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

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.

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 .

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.

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, 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.

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 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.

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 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?!

But then Paddyann, I love travelling and new places and friends/relatives are always saying saying "where now" disapprovingly and telling me I should be spending more time at my house -I guess people just like telling others what they should be doing

....and, another one here!
After years of holidays in Europe ( long camping trips with the children in France, years ago) and of so many holidays abroad in far flung places, have reached the stage where holidays in the UK are fine for me.DH still wants to go to a few places abroad though, so will have to compromise on that.All the airport rush and faff, and especially the hold ups now because of anti-terrorist checks, just don't seem worth it.To throw your cases in the car and just drive off to a destination here is very relaxing. The only thing that still tempts me is somewhere sunny in the middle of Winter.

We used to have 3 foreign holidays every year until I got skin cancer on my face and then we tried a narrowboat holiday in this country and fell in love with boating so joined a boatshare syndicate . We did It for 9 years before selling our share. We miss the boating and finding beautiful little villages but don't miss the share side of It. We had some "not very clean "people join it and i spent hours cleaning the boat before we could use it.
Now we have a caravan which we have bought with our youngest son and Dil .
Seeing the news today i am pleased we dont travel abroad.

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

Another home body here, I find thinking what to take, packing so stressful,I have been abroad a couple of times also a mini cruise, that was before E was born....my OH and I havent been on holiday since we got together 14 years ago..we are quite happy with day trips and the very occasional weekend away

Merlotgran - your style of holiday just chucking it in the car and being flexible is great. That was my holidays once the DC grew up and before my DH died. We loved wandering around the country, stopping where we felt like. Equally, if we weren't going away, I liked relaxing sitting in the garden reading. I refused to go on a package tour to Europe again with awful Europop blaring all day and awful English style food.
As a widow, my holidays are a few days away at a holiday camp with DGC. It's enjoyable but exhausting, especially the travelling without a car.

Why don't my italics work??? B****r!

You are definitely not alone as we can see!

I am in the situation where OH is unwell and getting away is a bit of a problem. But even before that we did not go away much. When the children were little we took more holidays as they enjoyed the beach; and we sometimes went to summer schools for a week, where each did their own courses.

But now we go to St Davids each year for a week and I go to the festival concerts whilst OH lolls about. Next year we are also going to the seaside with a DD and family - but that is as are as we go. I was brought up by the sea and need my "fix" every year.

But big trips involving planes and airports hold no appeal and never have. I enjoy travel programmes on TV - that is enough for me - let someone else do the traveling!

and if it all goes pear shaped you can just jump in the car and go home! You have hit the nail on the head, Merlot!

Wow! so many like minded people!

I have no urge to travel to another country (maybe one day I will but at the age of 61 and no passport)
My late dh loved going to Wales Anglesey with our little tent before we moved up to 5 star luxury caravan (actually it was a little 2 birth tiny thing but to us it was lovely)
When his health became a problem we sold the van and had little weekends away in Landudnno we loved it.

Then as health got worse we were quite content to stay at home potter in the garden and round town and odd day out at Fleetwood/Blackpool/etc dh would sit in the car over looking the sea and I would go walkies.
I am quite content to holiday in this country I don't yearn for hot weather and lounging by the poolside.
We had our honeymoon in Malta and we went to Spain..never wanted to re visit.

People seemed shocked! that I ave never been to LONDON! lol I have no urge/yearning to go there it is of no interest to me and certainly isnt on my bucket list.

There's such a lot to be said for taking short breaks in the UK.

You can wait until the weather forecast is favourable and grab a last minute bargain - preferably when the kids have gone back to school in September!

No packing stress - just chuck it all in the boot of the car and what you don't need can stay there till you get home.

No extortionate kennel fees for just a couple of nights away.

No airport/travel stress.

Easy to extend your break for a night or two if you want to.

Journeys can be flexible - if you want to stop for a break or take a detour just do it.

No massive expectations as it hasn't taken you months to plan.

And if it all goes pear shaped you can just jump in the car and Go Home.

jusenoneed we definitely want a balance that includes holiday time at home to 'recover' - or just 'be' if we also choose to go away.

When my children were little we travelled extensively in the UK, - top, middle and bottom of Wales, a London-based week to cover our national heritage , Norfolk for beautiful beaches and so on.

Going on holiday can be very stressful and it is a wonder to me that people, especially with young children, want to put themselves through the stresses of navigating airports, travelling to places that are uncomfortably hot and paying high tariffs for just a.n.other beach / pool / hotel experience that may not be that dissimilar to somewhere nearer home. If you want to explore the culture of a place, that is different, but if we want a break 'away' we can achieve that by travelling 15 miles down the road .

I think sometimes people feel they should be able to say thy have been somewhere 'exotic' - when the reality may be a lot more expense and stress for very little substantial gain.

we will be camping soon - when people have asked where we are going and I say, the subject is often quickly dropped, as if it is a 'poor man's holiday' that can be of little interest. It suits us to a tee and we get to see a lot of brilliant places, eat as and when we want to - no waiting for a dining room to open ... no being ripped off food-wise and our accommodation costs at a picturesque location for 7 nights: £133! I keep reminding my DH that I am cheap to keep .

I am not alone then ! There are such great expectations of holidays and they rarely live up to it. I enjoy a few days away prefer to stay in an hotel rather than with friends so I am a free agent. I hate all the hullabaloo at airports so like to drive to my destination. Like other posters I enjoy days out. As for camping ugh !
My granddaughter is in S.America for a month doing all sorts of adventurous things, I love to hear about it but don't want to do it myself.

In a way I agree with the OP but when we actually do go away I find the change of scenery so refreshing and enjoyable that I kick myself for not doing it more often.
It's so easy to get stuck in a rut and travel really does broaden the mind.

I have never travelled abroad and have no wish to, I don't like hot weather and as for being stuck on a ship with loads of strangers... no thanks.
We used to have a holiday somewhere in the UK when the boys were young but since they have been off on their own we haven't bothered. Don't miss the rushing about, packing etc. I always think you need a week at home to recover from going away lol.

How nice to find some like minded people!

I find that a week away is plenty although we took longer holidays, driving and camping around Europe when all the children were younger.

People seem amazed that we don't want to fly somewhere exotic and sit in the sun, or do the Inca Trail or Great Wall of China.

I have a huge bucket list of places we want to see in this country and four or five days away at a time is fine by us.

Another thing is that Dh loves jazz so we take the opportunity to stay away and look around anywhere we visit.