surely this isn't normal??

[linzoid]

My 2 sons are 8 and 5. We have never had a holiday since before they were born. Once when we just had ds1 we talked about going on holiday and he was distraught at the idea saying no way was he sleeping somewhere other than his own bed. He was also highly sensitive to lots and lots of other things and we never ended up going partly because i knew he'd cry and cry. I just told my ds2 that we are going on holiday, a weekend break in the summer and i have had tears etc again! Whats going on? aren't kids supposed to be really chuffed about holidays? i think my two are barmy!

loads of kids hate change they like to just potter along maybe they think they wont come back.Reassure them its only for a week Good Luck

Have they ever been with you to stay at a relatives, grandparents etc? Not sure that children always appreciate anthing in advance if they don't know what's going to happen, or what it will be like....
They do sound as if something has got into their heads about this!

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My ds1(age 10)is a bit like your son, Linzoid. Ds2 age 8 will sleep anywhere though and even went on a residential school trip for 2 nights when he was just 7 and he loved it. Ds 1 absolutely refused to go. We do manage to go on holiday quite often though but ds1 will only go if he can take 3 of his teddies. (he would kill me for telling you this). In any other way he is confident. When we go away though he loves his holiday but he says he misses his bed.
We first went away when they were 2 and 3 so he is used to it. If you just went for one night and he took something familiar to reassure him maybe that would help?

Our DS1 is similar to this......he just can not accept any change and when we have spoken about moving house he gets tearful and really worries about it.
As it turns out we probably won't me moving at all now but even if we were it wouldn't for about 4 yrs, yet he still got anxious about it.
He's the same with our car........a bit odd but probably quite normal.

A friend took her ds to Greece when he was about 4 - he was OK for the first week, but horrid for the second. Eventually they managed to drag out of him "I don't want to live here any more, I want to go back to our old house".

Is it possible your boys don't know what a holiday is about. Can you sit down with them and talk to them about all the things they can do on holiday, and ask them what they want to do too. Maybe some books from the library would help?

The first time we took ds on holiday he was about 3. He happily prepard for it, got in the car and went, but the second we got there he explored the bedrooms and then burst into tears! He said we couldn't possibly stay there as there was no kitchen to make his dinner
A quick visit to the restaurant to explain that someone else was going to cook for us and he would be able to choose soon rectified the situation.

Bless em, they're so sweet sometimes aren't they