Anyone Else Feel Like Holidays Are More Stress Than Fun These Days?

[GlowWithBalance]

Is it just me, or have family holidays become way more exhausting than relaxing? Between planning, packing, keeping everyone entertained, and spending a small fortune just to “get away,” I sometimes come home feeling more tired than when I left.
We just got back from what was meant to be a “low-key break,” but it turned into a juggling act of cranky kids, overpriced meals, and constant logistics. Don’t get me wrong — there were nice moments, but it felt like so much effort for a few hours of peace.
I keep seeing posts about people doing staycations or skipping trips altogether this year, and honestly, I get it. The stress (and cost) of travel these days makes it hard to justify.
Does anyone actually come back from holiday feeling rested anymore? Or is it just another item on the parenting to-do list — “make memories” while secretly counting down to your own bed again?

No as daytrips (I and live in outer London) are more stressful and expensive than a week away.

I think it's about going back to the basics and stop the need to make everything special.
We do holidays where we plan to do some sightseeing/trips mixed with days at the pool/in the villa.
We prefer space over a hotel so are happy with a villa or appartment where we can all be on our own instead of cramped in one hotel room or having a child sleeping on a sofa bed but also pay for a great hotel every couple of years.
I know lots of people don't like s/c but I never saw it as a big issue, the advantages are worth the washing up of breakfast dishes.

We had great holidays with long haul Caribbean or US trips, great hotels in Cyprus and Portugal but also low key walking ones in the French/German border area, UK, Bavaria or German Baltic Sea.

We holiday as a family since DD was 9 months, I never had the "it's just the same as home with less normality" feeling so many are here describing.

Totally agree with this. I don’t think it’s just you at all. Family holidays always sound lovely in theory — everyone relaxed, making memories — but in reality it’s often just parenting in a different location, with more stuff to pack and less sleep.
We’ve done both the “big trip” and the “staycation,” and honestly, the staycations have been less stressful. At least you’re not dealing with airports, suitcases, or trying to keep kids happy in unfamiliar places.
It’s a bit sad, but I’ve started seeing holidays as something for the kids rather than an actual break for adults. The idea of coming home and actually needing a rest from the holiday is very real.

I was saying this to someone in work yesterday.
I work at a well known, (dome covered 😁), holiday center and the amount of stuff people bring just for what is essentially just 2 days is ridiculous.
It seems more work than relax

Totally agree — it’s amazing how much effort people put into “getting away” for a couple of days. You’d think the whole point was to relax, but half the time it looks like they’re moving house for the weekend!

I love our family holidays and have always enjoyed them. They aren't very adventurous though - we learned what worked for us and replicate it every year in slightly different locations. For us, space is the most important thing as DC are both autistic and need downtime. Also there are a lot of sleep issues so having us all in one room would be a disaster. The DC have always loved the beach and swimming so we go somewhere where that is available. We also self-cater as one DC has very limited food preferences so eating out would be stressful for us. Also we always go for two weeks so you have time to wind down before coming home. We drive to France which is IMO less stressful than an airport although it takes longer. Our holidays wouldn't suit everyone but we've found out what works for us.

What sort of break do you do OP? Since having DC we've tended to go for self catering holiday parks both in the UK and abroad - sure they're not 5 star but they're cheap(ish), cheerful and set up for kids. We do two or three days out across the week, spend some time at the beach and the rest of the time making the most of the pool/on site entertainment - kids happy and busy, adults sit back and watch. We also don't cook anything other than simple meals and eat out/get takeaway lot.

We're fortunate that we have several holidays a year ... but I'm getting fed up with the stress of it all tbh.. packing, logistics, out of routine, like my own bed now I'm aging (53), just want to get home to my bath/bed/ house, airplanes are dirty, the sheer cost of it all, the whole airport experience tbh (unless flying business, but that's rare), queuing at airports, shitty airport/plane food. I would rather have the time off work, stay at home and shut the door to the world

I'm also 53 and started to feel like this. I kind of still want to go, but definitely miss my own bed/bath etc more now - there's an anxiety now about being away from home, and anxiety over spending that much money, on something that might not be as enjoyable as I think it should be for that price tag.
It's weird though that the supposed norm is for people to retire and spend their whole retirement travelling - but in reality, I think wanting to just be at home is actually more common as we age.

Restaurant food is usually bad and overpriced now, unless it is very expensive, whoch doesnt work for a daily family dinner. That’s stressful. Camping means loss of sleep. Everything is so expensive for what it is. What I hate is all of the above AND everyone looking to me to solve all of it and keep producing more fun out of my arse. I’m fucking shattered, I want to read my book or look at the view or some art in silence, my head and my skin hurts from lack of sleep and heat and my tummy hurts so just leave me alone.

Everywhere got ridiculously busy after covid when everyone decided to travel and create bucket lists. Some cities I would love to visit just look manic now and I know I wouldn't enjoy them for the crowds.

Another worry is the fuel problems aircrafts are facing with US/Israel/Iran war - many of us booked flights in advance and may now be unable to finalise hotels or other activity bookings as we don't know if the flights will be grounded.

Hmm, im kind of starting to feel this way too. Rather than skipping holidays altogether I'm going to simplify them in future. For starters, less luggage. Also more travel from my small local airport. Not as exciting in terms of destinations and experiences but hopefully far less stressful and more time just relaxing and enjoying the better weather.

I love them. I come back with a different perspective and relating to my travelling companions, whether family or friends, in different ways, because we've had a chance to interact out of the norm. Day to day problems and stressors feel very distant mentally when I'm in a different environment and often I find i have unwittingly worked through solutions in the subconscious part of my brain. I appreciate that this isn't everyone's experience but I honestly find it so valuable to be in a different place on the planet, just shaking up the routine. It's keeping that attitude going when I'm back to the grind, that's the trick.