Are you put off from visiting?

No I wouldn't pay that sort of money. We rarely do family visits around Christmas anymore when everyone is so busy and things are so expensive. If we do we stay with family. We still do zoom, facetime, etc that we started in lock down.

We have big family meet ups at other times of the year so we don't miss out on making memories and we're still seeing the GC, not to mention cousins, aunts, uncles, in laws that we would rarely see otherwise.

Travelling to Scotland is an expensive business now but we do go. One set of in laws always stay in an hotel which they prefer, we have stayed with the family even though its a bit of a squash.

Perhaps you could say you're putting the money you would spend (or some of it!) towards a family get-together somewhere halfway, when the weather gets better.

Callistemon21

^It could be worse- how do people whose AC and DGC live on the other side of the world afford to visit them?^

We said we'd never go economy again either .....

Probably cheaper to pay their fares to come to us although they are double what they were pre-pandemic.

We’ve said the same Callistemon on both counts.

Lucca

Travelodge can easily cost £300/400 eg in Glasgow on Friday Saturday Sunday

I randomly selected Bristol to check for 7/8/9 December, and without discount codes prices varied between over £400 and £175 for three nights - I guess if you want to stay on the doorstep, and book at the last minute you pay top dollar, but you can definitely get it for much less if you search, book in advance and get a discount code.

Farmor

Different families, different arrangements

Not all families would agree to remove the child from his/her bedroom so a relative has it for a visit.

I think you should go. I agree that staying in an hotel is more comfortable for oldies but staying with the DD or DS's family would save you a lot of money. Could you also save money on the dog sitting? There are organisations that place your pet with a family and I should think that would work out more cheaply than using kennels.

Hithere

Farmor

Different families, different arrangements

Not all families would agree to remove the child from his/her bedroom so a relative has it for a visit.

I think children rather enjoy 'camping' on a lilo indoors.

Hotel costs vary throughout the year. Going at a cheaper time or for cheaper days of the week can make a difference.

I would go but I do understand the dilemma - it’s a lot of money. Once our ds’s children were in their own rooms, there simply wasn’t room for us to stay with them. Only one bathroom was also an issue. It’s all very well saying ‘sleep on mattresses’ - where do you store mattresses the rest of the time in a tiny house?

We’ve always been happy to stay in a Travelodge nearby - we only use it for bathing and sleeping so don’t need anything fancy but even so, the cost mounts up, especially when the round trip tAkes over 1000 miles of petrol in the car.

We also have a son overseas - haven’t been to visit him since 2019 although we hope to next year.

If we could afford it , then yes, we would definitely go . Only once a year I guess and the cost of everything has gone up

Thanks for all the encouragement!
For hotel, read Premier Inn, travel lodge etc, not the Hilton or Marriott. We used to get a good deal at Macdonalds. I’ll have to look at Airbnb-never done that before.
We need to think about our dog too. 4 days dog care or somewhere we can take her.
DD would willingly have us to stay, but it’s not a big house and there’s already 5 adults some of whom share.
We used to sleep on an airbed at DD, but I don’t fancy sharing a room with their dogs now, and DH can’t get up off the floor.
Anyhow, I’m glad no one has said it’s crazy and we will go.
Re them coming to visit-they and their dogs are more than welcome and they know it, but trying to organise a time when none of them are working or performing has got more difficult, the older they’ve got.
Yes I’m truly grateful they’re not abroad. Visiting family members overseas is always part of a planned holiday, not a few days pop-over.

Hithere

Farmor

Different families, different arrangements

Not all families would agree to remove the child from his/her bedroom so a relative has it for a visit.

I just don't get this ?🙄.... I mean why ¿.... there is always room for family at my home and all my family is the same....I have had my boys sleeping in the summerhouse before today

My ds’s children were truly terrible sleepers. I’d never ask him to move them out of their bedrooms for us. Ds and dil both work FT and doing that on minimal sleep is a misery.

Mollygo I think expecting five adults to be able to visit somewhere at the same time is a non-starter, really, unless it’s for a wedding or similar. My ds in the US came over this summer but we weren’t able to get everyone together at any point. He managed to see everyone over the course of two weeks, so that was a blessing.

Please visit your family if you can afford to. My son met a lovely Kiwi girl on his travels eighteen years ago and stayed in New Zealand. I'd dearly love to see them more frequently. I hope you are able to enjoy your Christmas with your family.

Hithere - I agree that different arrangements suit different families. In our case, my mother appreciated teenage son moving out of his room, and would give him “bed and breakfast” money! All happy.

Callistemon21
“I think children rather enjoy 'camping' on a lilo indoors.”
As children, they did. They even camped in the garden, though obviously not at this time of year, which is when we’re going.
Moving out of their rooms?
As adults getting up to go to work, which some will as part of the time we’re there, I don’t feel it’s fair to expect it though DGS, who has the smallest room (single bed) offered. They only have one bathroom and don’t have a summerhouse or an extension.
SueDonim that’s another reason why they aren’t coming up, although next year they’re coming and we’re all sharing a ‘lodge’ so we can go to a family wedding about half way between us.
LOUISA1523 If you have the room, then it’s lovely to welcome family to stay. When they had the room we always stayed there.
The good news-DD suggested we let our pooch stay with them. Fingers crossed that that works!

My sin lives 380 miles from me and has a big Birthay in December, I am going for 2 nights in a hotel, I think with insurance in case I cancel it will be about £380. I dont count the present as I would buy it anyway.
Go and enjoy it, money well spent so long as you can afford it.

Son

If you can afford it, then I'd go. We're amongst the GNs with family overseas (our OC, spouse, & DGC). I looooong for them to be in the UK!

Half of my family live abroad. If you can afford it go. Time with your children and grandchildren is priceless.

Not quite the same but useful information, I was in hospital for a while and some dear relatives stayed in a local Premier Inn, before going back to our house to check anything needed,then hospital visiting!!
Everyday they had clean rooms, fresh beds and towels followed by breakfast. Could be expensive but horses for courses I suppose.

Could you go after Christmas perhaps? Hotel may be much cheaper then & as has already been suggested, cheap deals may be available when booking far enough in advance.

Yes I could go after Christmas, but they would like us to go before Christmas and we’d love to see them then.
I appreciate all the comments and encouragement and I really must look at what Airbnb involves for the future.

I'm not put off by the cost, but I am by the logistics. So much to arrange (I work from home, 7 days a week, plus am childcare for my DGS) that it's hard to move everything around to be able to fit travel in.