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Am I odd because I don't much enjoy holidays?

(107 Posts)
Framilode Sat 08-Feb-20 18:02:31

Is there anyone else like me? I go on holiday because my husband loves travelling but I always feel a little stressed the whole time I am away. What I really like is being at home in my own space. We have been to some wonderful countries but, left to myself, I wouldn't go on holiday.

Lancslass1 Sun 09-Feb-20 13:30:08

I must be sad because I love travelling -especially by train but also by aeroplane -alone.
I think I enjoy the journey as much as the holiday sometimes.
Yes I am odd.

ALANaV Sun 09-Feb-20 13:19:44

Does he have a hobby ( golf for instance ?) he could enjoy with his male friends ...then you can have your staycation at home ...maybe do things with friends you never have time for ...or visit stately homes (day trips National Holidays (sorry about the word Holidays !)…..so much to do and see, have fun

Lilyflower Sun 09-Feb-20 13:14:54

My DH and I used to travel to a different part of Greece or elsewhere in Europe every year but the ginger DS didn't like the heat and sun so we started to have holidays in the UK and, sometimes, France.

17 years ago we bought a place in Devon and since then we have travelled there as and when we can. It's fantastic. No airport. Five star home accommodation with hot and cold running everything. Three hours door to door and no passport control. If it rains we know we can come again when it's sunnier. And if a heatwave arrives we can just take off to Devon and enjoy it. Unlike many beach resorts there are places of beauty, culture and historical interest nearby.

Of course, there are drawbacks. I am my own cleaner, maintainer and gardener there so it's sometimes hard work.

And, during this current storm, sunshine seems very appealing.

Timsmum Sun 09-Feb-20 13:07:26

I have only ever had two ,four day holidays in my life and have never wanted to go anywhere,- stick in the mud maybe,-but I live 25 miles from the nearest beach -sand is sand wherever you are ,and only 70 miles from the wonderful Yorkshire moors and dales. and have a lovely half acre south facing garden ,What is better than that.

Rosina Sun 09-Feb-20 13:00:32

No Framilode you are not odd - or I am too. I love my home, I miss my animals if I go away, and I loathe airports or sitting in the car for hours to get somewhere. I have friends who spend thousands on holidays - they are not rich, but life revolves around those one or two trips a year. I prefer to eat out, buy new clothes, improve my home and generally have a more comfortable day to day life than they have, and forego all the tensions I associate with going away!

luluaugust Sun 09-Feb-20 12:28:50

We have a particular place we go back to time and again which is relaxing but still try to make some effort to go somewhere different. I find the organisation and actually getting out of the house very stressful now, must be something to do with age or an over active imagination!

Taichinan Sun 09-Feb-20 12:12:01

I'm not one for holidays either, so I don't think you're odd at all! I just love being home. And as others have said, the thought of all that packing, and hanging about at airports, doesn't excite me either. But then I was an RAF wife for a number of years in the days when we had bases all over the world, so I've seen a fair bit as 'home'. Maybe that used up all my wanderlust! I'm retired now, widowed, and life is one long holiday anyway.

Phloembundle Sun 09-Feb-20 12:11:08

For me, the end has to justify the means. I would endure any amount of discomfort for certain holidays, but not to sit on a beach.

grandtanteJE65 Sun 09-Feb-20 11:52:37

I'm all right once I get to our destination, but I hate all the preparation and leaving the cat to be looked after by someone else.

I tend too to worry about what might go wrong at home while we are away.

inishowen Sun 09-Feb-20 11:46:49

I find the build up so stressful. The packing, arranging to have the house looked after, making sure that no food will go off in the fridge, getting up at the crack of dawn to catch a flight, the crowds in the airport, the actual flight! It's only the next day when we are settled in our hotel room that the tension leaves me. I wonder why we bother.

Marilla Sun 09-Feb-20 11:44:32

When I was teaching full time, I would book short European city breaks and week long trips as a way of escaping from the job and household routines.
Since retiring and moving to the country, I don’t feel the need to go off on holiday anymore.

Esspee Sun 09-Feb-20 11:40:25

I love going somewhere we know well but get stressed travelling somewhere new. I think that is natural.

I always take far too much stuff with me even when I know where I am going. Yet if we get a cheap booking without a hold luggage allowance I cope admirably. Never understand that. ?

patricia1958 Sun 09-Feb-20 11:36:45

Suggest he goes on his own

Nannan2 Sun 09-Feb-20 11:31:20

P.s.Dibble- please dont take 'happy pills' before driving on motorway,im sure thats dangerous for everyone involved,and part of what makes me nervous when on motorway even though im not the one driving!(its my 21 yr old son& i worry whenever hes out in car.And no he does not take pills,and hes tee total,but i tell him,"its the others on roads youve to watch too"hmm!

Bluebird64 Sun 09-Feb-20 11:28:31

No, you are not odd at all. I love going to certain predictable places - western Scotland, and Newcastle where my daughter and grandson live. But I always feel anxious even before those trips, and always feel sad about leaving home...then when it's time to return from the holiday place, I feel sad to leave that...even to the point of tears on occasion. Newcastle is an hour away by train!!!! I've known of folks who never go on holiday due to the unsettling nature of these feelings. Interesting that you are fine once you're at the holiday destination...so am I. I loathe moving house too but as soon as I've moved, the previous place is history!

Nannan2 Sun 09-Feb-20 11:24:53

I love the planning,and i love the actual holiday,but yes,the dread of having to do the packing in the run up to holiday usually results in me doing at midnight before we set off!And the travelling,& airport,hate that bit too as am always wary we'l not be in time!grin

Dibble Sun 09-Feb-20 11:21:50

I thought I was the only one who also felt like this. My darling wife gets withdrawal symptoms if she goes more than three months without a holiday. And it must be abroad. She does not count a few days away in the UK a holiday it’s a little break. And as others have said the stress of going to the airport driving on the motorway. Even taking happy pills does not help. However when we do go on holiday, i love it when we get there. It is the stress of going and returning I find tiresome. Looking out of the window now I’m still in my PJ and my wife still in bed. Can’t do much with this storm. Aah well I’ll make our first coffee of the day. ttfn. Ps love all your comments and I do feel I am not alone.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Sun 09-Feb-20 11:14:04

I quite enjoyed holidays when my dear husband was alive and well but now - no, I'd rather stay at home in the garden with a nice cup of tea whenever I want one.
I'm sometimes asked if I'd 'like to get away' but I don't want to go alone and I don't want to compromise either with other people's preferences - something I'd have to do as DH and I had our own way of doing things which suited us. I'm sure I'm considered odd but that doesn't bother me.

red1 Sun 09-Feb-20 11:12:00

hate the travel, the preparation ,returning,sooner stay local.
i travel to see my son in ireland several times a year,i have done so for past 2 years.Last xmas i realised that i hate the journey etc,I realise that I'm going to see less of him,as i look ahead I realise I am soon going to have to make a decision of whether I am going to go and live near him.
families eh! Next time you go to any airport look how many older folk are travelling,there are not so many!
Most of my friends over 60 hate long journeys .

chattykathy Sun 09-Feb-20 11:08:17

It's funny that there's another thread running on the very opposite to this one.
bluesapphire I'm full of admiration of you. Please tell us, do you just book regular holidays as a single or go on organised trips for solos?

Aepgirl Sun 09-Feb-20 11:06:47

I love holidays but don’t like being away for more that 10 days. A weekend either side of a week is ideal for me.

JuliaM Sun 09-Feb-20 11:05:30

When my husband was at work, we rarely had the time to travel, he worked long hours had set holidays, and often these did not run at the same time as mine, so we were lucky to get away together for more than two weeks a year. We took up camping and after our daughters wanted to go boating for a week, we spent quite some time on the Norfolk Broads, then tok a liking to bigger boats once he retired and went on a few cruises. The tent camping graduated to a caravan, and we made up for lost time by touring around the Uk in our ready to go home from.home once he retired. Not much pre planning or packing required, just decide where we would like to go, and we can be hitched up off a couple of hours later. Its also nice to have allour own things around us, comfy bed, clean toilet and bathroom, warm and dry, and no long waits to check.in or worries about travel insurance or flight delays at the airports. We love it!

Bellasnana Sun 09-Feb-20 11:03:50

No, you are not odd at all. One man’s meat is another man’s poison.

I love travelling but that is usually because I’m going to visit family or friends. As I live in Malta, which is a pretty small island, it is nice to escape every three to four months. I don’t necessarily plan far in advance, sometimes it’s just spur of the moment and I’ve done it so often that it’s just second nature now.

When DH died I didn’t imagine I’d do so much travelling without him. He loved to travel so we nearly always went together, but I’ve found I can manage fine on my own, much as I wish he was still here.

My only problem is having to put my lovely dog in kennels. He is very happy there but the bill adds a substantial amount to my holidays. Still, I shall do it for as long as I’m able. Life is so short.

Moggycuddler Sun 09-Feb-20 11:03:47

I am the same. We have only ever been on short holidays, a few days. But I worried the whole time we were away, and often seemed to be poorly with something whenever we were going, anything from cystitis to a bad back to a bad cold. We haven' t been anywhere except on day trips for several years now and it's a relief. Best to keep it to theatre outings and cinema and the odd meal out, and day trips in summer. Much less stressful!

gilld69 Sun 09-Feb-20 11:01:00

me too i go because the family want too but i cant wait to get home id rather just have days out