Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Holidays

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

Original poster

Gone off holudays

77 replies

PerkyOchrePeer · 13/09/2025 03:42

I used to enjoy going on holiday and travelling abroad. Lately I've gone off the idea. I quite like flying but no longer like the idea of staying in a othered anymore. I dint like working out currency and trying to get understood because of a la gauge barrier

OP posts:
MermaidMummy06 · 13/09/2025 04:03

Overseas travel is a PITA on many levels. It just depends if it's worth it to you. For me, it is. The differences in culture , food, money etc are a complete change from my own world and I find my freedom there.

I do find myself put off by other travellers now, though. Everywhere is crowded, and I find other travellers less considerate & less friendly.

MyBirthdayMonth · 13/09/2025 04:27

I love travelling abroad, but the effort-to-enjoyment ratio definitely shifts as you get older.

Friendlygingercat · 13/09/2025 04:29

I used to love travel when I was younger. Ive been to places its difficult to go to now like Afghanistan, Syria and Iran, Im 81 now and even if my mobility was not poor I would not want to travel. The planning, the hassle, the way you get teated at airports would all put me off. I always travelled solo and would not want to have that responsibility again. Sitting beside strangers for in cramped seats for hours. Ugh.

A holiday is not a rest. Its an experience and Im glad mine are behind me.

Wiskinbonono · 13/09/2025 07:49

Each to their own, OP. Sounds like your future hols will be in the UK if that's where you're posting from.

I fucking love flying away, hearing another language, eating different foods.

SnakesAndArrows · 13/09/2025 07:59

Travelling for me is a blessing and a curse. I love seeing new places - the outdoors and wildlife, mainly - and I love the feeling of being in a new place to explore. I love the planning too, and I actually quite like the whole flying experience. We’re always planning a few trips ahead, and I’m currently packing for our next one.

But, as I’ve got older, I also like the comfort of familiarity, and I don’t like hotels. I want a comfy bed, space, and at least a fridge and basic cooking facilities. I really don’t like having the apartment serviced either.

I’m less inclined to holiday where I don’t speak the language, or I can’t rely on the people there speaking English. I’ll happily get by with my schooldays French and German and a smattering of Spanish and Portuguese words in a cafe or shop… but what if we needed medical care? I

Which brings me to the travel anxiety. It’s all what ifs, and what have I missed? Do I have passports, driving licence and prescription sunglasses (at least 150 times on the morning of departure, and in the taxi). What if we miss our connection? What if we get to wherever and there’s no record of our booking? What if it rains? What if it’s too hot? What if one of us gets sick? What if there’s a power cut at home and my fish have no heat or filtration? What if we’re burgled? What if one of our family has an emergency when we’re so far away…

So I get you, OP.

NooNakedJacuzziness · 13/09/2025 08:09

I love being abroad but I bloody hate getting there! I find air travel quite stressful and I always feel like a criminal at the airport. So many bloody rules (I don’t mean security checks) - have you checked in online, have you got a boarding pass, have you checked your bags are the right weight, have you left enough time to get to the gate, gaahhhh

Radiatorvalves · 13/09/2025 08:13

I love it and I’m not going to stop anytime soon. That said I am slightly paranoid about scams. I’ve got to book a couple of places today for a forthcoming holiday, and I do worry they’ll be fake listings. Probably irrational - I read too many travel horror stories. We do have a holiday house abroad and I love going there any time of the year.

rookiemere · 13/09/2025 08:14

I absolutely love holidays, but I have noticed myself being more anxious about things than in the past - I blame menopause.

I have worked round it by simplifying and delegating - so after a stressful incident at the car hire ( please avoid Hertz at Olbia airport at all cost, they are lying robbers), I have now made that DHs responsibility.

thedevilinablackdress · 13/09/2025 08:26

Plenty to explore in the UK. I love travelling to different regions and seeing the variety of landscapes, architecture, local bakery delicacies etc.

Timeforabitofpeace · 13/09/2025 08:30

I love European cities at the moment but I agree the travel isn’t fun. Easier now the kids are grown.

RedRiverShore5 · 13/09/2025 08:40

I don't like it nowadays, I'm glad I lived through the 80s and 90s when going anywhere was so much more easier and pleasant

TeamGeriatric · 13/09/2025 09:42

I love travelling and we travel several times a year. Most of earnings goes on travel, as my husband covers our day to day expenses. I do though feel more stressed the night before we leave than I used to, I blame menopause for that!

Original poster
PerkyOchrePeer · 13/09/2025 11:00

Friendlygingercat · 13/09/2025 04:29

I used to love travel when I was younger. Ive been to places its difficult to go to now like Afghanistan, Syria and Iran, Im 81 now and even if my mobility was not poor I would not want to travel. The planning, the hassle, the way you get teated at airports would all put me off. I always travelled solo and would not want to have that responsibility again. Sitting beside strangers for in cramped seats for hours. Ugh.

A holiday is not a rest. Its an experience and Im glad mine are behind me.

You are correct. A holiday is not a rest. You are rushing about seeing as much as you can. If you stay at home you can rest. I love my home. I spent time and money making it look nice and enjoy spending time in it admiring my nice decor. I was criticised by someone saying I spend too much time at home and should go out more. I am not a hermit but I feel very comfortable at home relaxing watching a film in my pajamas with a cup of tea. I find that so relaxing. If I was a hoarder or my place was a pigsty then I would not like being in it, but a well kept home us a pleasure to be in. Ever since civud hit 5 years ago I stopped going to the cinema as I got fed up with people talking over the film or noise snack eating so now I watch at home and dont think I will ever go to the cinema again

OP posts:
TheChosenTwo · 13/09/2025 11:01

Each to their own really. Very few things I love more than being a stranger in a few place.

oncemoreuntothebeachdearfriends · 13/09/2025 11:36

I'm one of the more senior (OK, older) posters, & I can't get enough travel.
I've now got the time to go whenever & wherever I please. The only thing holding me back is not enough money to do everything I want.

MyElatedUmberFinch · 13/09/2025 11:50

MyBirthdayMonth · 13/09/2025 04:27

I love travelling abroad, but the effort-to-enjoyment ratio definitely shifts as you get older.

I’ve found the opposite and have been on a frenzy the last month and have another big trip in 10 days. I think the more you do the less of a thing it is. I can pack really quickly and if I feel tired from jet lag when I get home I just to say it’s one of those things and I’ll be back to normal in a couple of days.

Anotherename · 13/09/2025 12:53

I’m half and half .

I like to occasionally try something new and have a complete change of pace.

dislike being away from my space for too long (after a week I miss my bed)

do panic a bit about things that could go wrong - ie being stuck in a country with little money or language.

it’s also really really expensive… sometimes I do wonder if it was worth saving all year round for a weeks holiday.

having said that , we are planning a big expensive trip to Canada for three weeks for our 20th wedding anniversary/ 40th birthday the years either side of that trip are uk holidays only .

one of my favourite holidays abroad was Iceland - and honestly I think it was because it was only 4 days so we got to see loads then come home 🏠

But you do whatever makes you happy!

NewYorkSummer · 13/09/2025 13:22

I love travelling, whether it’s a long haul holiday sightseeing or just a weekend break in the UK doing very little. I just like to visit different places and see somewhere other than my own four walls. I agree with a pp that the more you go away, the less of a big thing it becomes, as a lot of stuff (eg toiletries) just stays packed in the case from one trip to the next. Life is short and there’s a lot of places I’d like to see before I’m not able to.

WallaceinAnderland · 13/09/2025 13:53

Things I don't like:
Thinking about what to pack
Packing
Getting up very early
Travelling to airport
Sitting on a plane
Getting through airport on arrival
Transfer to resort
Weather if it's very hot
Being hassled by street hawkers
Travelling home
Unpacking
The cost

Things I do like:
Reading my book
Eating out
Selective sightseeing
Cafe culture

So, on balance, I don't really get that much from holidays

PassportPhotosAreHorrific · 13/09/2025 13:55

I was just saying this to DH earlier. I've always loved travelling and have been near obsessed with it at points in my life.

But something shifted with our summer holiday this year. The airport was stressy, the temp too hot when we got there etc. was lovely to get home.

Might just 'do' Cornwall or something next year. Unthinkable to younger me.

Greedybilly · 13/09/2025 14:00

@WallaceinAnderlandyes - nicely ( and hilariously) summed up!

youalright · 13/09/2025 14:03

Maybe you need to change the type of holiday you have. I haven't been on holidays for years but a nice all inclusive laying around the pool where I haven't got to do anything and just be looked after by the staff sounds heaven

15minutesaday · 13/09/2025 14:08

I prefer UK breaks nowadays. Less hassle and stress. Few hours drive and I'm there. Job done.

I think lockdowns had a lot to do with it when it was really complicated to fly abroad with different countries having different restrictions.

3678194b · 13/09/2025 14:12

I tried a cruise from Southampton recently and it was much less stressful than an airport! No queues at check in and security was nothing like the airport. Our bags were taken off us and the next time we saw them was in our cabin.

The airport process really does fill me with dread. You're often treated like a piece of dirt by the security staff at the bag screening and from there, given you've already queues at the check in and bag drop, it's waiting and queuing from then on.

MyElatedUmberFinch · 13/09/2025 14:16

3678194b · 13/09/2025 14:12

I tried a cruise from Southampton recently and it was much less stressful than an airport! No queues at check in and security was nothing like the airport. Our bags were taken off us and the next time we saw them was in our cabin.

The airport process really does fill me with dread. You're often treated like a piece of dirt by the security staff at the bag screening and from there, given you've already queues at the check in and bag drop, it's waiting and queuing from then on.

I was just about to suggest this for WallaceinAnderland.