Terrible holiday! Need advice

[Fishy54]

We are currently on a road trip which is not going well.

the plan was to drive to though France to get to Spain but the journey is taking too long and we are ending up booking into cheap affordable accommodation in awful places to break up journey and we are all stressed. No exercise. Too much time on the road and stopping in places that are making us feel depressed.

we have done this sort of journey before through Europe but for one reason or another this year we have failed.

we all got really upset last night that we have experienced nothing and we are already 4 days into journey with only 7 days left, not where we planned on being plus having to take into consideration the journey back home.

we don’t know what to do. Driven too far. We are 2 hours from Biarritz and was meant to exploring the north of Spain. My son was upset and wished we had stayed at home but being very mature and helping with ideas, my husband has come to a standstill and tired from driving, I’m stressed do to driving passed all the beautiful places to get to where we currently are.

if we carry on we feel like our time will be spent r in much the same way when we get to Spain as we have not allowed enough time to relax and and just be in between visiting places.

we have driven so far that we are at a loss as to what to do. My heart is not in the journey. I don’t think anyone’s was really . It was my husbands idea a while back and my husband and son speak Spanish.

we discussed other more restful options before we left home. I feel awful
that we didn’t pursue them. Nothing I can do about that now. But what should we do now. My husband is suggesting we just stay put. Find somewhere in France and stay here for a few days then drive back home.

we have already lost one day of accommodation as w weren’t going to make it in time for check in.

Alternative is we move on and carry with the plan. Our accommodation for first few 2 days now is quite remote. Which we wanted but now we fed up with the driving. Then we have 3 more days booked elsewhere to explore a different area. Then we have to make our way home. The only way we can get home now in good time is to take the long ferry ride home. Which will kill another two days. My husband seemed to think we first left home that we had enough time to do a loop and drive back through France visiting some lovely places. we now can’t do that.

I can’t sleep and don’t know what to do.

I feel awful for my son. He needed a good break as much as we did.

we are all wishing we had just cancelled this idea and had a single location holiday somewhere peaceful.

what should we do?

You are so close to your booked accommodation, it'll be a crime to turn back now 😊

I don't know Larrasoaña but Navarra is lovely. There is nothing you can do about the disaster trip so far, but you guys still have booked accommodation ahead in really lovely places. Try to enjoy the rest of your holidays, unfortunately sometimes the best laid plans end up going tits up.

As someone who got to Chamonix from Calais on day 2, I'm a bit befuddled as to why it's taken so long. We did Calais to Macon and Macon to Chamonix with 1 overnighter. French motorways are great and really fast.

it would make a great sketch.

We have had lots of group hugs.

Powering through
Will stop in biarritz so son can have a surf.
just hope we have booked good locations so time is not wasted getting to places

I have questions for pps-
when you say you drive to the Alps (for eg) in one day, where are you starting from? Who is driving? Do you stop on the way eg fuel, food, loo? How long is one day - 12, 24 hours.
To those of you saying, just get in the car and drive to Spain, the OP’s H is tired and needs to rest, surely?

i have explained that already. As much as I can

I don't understand how it's taken you 4+ days to not get as far as Biarritz? It's less than 700 miles from Calais to Spain (you don't mention your start port in France) but a diversion to La Rochelle only adds 80 miles to the journey. It's not unreasonable to expect to drive from Calais to San Sebastian in 2 days, or less with both of you driving?

Only my husband is driving . I don’t do motorway driving anymore.

@Fishy54 are you sharing the driving?

Oh op you’ve had some really good bits of infor on here so I hope that’s helped.

Also- only your DH driving…. ??? Face palm! 🤦‍♀️

Yes… we have woken up more positive

We had considered Arcachon

Your terrible holiday appears to have been caused by too much fannying about.

Probably too late now, but stop fannying about.

I think I posted much of this above…

London to southern Alps. It’s just under 800 miles.
Two drivers. (I’ve done it alone, but stopped overnight.)
Leave 3am arrive 6pm.
motorway all the way.
Have sandwiches coffee sweets and water.
Stop for loo as required and usually an additional coffee maybe once or twice.
Stop for petrol usually twice sometimes once. Tend to drive to a station just off motorway (cost of petrol is inflated on autoroute) and combine with coffee stop.
if we stop to eat/loo on motorway always choose a quiet aire with no shops.
We have bip and go for tolls.

My husband drives mindlands UK to Annecy (where we live, I fly with the kids 🤣) he does two hours drive to ferry, overnight ferry to rest. Then stops twice. Centre of France is pretty empty so not very exciting stops so just the dog wees and he carry’s on. It usually takes him 9-10hrs on the French side, we have never done it with the children (2 and nearly 4) if we did I would want to do it over several days.

So, you arrived at Mont de Marsan just after 1.30, and that was the end of the driving for the day?

I think you need to cut your losses op. How you can plan a 2 week trip of at least 1400 miles driving (from Calais to northern Spain) plus spending a 'useful' amount of time in Spain but only driving for 200 miles a day is beyond comprehension.

All great information from those providing genuine guidance and support.

my husband likes road trips and so do I - we all do. I it’s just in this one we just approached badly not taking into consideration our individual requirements plus time had available etc

Scrap Spain, it sounds like you are all knackered. You are an hour from Hossegor, beautiful lake, close to the beach, drive there and stay there for the week and relax.

go to Spain, on a plane, next year

All great information from those providing genuine guidance and support.

my husband likes road trips and so do I - we all do. I it’s just in this one we just approached badly not taking into consideration our individual requirements plus time had available etc

Thank you

Drive to Santander, stay a few days then get the Brittany ferries boat back to Plymouth.

San Sebastián is gorgeous with a lovely beach so if you’re near there swap your accommodation and stay put! You’ve come so far and you will laugh about it one day

If it’s only your husband driving, at least make sure you pay for the autoroute (toll roads). The driving is much easier than the non-toll highways and much less fatiguing. The roads are in amazing condition relative to UK motorways (again due to the tolls).

We once drove back to South London from St Tropez in a day! Took about 12 hours.

That's bloody good going! Last time I went to France, we left Toulouse around 8.30 am and I was back in my house a few miles from Brighton just after midnight.

I thought we'd done well, as we'd planned on stopping for the night somewhere en route to the tunnel and getting home the following day, but your journey tops that by miles.

If you are two hours from Biarritz I would put the foot down and get to San Sebastian and rest up there for the rest of the holiday. Eat, swim, enjoy being in one place.

I know I will probably be shot down for this and regaled with stories of 80 year olds driving across Europe in 3 hours, but we found it was just more tiring as we got older. Trips needed twice the time to drive because we got tired quicker, the children had more opinions on when and where to stop. Food requirements here too.

It sounds like the ferry is a good option. Try to just relax a few days when you get to Spain. You could consider interrailing next year. Flights out, then trains and busses.