Holidays... not for me I'm happy at home

I used to want to travel more but the stress of airports and road traffic have reduced my desire drastically. I loathe the modern 'I've been everywhere ' mantra that so many are obsessed by. Boring and what about the planet! Tourism development wreaks havoc.
When the children were growing we did a lot of camping in the UK and France, Ireland, Germany and Spain. I think travel does broaden the mind and it was good for them to hear other languages and see other cultures. Camping was an excellent holiday with children, they could run about the campsite from dawn till dusk, there was always a playground and often a swimming pool.

Now I prefer out of season breaks and something not involving mass transport and I am slowly turning into someone who thinks the peace and quiet of home and garden is worth a lot. I would run a mile from a cruise, utter torture, why do people enjoy them?!

Azie We did the camping holidays all over France & Spain when the DCs where little we would spend the 5/6 weeks holiday travelling through The Dordoigne Vally stopping at small villages and finding a camp site every few days,it certainly let the DCs life in rural France we did the same through Spain all very enjoyable.
We are now quite happy being home based but I do enjoy my time away every year with DD where we can enjoy mum & daughter time for a week.

I find going away so stressful; it's not just the packing but I often need the loo urgently and with so many public toilets closing I'm worried that I won't find one - not all council websites are up to date!!! I've done a lot of travelling abroad but it seems that airports now are a battle in themselves. At present I find it hard to sit or even drive for any length of time. Oh dear, I sound a right misery!!! Meeting up with friends for lunch just suits me fine.

I think the tourist trail only really works for scenery and when you want to see specific things like mass migration in Africa. Otherwise just renting a room and living somewhere, all those new things to learn just makes me feel so alive. The thought of the same thing every day isn't for me. But like I said, each to his own and I agree with the OP about other people weighing in with their opinions about what she should be doing!

I, too, prefer to be at home. Having worked full time since the early 70s, with a break when the children were born, I have always been glad of time at home. DH, being a teacher, was home more than me, and a compulsive fiddler-about, so he never feels he has a proper rest if he's at home.

So this presents a problem - one of us wants to stay at home and potter, the other wants to get away from the pottering.

As we live slap bang in the middle of Europe, short weekend breaks are an option, and we do a few of those a year, but nowadays our "proper" holidays are used up on visiting DC and DCG in the US, or my mother in the UK.

Sometimes I even resent the time spent gadding about, where I could be at home doing the ironing or sorting my shoe collection. But piecing together European history, bit by bit, as we visit all these ancient sites, is also very rewarding.

Oh, and my parents had no urge to travel either. I think they were quite right when they said if they were going to spend a four-figure sum, they would rather renovate the bathroom (which will be used all year round) than blow it on 2 weeks away, an experience which is soon forgotten and, if it involves travelling and packing, isn't really much of a rest.

My father spent the war in the Indian Ocean and then his whole working life as a commercial traveller. He didn't want to see the inside of a hotel ever again.

I am not bothered about holidays, I have had some wonderful ones but also some very stressful ones. The odd overnight hotel stay suits me fine.
Last year when I was ill and on chemotherapy my sister gave me a printed sheet with a holiday she had planned, a trip to a mountainous region, as my birthday gift. I was cross as I knew I was not up to taking activity holidays and thought that she too could see how unwell I was. Since the DVT and PE I am wary of long trips.

Did any of you watch that tv programme last night about an all inclusive holiday campus somewhere in Spain I think it was. My idea of holiday hell. 7 swimming pools , 9 restaurants and 3000 guests. One family of mum ,dad and 2 children spent 14 days sat in the same place by the pool every single day. Getting up to go in the pool or to go to the restaurant ,they did join in with the dance \exercise in and around the pool as the son loves dancing . He very much reminded me of that Louis from pineapple studios of the last couple of tv years . Very camp and ott. I
I would hate to be anywhere like that .

We are all different, but I love to travel and intend to keep doing so as long as I am able. If and when the day comes when I'm physically, or financially, unable to travel I shall be quite content to stay at home with lots of happy memories to look back on.

This weekend will be spent sorting and packing clothes for our trip to England for our niece's wedding in 2 weeks time. I have lost a bit of weight which is making it harder. We are taking the car and taking the ferry from Santander rather than driving all the way. In September we have housesitters so we can have a couple of weeks touring Spain. My DH has been looking at this but will bring it up when it is time for bed and it ended up last night with him cancelling a hotel he had just booked and saying I could sort it all out. Reading the posts here perhaps forgetting about holidays and just pottering about locally would be easier.

Another one here. I hate going on holiday. My husband loves it, so I have to go. I hate the planning, the packing, the travelling and visiting other countries. Just not interested. I also hate travelling in this country. I am so happy at home, so contented . Why leave it? Cruise holidays have their good moments, but so many people talk about where they are going next all the time. It's like they've got ants in their pants. I expect they have nice homes and plenty of money and yet all they want to do is go, go, go. When it gets to that stage to me it's like a sickness.

When I come back people always say "Did you enjoy your holiday"? "Well no I didn't actually, I'm SO happy to be home". They look at me as if I'm mad. You also get people who as a conversation starter say "Planning your holidays yet?" "No, Go Away".

I love going away on holiday, I also like getting back home for a couple of weeks seeing family and pottering about the garden but then I'm going stir crazy and just want to get out and about seeing new places again. There is a big world out there and you are a long time dead, lots of time when you get older and maybe aren't fit enough to go away to be stuck indoors in my opinion anyway.

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Just do what you like doing, I'm mostly retired so have plenty of time at home, taking our grandson and visitors out locally, visiting friends all over the country (off to stay in our daughter-in-law's Dad's house in Yorkshire soon while he is in France and to visit friends in Bridlington for the middle weekend of the fortnight. I have to admit though that I do love traveling, don't spend money on many other things, mostly cook from scratch, run one fiat panda between us, buy most of my clothes from charity shops - they are more unusual and you can get great quality for next to nothing while supporting charity. We've been to some amazing places, met lovely people - some of whom we have kept in touch with and have some wonderful memories. Just had a month traveling in Quebec Province with our daughter who lives there atm, we booked air B&B, B&B, even some 'posh' camping in a national park which was my favourite place, lots of wildlife, fabulous experience but I understand not for everyone.

dont get me wrong we've been to a fair few other countries and quite enjoyed them ,several in europe and Canada,But I dont want to do it again,I couldn't go back to the same places year on year like our friends do ,it would drive me nuts.I like going to concerts so if theres one I want to see we'll book a room nearby and make a night of it and I'm happy with that.I love having my kids and GC close by ,have 4 GC for 5 days and nights this week,its manic but its great fun.Maybe thats the difference ,our closest friends dont have a great relationship with their family and no grandchildren.IF they say cruise to me once more I'll explode...lol

I travelled for 17 years in a camper van and it's ideal. The van becomes a home from home. We went all over Europe.
Those days are gone now but I still love travellling. But it is becoming more difficult and I truly loathe big airports.
I too now prefer short breaks, - had a lovely one recently in Cornwall. The trouble is I do have itchy feet, but I now wish they would stop itching!

We travelled a lot for a few years but now I'm glad we've "been there, done that" and can stay at home. I love my home and my hobbies. I spend a lot of time sewing and am always being told to get out more. I'm happy! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!

We're all so different, aren't we? I'm firmly in the tourist camp. We just love going away, as often as possible and particularly to places we've never seen before. We haven't done beach holidays since the kids were small, and would only choose to cruise if it's somewhere difficult to get round, like Alaska. We've never hankered to lavish money on the house - it's comfy and we have everything we need, but our kitchen is the one we took over when we moved in 30+ years ago and I'm more than happy about that. It seems to come back into fashion every five years anyway! I'd sooner have the lovely memories of travelling by train across Canada, sailing down the Mississippi, exploring all those places in New York and San Francisco we recognised from films we've seen, etc, etc, etc. I even enjoy the planning and the travel, once we're actually on the plane or the train (or even the bus!) and on our way, preferably with a glass of wine in hand. In fact, I don't even mind the airport, once we're through security, because it's a great place for people watching. My dad was the same and my mum a home bird, which was hard for him as they didn't travel at all in their early years. His dad's proud boast was that he'd never slept a night away from his own bed and never wanted to. I couldn't ever imagine that, but each to their own. I'd never try to persuade anyone to travel who didn't want to - it's lovely these days to find somewhere that's not full of other tourists!

We love being at home pottering, it suits us to have short breaks by the east coast. We are thought of as odd/tight! But I'm ok with that
We have been abroad in the past & the pyramids are definitely on my bucket list, just when I'm not sure

I love it. We have spent the last 12 winters in SE Asia travelling for 3 or 4 months at a time. Now when we go we spend less time travelling and tend to base ourselves in Cambodia and Laos where we now have strong connections. I love it when we come back at the end of Feb and I cook my first meal, light the fire and put on the telly. We have the odd few days away during the rest of the year, usually in Wales and loads of days out. We have friends who are always telling us to get a motor home but that is my idea of hell. We are all different, my love of travel stems from childhood as a forces kid, always on the move. Do what you enjoy is my motto

Another one here who hates holidays but my husband would love to go away. We went to NZ 2 years ago but it was a very quick 2 week trip and as we were visiting our new grandson who was only 6 weeks old it was taken up with his needs and that of his 2 year old brother so we didn't do any sightseeing. Its very difficult for me to take time off work too as there is no one else to do it so even if we've had a week off I've still worked early morning or late at night to keep up. Then there are our two cats and no one to look after them so that's always been a problem - we've put them in the cattery but it's not ideal. We did go to Florida 3 years ago but that was a works trip so I was in meetings for 3 days while my poor husband had to just amuse himself although we did then have a few more days free. I'm just a home bird I guess

When we lived in Cornwall we didn't have holidays, a) we couldn't afford them and b) who needs a holiday if you live in Cornwall! When we left Cornwall we were in a position to go to Italy 2 or 3 times a year, but now DH is too ill to travel and even days out aren't happening. I do miss Italy.

I'm no longer bothered, either, although I do still love a bit of warm sea once a year. Have done loads of travelling in the past, inc. plenty of the far flung and exotic, and we also,lived in the Gulf for many years. Dh still often has itchy feet and has been on a few trips on his own, but mainly his own relatives across the pond, and Ww1/2 battlefields. We are both happy for him to go on his tod, we're not one of those couples who have to do everything together all the time.

One reason I've gone off it is that I don't sleep well nowadays, so I HATE being cooped up in hotel rooms, with nowhere to escape to. Short breaks close to home, pref. by car, self catering with a spare room where I can listen to the radio at 3 a m, suit me fine. I do find airports a complete PITA nowadays - funny how I used to think they were so exciting!
Whoever said, LEAVE ME ALONE!! - I feel just the same about the odd friend/relative who thinks I 'ought' to be dying to do a tour of Vietnam/China/you name it. I've seen loads of Indonesia and Singapore - Dh was based in both for a while - that'll do for the Far East, and we 'did' Thailand/Malaysia, years ago. Even if I won a free trip I just don't think I could be bothered any more.
OTOH I still have a yen for lots of places in the U.K. we've never yet made it to. A few days, just jump in the car and go, lovely.

They can't be enjoying it that much if they are trying to force you to join them. It always amuses me when family & friends try to validate their own choices by insisting that everyone else will ' love it' &. must 'try it' .. . I always think it comes across as being a bit needy , perhaps I am being a bit harsh , but I just don't get it , even worse when the photos come out & you have to politely listen to the running commentary!

Love to travel and have new experiences and will do so until I am not able. However in the words of the song ; it's very nice to go travelling but it's so much nicer to come home. '

I am just back from a bus trip , 5 days in Gorey near Dublin , I loved it . It was organised by our Seniors Club and we all had a terrific time , lovely food , no washing up . Great room , no cleaning . Beautiful scenery , knowledgeable guide and good company , we chatted and relaxed . Time to ourselves when we wanted , some people did their own thing , others stayed close , recharged the batteries for another year , what's not to like ?