Holidays. Are they important to you ?

I travelled more by living abroad rather than holidays , and worked for an airline for a while to allow me to travel further than I could have afforded on my own. When my son was young and we lived in the uk we bought a very old yacht, and so our holidays were spent sailing. Visited France and the scilly isles and went right round Ireland and loved the west coast of scotland and the Hebrides. Loved the sailing, and as a purist only used an engine to go in and out of harbours where they had bylaws about that. But loved mostly anchoring up on our own or meeting a couple of other boats.
A real sense of freedom - of course ruled by the weather to a certain extent - but we could change our minds , stop and start as we liked. It was camping on water really, as of course still had cooking to do (and at an angle!) and shopping could be hard work as of course no car to take things in.

To have a little luxury we used to have a couple of weekends staying at a farmhouse b/B or in a small hotel. in spring and auttumn. Whilst my husband was still working he only had his holiday available so it was always sailing for that. which was his great pleasure . I then used to go alone, or occasionally with a friend in about February time, on a cheap trip often to Italy as I went to see Art and Music. So never tried to emulate the smart italian women, but used to have smartish trousers and tops and sensible shoes and waterproofs with a good rucksac. That allowed me to be first in the queue to visit the Uffizi or go to see the sistine chapel etc. I used to sometimes go to Venice and get the local waterbus and go off and around different piazzas. Dont know about these days but then if you stood up to drink your coffee it cost less. Had some great trips doing things like that, but now couldnt do the walking sadly.

Still love travelling to anywhere and still finding new things to enjoy. I will be 80 this year and so plan to go somewhere abroad for one more time as I expect the insurance will mean that I cant afford it so long as I can get around safely I still plan to keep travelling in this country. Over the years have visited most of the uk and will look forward to contiuing to enjoy wonderful scenery, and country. Have never been a person who wanted to just sit on a beach but am still an RHS member and have my yellow book NGS so I am sure that there will be many lovely gardens to enjoy. I am a widow and miss my husband of course, but the one thing about being on your own is that I dont need to book weeks in advance etc, but can just decide last minute . Up until the Covid stuation I was happy to stay in yha and other hostels, as all I want is a clean bed and a shower and to be able to get my breakfast very early if my back wakes me up, so can be off and away by 6am sometimes. dont think I shall be doing that anymore !!
So, will be checking my box for the car, ready for travelling, with plates mugs cutlery etc etc so can have picnics as I travel, and never need to sit in some noisy boring place, but like to buy food, and then go off to sit up in the moors, or close to the sea in a quiet place. So probably be the last time I get round bits of Britian. I shall still enjoy being at home too, and have my books and music and things to do so it is not that I dont like being at home. I think the most important thing is to think what will give you pleasure, and not a lot of stress to organise it. When money was very tight , we used to think of just days that would be a treat for us, and some of those were simply giving ourselves permission to do no housework and have "a day off" where we just did as we liked, so we could read all day or be out in the garden and ignore the washing etc. and then we would go mad and buy fish and chips or a chinese takeaway!! Enjoy whatever floats your boat and give yourselves a mental day off at least. We all do our best for our families and help with childcare or whatever is needed but we alsoneed to say this couple of days are for me.

Never thought I'd ever hear myself saying this but holidays simply hold no allure for me any more. Simply can't be bothered with the general preparation or airport faff. If I do change my mind it will certainly be for a lazy cruise which takes me to a different place every day with minimum effort from me.

My friend is very outgoing and was recently made redundant. At nearly 60, she decided to not look for another job so she can spend time with her older husband who is retired. She is living frugally but manages to get out and about in her locality. She has always loved travelling, I used to say that she should have been a travel agent as she loves all the planning and research as well as the holiday itself.

So she shocked me when she said that, after a few months of only visiting local areas and letting her husband do most of the driving, she is losing confidence with travel and with driving. She becomes anxious about potential train or traffic delays or weather conditions eg flooding. Only a few months ago, she would have taken it all in her stride. She's only 59 and not a home body! She's the last person I'd have expected to be affected like this, she's always been so confident.

I do think travel is good for our brains and coping skills. I go abroad once a year with family but as a recent retiree, I love travelling around the UK by public transport and if we get a bit lost, well Britain is a small country! I especially love a solo trip, though that doesn't happen often. I love exploring new places or revisiting old ones. I've been to (and lived in) many places around the world but not much of my own country so I'm making up for that. We live in a beautiful country after all with wonderful architecture and history and gorgeous countryside. It's good to remind myself of that.

Someone mentioned not remembering a holiday for long once they are back home. I keep a journal and print out mini-photos, buy postcards and keep tickets which I paste in the journal and write about what we've done each day - no hardship as I already keep a journal. I love looking back on it.

I also enjoy letter-writing so every time I write about the trip, I re-live the memory and it cements itself in my mind.

madeline45 your post was a real inspiration!

My mum passed away last year, so this year is the first time we’ll be able to go away without worrying, or being called by her carers.
But at the moment I’m not bothered. I’m hoping when the weather improves I’ll feel different. We’re not bothered about going abroad, and like you most of our friends are up and away, often to far flung places.
We too look after our GC twice a week, so would have to have a few days inbetween apart from when they’re away, and we could go for a week.
One friend has just got back from 3 months in Spain. Her family have fallen out with them, she didn’t give much notice and they have struggled finding childcare. I couldn’t have done that.

Holidays are not important to me at all. I prefer to stay at home and relax mainly because I did a lot of travelling in my working life. It was very enjoyable and I learned some languages [now sadly forgotten] and met some very interesting people but travelling now is not for me and I prefer to wave my feet in the sea in my own home area.

Katyj - We look after our grandchild every week and hate to miss doing that. Hence we do 5 nights from our local airport. We love doing that. Had 4 holidays in the last few months. We feel we have had a proper holiday even though it is short.

It's trying to decide what to take then the packing and unpacking when we get home that I hate. I also don't like the change of routine when we're on holiday. I'm just a home bird these days!

I have happy memories of holidays all over the UK but not so many abroad as DH was not keen. The best ones were with choirs as we saw so much and didn’t have to organise it ourselves.
Since DH died I have been on some coach holidays, with local puck ups, so very convenient. People are very friendly and we get taken to places I wouldn't otherwise go to. I am not sure that I want to go abroad again, but am reluctant to say I never will.

I’m no longer interested in holidays. Just too much hassle. I’m lucky to have a nice home in a beautiful part of the country that people pay to visit. I love my home and being retired is just one long holiday without the stress of packing, cancelling post etc and, worst of all, travelling. Maid service would be nice though!

We arrived home yesterday and I slept like a log in my own bed.And reunited with our dogs who enjoyed their sunny but chilly walk this morning.
I honestly think the best bit of holidays for me is coming home !UK holidays are far more relaxing I've decided.No angst about packing as we're in the car.No worries about airport delays and baggage limits.Not saying we will never go abroad again as DH is more keen .Maybe its because I'm retired but lots of small treats and days out hold far more appeal now.

Love0c Yes that sounds like a plan. I’d be happy with a few days away. As Washerwomen has just said I look forward to coming home more than I do going so think short breaks are the way to go.

I love to travel and have family and friends who live abroad, so am at an airport fairly regularly.
I was planning to visit a part of the USA that was of interest to me this year, but now feel that I have to wait until 2029...

It's really not for me any more. We had some fun holidays with the children and late OH and I used to enjoy coastal walking holidays.
I have several friends who are away more than they are home, largely on cruises, but that idea leaves me cold.
I live in an extraordinarily beautiful place and I am typing this on my phone whilst sitting in bed drinking tea and soaking up the view of the hills and the lambs.
I was to have holidayed with my DD and family next month at the English seaside but have just cancelled ... too many heart problems that would diminish the enjoyment, and a pacemaker due in the next few weeks. I did not want to be a burden on their enjoyment.
I will stay here and enjoy the beautiful countryside .... and the travel programmes on TV .... thats the way to travel!

I’ve had some lovely holidays, since my partner and I got together some 30 years ago, especially enjoyable when I was working full time. The holidays I choose these days are to visit my sister in Spain, spend time with my other sister in the New Forest or Devon, or take short city breaks, either with my partner, daughter or sisters. Flying and airports I find so exhausting these days, especially having to contend with delays and cancellations. I’m only away for a week at the most, as I miss my home, children/grandchildren, dog, gardening, friends, volunteering.

I had my first holiday last year since 2005. Went to Berwick upon Tweed Monday to Friday and stayed in premier Inn as they have accessible rooms for walking and wheelchair disabled. Lower beds and large shower rooms and safety equipment. Had the great pleasure of meeting and spending time with a member of GN. They took me out which I never expected had a wonderful time. When I came home booked to go too York in September again same length of time and in a premier Inn. Going to Llandudno in May I booked my room in October and got my train tickets 2weeks ago. Hoping to go to Harrogate in September. All via train with the help of travel assistance takes away the worry of getting on and off the train and getting a seat and changing trains .

All my holidays will be in Britain as missed my chance to go abroad due to finances and my health means I can no longer go on a plane . And the thought of a cruise or coach holiday fills me with horror.

I won't go to anywhere I went to with my husband as those memories are precious. So look forward to 2 holidays a year as long as I am able .

I've never been very keen on holidays, even as a child I preferred to stay with my grandparents than go away. Being a travel sickness sufferer (when in back of a car or on water) didn't help.
We did have a few UK holidays when my boys were young but haven't had on for 20+ years. Always self catering, I have never stayed in a hotel.
Never been abroad, never wanted to go either. Have seen some lovely places in the UK though.

We have a touring caravan and since 2020 have holidayed using it, for obvious reasons to begin with.
Then in the summer of 2022 just as things were getting ‘back to normal’ re travelling abroad, my husband developed a sudden serious cardiac issue (understatement, won’t bore with the details) resulting in an aortic valve replacement last March.
After a slowish but successful recovery ( albeit on pills now forever which annoys him greatly, but that’s another story!) in September 2024 we went on a cruise from and returning to Tilbury visiting ports along the coasts of Portugal, France and Spain. We had a lovely time and so decided to book another.
However this time, it’s a fly cruise from Gatwick this Tuesday to the Caribbean for a 2 weeks.

I’m please he’s well enough to do this, his choice of destination, but I’m really procrastinating re the packing and just feel it would have been so much easier to wait til the weathers a bit warmer here, load up the caravan and go off somewhere local ( Suffolk) or further afield instead, for a week or two, to a lovely site with amenities and activities, with places to eat on site or nearby if we so choose! I suppose I sound ungrateful but I’m really not as excited about it all as I think I should be, but do appreciate the fact that we are fortunate to be able to go.

Oh well, on with the packing 🤨

I used to love my holidays. We would go abroad two or three times a year and we had a touring caravan we used constantly i between. 4 years ago my DH suffered a stroke whilst we were abroad. The experience was terrifying. Though we paid dearly for our travel insurance I discovered just how difficult it was to navigate through all of the loopholes they put me through at a terrifying and difficult time. I eventually decided just to pay everything first and claim it back after they told me they wouldn’t be making any decisions on payment until they had reviewed my husband’s past medical history. Eventually they deducted 6% off the total amount they paid back because I had forgotten my husband had suffered anaemia 5 years before! Sorry to go off on a tangent but even though my husband would like to travel abroad again unfortunately I absolutely refuse. It was such a horrendous experience it left me feeling completely devastated and so anxious. Thankfully with the help of my son coming over I was able to get my husband home safely but never again. DH unfortunately had a second stroke and we found our beloved caravan holidays were no longer doable. Strangely though I don’t miss them,! These days the thought of leaving my home and sleeping in a strange room fills me with dread. I’m so grateful we had the chance to build up so many great memories from our past travels but I definitely don’t miss them.

By way of explanation on my previous post in case others are thinking mu DH was the one who suffered the most, the area of his brain affected by the brain bleed caused hallucinations. He was blissfully unaware of the extent and seriousness of our predicament! Even though he had his fit to fly certificate we were extremely worried about how his behaviour would affect the flight which did turn out to be just as stressful.

Like a lot of posters, I loved going on holiday, especially to warmer climes, sometimes 2 or even 3 times a year. I find it quite tedious now, the insurance, airport hassle etc. I had a really bad
experience last year with a certain airline and gave up trying to get some recompense as they made it so complicated.
However, I love the sun and live in Northern England where our temperatures are pretty dire. If I could be transported off in say January to March to a comfortable hotel in a warm winter climate, not too far away (any suggestions?) I would happily spend the rest of the year at home.

Just remembered some friends who were keen cyclists. This was in the days of duty free. They used to go round the charity shops and get quite a few t shirts, shorts, and a couple of jumpers and a mac. These were all washed and packed on their bikes. Then they used to go by sea to Holland, where there was a lot of good flat cycling to enjoy. As they went round they wore the clothes and then disposed of them, so that when they were ready to come back, they had only small bag of underwear washing, and the space was taken up by their duty free. !! No duty free these days, When we were young and my mother then had 3 children to deal with we only went on things like camping or to relatives. Mum used to do all the washing, ironing etc and cooking herself but her exception was on arriving home, for that one time in the year, she would take the washing for a service wash to the launderette and we would have either fish and chips or chinese, so that she didnt start on the day we arrived home. I still stick to getting a takeaway on my way in as I arrive home, and then after I have had that and a sit down can face unpacking!!

I think holidays are not so important until, for what ever reason, they can’t be taken. They then become much more desired, sadly.

Sorry to say it but these days, too many places are 'dog friendly'. This puts me off renting holiday accommodation, as there are bound to be hairs and possibly parasites. You don't know whether the bowls in the kitchen have been used by the dog.
I used to rent a cottage so that I could have a week away from the family. Now I stick to just days out.

We have dogs and totally respect that some people don't wish to stay in a property that is dog friendly. But our experience booking is
that there plenty of places that aren't available to pet owners.And I don't know one of my dog owning friends who would take their dog to one they weren't allowed to.We also pay extra per dog for cleaning at our regular cottage stays.For us a trip to Northumberland or Anglesey without our dogs wouldn't be the same.