or go zoo/eden project/aquarium./mooch round small pretty seaside town. Go back, have a rest. Go out for dinner. etc etc. Have a walk. Sit and drink lots of wine. Repeat etc
Though this year we are half camping and half staying with newish friends.

portonovo · 03/08/2007 19:07

A couple of day trips or half-day trips. Sometimes fairly touristy things, other times things a bit more off the beaten track. I research the area on the internet before we go and draw up a list of possibles, both fair and wet weather alternatives. Some years we don't use the list much at all, we just improvise, but it's there if we need ideas.

Loads of walking, especially coastal walks. Have done ever since the kids were small, we take a pedometer to keep an informal tally of how far we've walked. The year our youngest was 5, we walked 44 miles over the week, and we didn't walk all the time by any means!

We just like to explore so we get out and about whatever the weather. If the weather is good, the children like some solid time on the beach, or more precisely in the sea. Otherwise, we go rock-pooling or crabbing or fossil-hunting. We hunt out less crowded beaches, sometimes if you walk a little bit further you can get away from it all.

We explore the local area fairly thoroughly. If there are any museums or heritage centres we'll go to them. We'll walk to/from local villages, have a look round, have a drink and a cake or ice-cream, then walk back. Any little seaside towns around, we'll visit those too. We love finding craft shops, bookshops and lovely local foodie shops. Any 'different' shops really.

For lunch we either take a packed lunch or we head back to our cottage for lunch and a bit of a rest. In the evenings, either after tea if we've cooked it, or before going out to eat if we're eating out, we have an hour or so in the cottage, again just relaxing. Perhaps have a shower, read, write postcards, the children all keep holiday diaries - even now they're getting 'old'!

After eating we always go for a walk, unless the weather is really dreadful. Sometimes we have an evening swim, that's one of our favourite times. Then back to the cottage where we laze around, read, play cards or whatever until bedtime. We all do a lot of reading on holiday.

We don't socialise at all, that would ruin the holiday for us! We wouldn't go on holiday with other families either. The only exception is once or twice we've invited my Dad along with us, he lives on his own and wouldn't otherwise have a holiday. He's no trouble, he just goes along with whatever we want to do!

hatwoman · 03/08/2007 19:08

sounds great to me anna - you've reminded me that through the owners of the house we had someone come in for a few hours in the morning - to wash up dinner and breakfast stuff and make the beds - it made a huge difference - we all quite like cooking but not washing up! and it wasn't expensive between so many of us.

pointydog · 03/08/2007 19:15

Roughly try to have about half the week as lazy days (on campsite or on a beach depending on our location) and the other half day trips to places of interest.

We try to cvhoose Places Of Interest to please everyone so we do the big theme park stuff as well as castles.

Tigi · 03/08/2007 19:16

we go to Cornwall, and boys usually find a pack of friends to run around beach with- tig/climbing/making dams etc. If it's nice we'll be there until 6pm + then back for shower /tea/ chill, sometimes a walk up a hill etc!
If weather dull we walk along coast. We've met friends one year, for say about 5 days on beach, but that drove me nuts as I felt anti social to read/ snooze etc!
Went abroad last year and children played in park and swam all day everyday, and we joined in hotel entertainment at night after a walk about - but they are such late nights abroad!

pointydog · 03/08/2007 19:17

Do we see strangers??

No.

We chat to people we come across, share a bit of banter. But we do not all end up doing karaoke together if that's what you mean.

Dior · 03/08/2007 19:17

Message withdrawn

pointydog · 03/08/2007 19:18

The children will sometimes socialise with strange children if they come across them

Anna8888 · 03/08/2007 19:18

Thanks hatwoman, I need to start planning for next summer now if I'm going to pull this off - I'm getting a good picture of what I'm after.

roisin · 03/08/2007 19:46

handlemecarefully - why do I not like people? Hmm... interesting question.

I have asked myself the same, especially as I think I am getting worse as I get older. I have good friends, and I enjoy investing time in them; but I just don't see any point in smalltalk, and socialising for the sake of it. I would much rather be on my own with a book, or spending time just with my friends or family.

Maybe it's exacerbated because my job involves a lot of talking, and a lot of people - well teenagers actually . So I think holidays should be the opposite!

OP posts:
Skribble · 03/08/2007 19:46

Nevr mind the cost of an aupair, the thought of a stranger wandering about my holiday house caring for my kids turns me off more than having to talk to strangers at the next carvan or cottage, but each to their own.