To ask what you dreamed would be fabulous but is actually maybe a bit shit

[hitsvilleuk]

I think this about lots of things to do with celebrity lives, when I was younger I thought it all would amazing now not so sure.

A particular one I have is that I always longed for a villa on the Italian lakes. We went to a hotel there one year for 5 days ( in the same village as George Clooney ) It pissed down for 3 days. Everything was dark and damp and that combined with the endless queuing for flights and the thought of maintaining a property in another country sort of did for the dream. Not achievable without a lottery win anyway but now I don't even want it.

Anyone else got stuff like this or that they actually got and then thought 'meh'. I seem to have it about more and more things as I get on - I just don't want stuff anymore. Is it just to do with age?

That's why we moved the dinner to Christmas Eve (which is normal in many countries, although we don't come from any of those countries, we just decided to do it!). Now Christmas Day is a day of absolutely no pressure or expectations (well, obv there's hoping Santa calls and the presents work out, but that's it). No cooking needed as the fridge is full of already-cooked food and LOTS of cheese. Help yourself to yummy food, do what you want, and nurse your hangover in peace

Really good idea aout Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve! Wish I’d thought of that 25 years ago!!

This thread has been bizarrely soothing to read.

For me the top one is travelling. I feel weird writing that, because I love travelling. I've seen some amazing places. But the reality can be so shit - I hate the sexual harassment I've experienced, it's just awful in so many places. There are also so many places where people are so poor and desperate that most encounters with locals involves them trying to rip you off. I have a lot of sympathy for the fact having an extremely hard life makes you desperate and do shitty fraudulent things you wouldn't otherwise do and god knows travelling makes you realise your own privilege in a profound way, but it's just so depressing.

Egypt - yes, avoid the pyramids above anything. They're stunning but the animal abuse on site is extreme. I was extremely upset afterwards after witnessing some horrible cruelty and would say the men on site deserve to be starved of tourists and their cash permanently. Humans are such shits at times.
New York and Paris - I love both for lots of reasons. I think they're beautiful, but they both feel dangerous in different ways and I would prefer to only go to both with a man accompanying me now. I wouldn't go anywhere near LA after some of the stories I've read recently.

@QueenRefusenik

Promotion. Get job you love, do it well. Get promoted... For a tiny fraction more money you get to do loads of paperwork and manage other people doing the job you loved. None of whom appear to love it...

This is so very true. And so sad.......

Doesn’t that just make Christmas Eve more shit though with wrapping and cooking/cleaning?

Camping as a parent. It's adulting on speed. Cold, muddy, horrible showers, constantly trying to cook and no fridge/freezer/oven/washing machine/tumble dryer. I loved it as a kid!

My first marriage. I thought it would be a brilliant adventure with my best friend. He turned out to be an abusive, useless husband who never wanted to do anything. Life was much easier after he left. I now have a new husband and he is ace.

@theDudesmummy

We have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve! It's much much better!

We do this too! Christmas Eve is the full roast meal with DHs family (although not last year, obviously...) Christmas Day we have something simple like a nice stew prepared in advance and we can actually enjoy the day, play board games etc. I find it much less stressful.

Working from home! Always thought it sounded like a good deal, but actually I miss my office and being in London.

My DH cooks every night anyway, he just cooks a bit more and a bigger variety on Xmas Eve! I love the wrapping part, for me that is actually the highlight of Xmas. We have always had a great evening so far with this plan (about the past 8 years). And a relaxing day the next day. If people who are not actually staying with us join us for Xmas Eve (happened most years pre-pandemic), then they get two Christmases! No-one has complained yet.

My friends ex always had Christmas Eve as a day of annual leave and cooked the meal for them all I think! I know my dh wouldn't have done this ( it's traditional isn't it to do it all on Christmas Day, well , you do it all 80s! )
Other people I know who didn't have children used to go away on holiday over Christmas to eat Turkey and trimmings there instead!

Mothers Day makeover and photoshoot from Groupon. We both fell for the upselling so what should have been a cheap deal with one digital picture each for me and mum was so much more. And the printed photos weren't even very good. We felt so conned. I feel sick whenever I see those makeover deals now. Never again. I'm astonished how we as supposedly intelligent women fell for the insidious upselling and flattering but we did. What made it worse was it was my idea and mum was disappointed I know, doesn't say anything much but let's just say none of the photos she got ended up in a frame on the wall. They're really crappy photos we look like amateur drag queens.

Here's another crap experience. I went out with someone I thought was drop dead gorgeous. Turned out that he thought that of himself too. Such a turn off. He literally walked about thinking he could be with any woman in the world and I was lucky to be on his arm. He loved a mirror. Gorgeous face. Shame about the personality. Taught me that looks aren't everything. Still fancy Robert Pattinson though 💖

Tulum, Mexico. Shit.

@CaptSkippy "It was so much better in my head."

Couldn't agree more. I think I had my uses in the relationship though. He loved me for the mirror I always carried in my handbag. Shame he looked at that more than me. Pity he didn't walk into a lamppost doing so

Egypt. Loved seeing the pyramids but the men there are just predatory. My friend rode a camel and the man wouldnt let her off until she paid triple the agreed price. We then went to an alabaster factory towards the end of our stay so short of money. Haggled to buy some statues but had nothing left for a tip. The family of men all gathered around us and held us hostage. I had to push a kid over, grabbed my friend and fought our way out. The coach almost left without us. We did complain and Kuoni refunded the cost of our holiday and said they wouldnt use that alabaster family business again, but it was so terrifying at the time.

Watching Chicago on the West End. I fell asleep, it was so dull !

Scotland. Cold, wet, too many hills and shops shut so early! It was many MANY years ago so maybe its changed but I was used to 24 hour supermarkets down south. Plus, everyone I spoke to seemed to swear every second word (but that could just be a quirk of my husbands friends and family )

Christmad day with young kids. Always thought t would be amazing, and right up to bedtime on xmas eve it always is. But xmas day becomes super stressful, building toys, retrieving lost bits of new toys, arguing, over tired excitement meltdowns etc. I'd say xmas days improved when they were ages 7 upwards and could entertain themselves a bit more without needing so much parental help.

@VerityWibbleWobble

Living in a village, absolute boring shite.

Countryfile live, god knows why I thought that would be great.

Camping, just no. I was as miserable as sin and it was nothing like being in the famous five.

Having a dog, I mean I loved her but it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Don't understand the Dyson cordless hate though, I'd sell dh if I needed a new one and couldn't afford it.

I agree with pets

They are expensive, hard work, noisy at the most impractical times, have distroyed the houses, constantly trip me up and make the worst messes + I honestly dont think they actually like me that much, they only like me when they blatently want something.

Its not what I signed on for or expected.

I actually think people have an idealised view of travelling and don't do much research about where they are going before they go.....Nor are people going for the experience of travelling which includes days when it doesn't exactly go to plan. IME often these events are the ones that give you 'the stories' and make the trip. People are expecting santised tourist board pictures rather than the reality.

I think you are taking this thread a bit too seriously! Nobody here is seriously complaining about travelling, just stating that places often don’t live up to the idealised pictures we have in our heads. Also I think it’s making everyone feel a bit better about the fact we’ve all been stuck at home for a year and have no idea when we’ll be able to go abroad again!!

@lidoshuffle
Mine was a trip in a balloon as well but mine crash landed.

find it particularly telling about Barcelona. Obviously people are sticking to the tourist traps and aren't looking for the places that locals frequent or recommend.

I do think people research.But it’s often impossible to find “the locals” in somewhere that is so touristy like Barcelona. And when you’ve been exploring all day and are hungry no one wants to spend another hour walking round trying to find some tiny little restaurant someone who visited three years ago recommended.
I’ve gone to Barcelona every year since 2000 and it’s unbelievable how much busier it is now than even 5 years ago.

I thought redecorating would be fun. I have style and taste. However there is literally too much choice. And even when you chose something you have to decide between 20 different shops and prices. I hate it.

@SpnBaby1967 Our coach driver warned us about the camel rides before we got there; also about people wanting to take your photo.

Found Barcelona very disappointed but Istanbul & Lisbon were better than expected.

Christmas Day with dc, hard work.

Wetland centre - expensive & boring walk

Gym membership. Over the years Ive been a member at a few, from higher end (David Lloyd) to budget (PureGym). Still havent re-attained the toned, svelte physique that I had when I was 30 years younger. I know it would probably help if I attended more frequently, and was a bit more enthusiastic on the occasions I do make the effort to go, but it's just so boring. I have to go on my own as none of my friends or colleagues live nearby (I have no family except my elderly parents and my brother lives in the US). Everyone else seems to have a partner or friend to go with, so it's not like I can chat with anyone or feel part of a group, I just feel like the odd one out. I love swimming but the pools are generally too busy, so that usually just gives me the rage its not a productive nor enjoyable experience. As for exercise classes, when i do manage to be early enough to book one, I generally cant hear the instructions over the deafening music.

@sueelleker

At the moment, retirement! I retired on January 4th 2020, and got about 6 weeks of doing what I liked before lockdown struck!

I retired in May 2019 and got around 7 months of total freedom before Covid struck! Still preferable to working though.

The Grand Canyon.
The plane ride from Vegas was fucking terrifying. And the Canyon itself was, well just a canyon.
Then that bloody plane ride back.

I used to read Mum Blogs when my DCs were small. One was utterly enthusing about Camp Bestival festival, how it was wonderful for young families, there was so much to do, all reasonably priced. More on in the day than the evening.

Yeah right. Talk about a paid review.

We went the next year, I wanted to go home after the first day. Don't get me wrong, weather was lovely, but everything was an extra. Everything was really expensive, queues were never ending. Maybe because the DCs were under 5 but it was hard work. DS was in a buggy, and all the campsites are at the bottom of huge steep hills, which were difficult to push a buggy up. Food costs were eye watering. Everywhere we went, kids were driving people mad for cups as apparently they got 5p per cup handed in.
Never would I ever again.
On the last night someone took over the PA system at 3am, woke the entire campsite up.

Oh and for a "family Friendly" festival, none of the toilets were big enough to bring a buggy in.

Last time I read and followed a blogger review.