Anyone else on a trip home being driven mad?

[butterfliesinmytummy]

I seriously wonder why we do this..... We've been abroad forever and have 2 dds aged 5 and 9. We go back to the uk every year, normally me and the dds to England, then dh joins us after a week and we spend the last few days (10 in total) at my dads house. Then we all troop up to Scotland to stay 10 days with dh's family. Then we try to get in a break in Europe just the 4 of us for a week or just more.

I am sick of the packing, travel, jet lag, present buying, dog to kennels, securing the house, etc. I've just been told by dsis that this weekend is inconvenient for us to visit because it's her birthday (yesterday, she's 39) and term time. She lives 2 hours from df and has come down to see us with her dh and dds. I have no idea why she can't celebrate another weekend. While I'm paying the ticket, I'll chose the dates thank you very much. I've half a mind not to visit next year, my df will come to visit us in the USA anyway and I'd rather spend the money on a couple of weeks somewhere really nice. Do home visits bring out the worst in you too?

[elQuintoConyo]

Fascinating thread!

I'm EU, my DSis is down under. Our parents' relationship was always acidic and they have recently divorced; they now live at opposite ends of the UK.

I looked at going over this summer, but hire car and hotels were too expensive, hotels and train combination doubly so. 'Luckily' my passport renewal is still stuck in Belfast, so breaking the news to rellies that I'm not coming over has been easier!

We're pissing off to Bilbao and Santander instead: easier, cheaper, calmer.