Why doesn't it feel like a proper holiday unless it's long haul?

[IncaMaid]

Growing up we used to holiday in France and Spain. Sometimes Greece if lucky. Never ever flew long haul. My friends were jetting off all sorts of exotic places and I was very jealous.

Now that I am an adult and earning adult money, whenever I go to book a holiday, I can only think in terms of long haul. Don't get me wrong, I love Greece and Italy and visit most years. But in my (silly) mind, these are not classed as "proper holidays". DH jokes it's not a holiday for me unless it's long haul and in business class (very rarely then!).

The furthest I’ve been was New York. That was far enough. There’s so many amazing places in Europe (including the UK).

Not sure how you would cope being me then

I hear you. Short haul feels, psychologically, like a waste of time (an airport is a faff for a 2-3 hour flight). I used to live in SE Asia and went to various countries for a long weekend. Those weren’t holidays either, but coming back to the UK was. I know that, logically, a geographically short trip is a holiday and we’ve had some lovely holidays in the UK and on the continent. We’re very lucky to be able to do those things.

I had a colleague who was going to Dublin for a couple of weeks and I said “oh have a lovely holiday” and she replied “oh it’s not a holiday, it’s just Ireland”. Could have fooled me!

Sounds like you’re going to miss out on some beautiful places.

I’m so sick of long haul flights and jet lag from work that the thought of doing it in my time off fills me with dread and therefore not the holiday vibe at all! Feel very, very lucky this summer to have spent a week in a basic but very comfortable gite in Provence, exploring all the gorgeous little villages nearby, and also a week parador-hopping in Andalucia. Stunning!

I don’t know what to say. Do you enjoy hanging around in crowded airports, sitting still for 12 hours eating strange food and experiencing delays? And using humongous amounts of fossil fuel? OK…

Main holiday long haul . Week in the sun short haul

Maybe because you have a chip on your shoulder from childhood????

🤷🏻‍♀️

I find myself trying to avoid long haul these days just thinking about a 10 hr flight makes me feel tired and stressed 🤣 but I have a 3 and 1 yr old 😱
For me holidays are more a state of mind and I find i gravitate a lot more towards being "in nature" these days so Ireland / Scotland/ Wales/ anywhere nice and green is good for me...

Regular family holidays long haul are about the worst thing you can do for the planet in terms of carbon footprint, so stick to the less bad option of short haul, not too often, and hopefully these beautiful places will be around for longer.

@IncaMaid
I’m supposing this is a rhetorical question, right?

Anyway, I think that once you incorporate an activity into your life, it can easily become the baseline.
So your general “lifestyle” includes mini breaks here and there and continental trips in the same way someone else’s could include say regularly getting a takeaway. It doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy these trips, or someone their takeaway, just that they are part of general life.

Generally speaking the activities that cost more money are done less frequently, but that doesn’t equate to being objectively more enjoyable.
So the family who has regular takeaways might feels that dining out in a restaurant is more of a treat in the same way you feel that long haul is a holiday.
However, I live in a place where dining out is part of our lifestyle, but getting food delivered to our house is not, so for us this is a real novelty and we are only able to do this on holiday.
Likewise, those who travel long haul for work don’t see it as anything special because it is part of their normal life, and therefore are happier to spend time in places they enjoy, independent of the time it takes to travel there.

Wow, a couple of nights away in my nearest city is a holiday for me! I haven't had a holiday anywhere for more years than I can remember.

Is it because your diamond shoes are too tight op?

if it doesn’t feel like a holiday you’re not doing it right. And there’s so much more to Europe than France, Spain and Greece

When my children were small we couldn't afford to go away at all. I classed it as a holiday just to not be at work and relax at home, do cheap activities together! Once I said to my colleague "I'm on holiday next week" and she said, "no you're not, it's just annual leave if you're not going away", I was quite put out.

Lucky old you to have the money. Showing off is very unattractive, and not kind.

Because you are trying to please younger you.
It meant something to you then so it means something now.

One of the holidays my DC still fondly talk about over two decades later was about 90 minutes from home.

Each to their own but I think it is sad and lacking in inner resources to not consider a UK holiday to be a real holiday.

The straight up jealousy in these comments! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

That does sound like bliss!

(but I can be in the S of France or Northern Spain faster than I can be in the outer Hebrides )

Just enjoy the holiday for whatever experience it is rather than by carbon emissions or length of travel?

My favourite holidays have been Vietnam and camping in Suffolk.

No issue with enjoying an exotic holiday, but to start a thread saying it's not a real holiday unless it's long haul and flying business class goes beyond tone deaf. It's deliberately provocative.

It doesn’t feel like a proper holiday because you felt jealous and second rate as a child for not travelling for longer to get to your holiday destination, and you haven’t had therapy to get over it.

A holiday is a break from everyday life. Extremely depressing that some think that only by flying thousands of miles it actually counts as a holiday. So a week in a beautiful or interesting part of the world closer to home is what, work?

We just had a week at the beach, a 2 hour drive from home. Tbf I'm in Aus and it was the Sunshine Coast. The DC love it.

I do prefer abroad trips, though. I grew up doing the same week at the beach every year, doing DM's choice of activities (shopping, tv) & began to hate it. Abroad is just so much more interesting & engaging. Long haul is pretty much everywhere for me, though!

Not really, I’m posting from the airport off on my second holiday in 3 weeks. But the difference is realise just how lucky I am.

I work very hard and consider it a holiday if I am off work for a week and not doing anything. My kids never went abroad until they were working themselves not everyone can afford it.