Going on Holiday in the UK - WHY?
Discussion
I think it depends on what you are looking for in a holiday.
I have just spent a week sailing in the North Sea, where it was warm for a couple of days, then cool, then cold. But each day was enjoyable in its own way.
We are going away to Norfolk to a beach hut for two weeks at the end of July, the weather will be what it will be. I can get in the car and drive for 90 minutes, and then the holiday starts. No airport hassles, no travel insurance to arrange, no phoning the car insurance people to let them know I am going abroad, no stressing about which European breakdown cover to get etc.
For me a holiday is detaching yourself from normal stresses of life, and spending time doing what you want, rather than what someone else or cost consciousness dictates. You can do that in the UK if the weather is not the main driver, which is why a lot of people holiday in the UK
If you need certainty of nice weather, then the UK is obviously not going to deliver on that, and so go abroad.
I have just spent a week sailing in the North Sea, where it was warm for a couple of days, then cool, then cold. But each day was enjoyable in its own way.
We are going away to Norfolk to a beach hut for two weeks at the end of July, the weather will be what it will be. I can get in the car and drive for 90 minutes, and then the holiday starts. No airport hassles, no travel insurance to arrange, no phoning the car insurance people to let them know I am going abroad, no stressing about which European breakdown cover to get etc.
For me a holiday is detaching yourself from normal stresses of life, and spending time doing what you want, rather than what someone else or cost consciousness dictates. You can do that in the UK if the weather is not the main driver, which is why a lot of people holiday in the UK
If you need certainty of nice weather, then the UK is obviously not going to deliver on that, and so go abroad.
I have had some nice holidays in the UK but if the weather is against you, it can be the most awful place on Earth.
I also like to guarantee my sunshine, to some extent but no, that doesn't always work out, either, even in the Canaries.
Being retired, I can go at any time I want but last year I had 8 holidays in Spain or the Canaries. Even with the best will in the world, that means at least 30 hours in the air and about half that again, travelling to and waiting at the airport. So, after a while, though people do envy my ability to holiday, it is actually a bit of a chore, especially going to places you've already been......yes, I know I can go somewhere else but sometimes you find somewhere that suits you and going elsewhere can prove to be very dull unholiday.
It would help, of course, if the UK was cheaper but it really isn't and driving transgressions don't give you points on your licence, driving abroad and a hire car is far cheaper.
I also like to guarantee my sunshine, to some extent but no, that doesn't always work out, either, even in the Canaries.
Being retired, I can go at any time I want but last year I had 8 holidays in Spain or the Canaries. Even with the best will in the world, that means at least 30 hours in the air and about half that again, travelling to and waiting at the airport. So, after a while, though people do envy my ability to holiday, it is actually a bit of a chore, especially going to places you've already been......yes, I know I can go somewhere else but sometimes you find somewhere that suits you and going elsewhere can prove to be very dull unholiday.
It would help, of course, if the UK was cheaper but it really isn't and driving transgressions don't give you points on your licence, driving abroad and a hire car is far cheaper.
okgo said:
Anyone saying the weather isn’t s
t is kidding themselves to the highest level.
My mum just told me she’s had to wear a jacket to take the dogs out. Even where I am in South of France the wind is making it a little irritating, and that’s with sunny 28c weather.
That's because at the moment the jetstream is running further south than normal. t is kidding themselves to the highest level. My mum just told me she’s had to wear a jacket to take the dogs out. Even where I am in South of France the wind is making it a little irritating, and that’s with sunny 28c weather.
It won't be long before we have a summer when the roads are melting, train lines are buckling and people are fighting in Costco over the last tall blower fan.
It's the inconsistency in the UK that's the issue, if you insist on a warm weather holiday (as I do).
There are many people out there who don't like the heat. I once went on a few dates with a really nice girl whose favourite season was Autumn, she hated the summer, had never been on a beach holiday and wouldn't even consider one. I mentally knocked things on the head with her there and then as there's no point a sunworshipper being with someone like that, but we remain friendly and I know she goes on great holidays that she enjoys, just not to hot places. Horses for courses.
okgo said:
borcy said:
I think it's not so much bad weather but your personal attitude to it.
For some it needs to be wall to wall sunshine for a holiday for others it doesn't really matter.
I think it just makes every possible activity easier and more enjoyable (especially with kids) if it’s not raining/cold. For some it needs to be wall to wall sunshine for a holiday for others it doesn't really matter.
to others it really doesn't matter.PurpleTurtle said:
There are many people out there who don't like the heat. I once went on a few dates with a really nice girl whose favourite season was Autumn, she hated the summer, had never been on a beach holiday and wouldn't even consider one. I mentally knocked things on the head with her there and then as there's no point a sunworshipper being with someone like that, but we remain friendly and I know she goes on great holidays that she enjoys, just not to hot places. Horses for courses.
Yeah, different people wanting different things out of a holiday shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone. I can't think of many holiday ideas worse than spending day sat on a beach in 30+ degrees. I live near a beach and love to go for a swim, but I'm bored stiff after 10 minutes of just sitting on the beach, whereas I know plenty of people will happily sit the beach all day. It was hot and sunny here last week, I spent most of it hiding in the shade.We hit about -20 on holiday in Finland at Easter, had a great time
Not really interested in spending the whole time sitting on the beach, though some time with a good book and a beer is acceptable. Spent most of a couple of fortnights in the Maldives snorkelling, though, and would happily do that again. Not a big fan of swimming in cold water, though. Did a bit of snorkelling in Madeira, but it wasn't really warm enough. Wouldn't even consider it here. Also would probably catch something, and not a fish.
It’s not just the weather for me, although (for example) sitting outside having breakfast for a week or two is a real treat for me and something you can rarely do consistently here. We all know the jet stream is in the wrong place etc etc but that doesn’t change the reality – most of the time, the UK summer weather is relatively poor/unreliable.
In amongst the drizzle, UK coastal towns & villages are often pretty bleak places and I’ve no idea why we insist on giving bars/restaurants daft novelty names like the Sea Shanty, the Smugglers Cove or the Jolly Fisherman etc.
But, there’s much more to it than that for me which attracts me to trips abroad. Food & drink for a start. You can walk into most pubs in the UK and know pretty much exactly what’s on the menu before you’ve even got through the front door. The odd few are very good, but most are mediocre and an awful lot are downright rubbish. I also think this averageness is pretty expensive by comparison to what you can have in other parts of Europe now which never used to be the case. It was cheaper drinking in certain bars in central Nice than back home recently for example. A previous poster suggested going self catering in the UK so you can cook yourself something nice – why the hell would you want to do that every day on holiday?
The architecture. We spent some time in Seville recently and wandering around the city looking at some of the amazing buildings was breathtaking. Despite having some wonderful buildings of our own, I genuinely cannot think of anywhere in the UK that can match places like that. Also, the atmosphere, the sights, sounds & smells in/around some of these places is unmatched by anything at home – watching 2 people dancing in the evening in front of the Plaza de Espana for example. Experiences (I believe) you can only get abroad.
In amongst the drizzle, UK coastal towns & villages are often pretty bleak places and I’ve no idea why we insist on giving bars/restaurants daft novelty names like the Sea Shanty, the Smugglers Cove or the Jolly Fisherman etc.
But, there’s much more to it than that for me which attracts me to trips abroad. Food & drink for a start. You can walk into most pubs in the UK and know pretty much exactly what’s on the menu before you’ve even got through the front door. The odd few are very good, but most are mediocre and an awful lot are downright rubbish. I also think this averageness is pretty expensive by comparison to what you can have in other parts of Europe now which never used to be the case. It was cheaper drinking in certain bars in central Nice than back home recently for example. A previous poster suggested going self catering in the UK so you can cook yourself something nice – why the hell would you want to do that every day on holiday?
The architecture. We spent some time in Seville recently and wandering around the city looking at some of the amazing buildings was breathtaking. Despite having some wonderful buildings of our own, I genuinely cannot think of anywhere in the UK that can match places like that. Also, the atmosphere, the sights, sounds & smells in/around some of these places is unmatched by anything at home – watching 2 people dancing in the evening in front of the Plaza de Espana for example. Experiences (I believe) you can only get abroad.
MarkJS said:
A previous poster suggested going self catering in the UK so you can cook yourself something nice – why the hell would you want to do that every day on holiday?
When we do the AirBnB & hire car type of foreign holiday, we eat out a lot, but even when do we cook for ourselves it's always interesting to shop locally. Not sure visiting an ASDA in a different town in the UK really cuts it on that front.We are holidaying in the UK in August for 25 days. We live in the Costa Blanca and will be travelling in our motorhome, up through France, then on to Norfolk, North Wales and Devon. Then the ferry to Santander, and spend a couple of weeks in Northern Spain and Portugal before heading home.
Its a constant 30 to 40c in August here, so it will be nice to have a few weeks out of it. Unless it's constantly pissing down in the Uk
Its a constant 30 to 40c in August here, so it will be nice to have a few weeks out of it. Unless it's constantly pissing down in the Uk
blueg33 said:
LuS1fer said:
driving transgressions don't give you points on your licence, driving abroad and a hire car is far cheaper.
Really hurts your wallet though, especially Switzerland
PistonBroker said:
The weather is literally the only problem I can see with holidaying in the UK.
I holidayed in Cornwall as a kid and only have good memories. But I imagine I've conveniently forgotten getting drenched and having to sit in playing board games because the weather's awful.
We're off to Looe with the outlaws later this month. It doesn't help that we live in the South West now anyway, so it doesn't seem like quite such a break to me. We head for the beach most weekends anyway. But I appreciate it's a treat for the outlaws as they all still live in Redditch and a chance for the M-i-L to have a holiday as she's on sticks now.
I'm still not ruling out my wife and daughter insisting they need a last-minute to Mallorca next month if the weather in Looe turns out to be rubbish.
The weather the only problem with the UK?!I holidayed in Cornwall as a kid and only have good memories. But I imagine I've conveniently forgotten getting drenched and having to sit in playing board games because the weather's awful.
We're off to Looe with the outlaws later this month. It doesn't help that we live in the South West now anyway, so it doesn't seem like quite such a break to me. We head for the beach most weekends anyway. But I appreciate it's a treat for the outlaws as they all still live in Redditch and a chance for the M-i-L to have a holiday as she's on sticks now.
I'm still not ruling out my wife and daughter insisting they need a last-minute to Mallorca next month if the weather in Looe turns out to be rubbish.
How about the absolutely abysmally bad accomodation choices we have to put up with, the rip off restaurants and bars, the severe lack of parking.....the fact that the VAST MAJORITY of the UK is an absolute cesspit with the odd exception and those odd exception are way too crowded anyway....the fact that you cannot even go into the sea as not only is it freezing, it's filthy full of raw sewage.....the UK is a depressing dump.... remember being in Bosnia the year before last and thinking how much nicer it was there then it is here......
Example of the points I have made = I really like Dartmouth in Devon. Pretty stunning place...but yet the accomodation there is few and far between and the accomodation you can get is a complete rip off. It's a nightmare to park and there are hardly any restaurants despite being a popular place.
simons123 said:
PistonBroker said:
The weather is literally the only problem I can see with holidaying in the UK.
I holidayed in Cornwall as a kid and only have good memories. But I imagine I've conveniently forgotten getting drenched and having to sit in playing board games because the weather's awful.
We're off to Looe with the outlaws later this month. It doesn't help that we live in the South West now anyway, so it doesn't seem like quite such a break to me. We head for the beach most weekends anyway. But I appreciate it's a treat for the outlaws as they all still live in Redditch and a chance for the M-i-L to have a holiday as she's on sticks now.
I'm still not ruling out my wife and daughter insisting they need a last-minute to Mallorca next month if the weather in Looe turns out to be rubbish.
The weather the only problem with the UK?!I holidayed in Cornwall as a kid and only have good memories. But I imagine I've conveniently forgotten getting drenched and having to sit in playing board games because the weather's awful.
We're off to Looe with the outlaws later this month. It doesn't help that we live in the South West now anyway, so it doesn't seem like quite such a break to me. We head for the beach most weekends anyway. But I appreciate it's a treat for the outlaws as they all still live in Redditch and a chance for the M-i-L to have a holiday as she's on sticks now.
I'm still not ruling out my wife and daughter insisting they need a last-minute to Mallorca next month if the weather in Looe turns out to be rubbish.
How about the absolutely abysmally bad accomodation choices we have to put up with, the rip off restaurants and bars, the severe lack of parking.....the fact that the VAST MAJORITY of the UK is an absolute cesspit with the odd exception and those odd exception are way too crowded anyway....the fact that you cannot even go into the sea as not only is it freezing, it's filthy full of raw sewage.....the UK is a depressing dump.... remember being in Bosnia the year before last and thinking how much nicer it was there then it is here......
Example of the points I have made = I really like Dartmouth in Devon. Pretty stunning place...but yet the accomodation there is few and far between and the accomodation you can get is a complete rip off. It's a nightmare to park and there are hardly any restaurants despite being a popular place.
if peoples only holiday is here i can understand the bitterness at the weather. otherwise it really doesn't make much difference, get your guaranteed weather abroad get your UK breaks here. its not a binary choice for most...especially not all the compant directors on here
Travelled a lot around the world over the years and one of the best holidays we had, hands down, was a static caravan in Anglesey during lockdown.
It was done up like a beach hut (outside and inside) on a beautiful campsite, weather was epic (24c every day), beautiful beach next to it where we just paddle boarded and rockpooled to our hearts content, nice cafes nearby and our families drove over to visit us a couple of times for a bbq too.
People laugh when I say that but clearly we were very lucky with the weather, yet we have had October half term holidays in the Lakes or Arran which were amazing in different ways too.
It was done up like a beach hut (outside and inside) on a beautiful campsite, weather was epic (24c every day), beautiful beach next to it where we just paddle boarded and rockpooled to our hearts content, nice cafes nearby and our families drove over to visit us a couple of times for a bbq too.
People laugh when I say that but clearly we were very lucky with the weather, yet we have had October half term holidays in the Lakes or Arran which were amazing in different ways too.
Glad I'm not the only one who thinks this thread is an odd subject but it really headlights how some have become intolerant of others views.
Someone couldn't understand why you'd want to rent a house and cook for yourself.
There's nothing we love more.
Renting a whole house means you've got space so even if the weather is rubbish, you don't feel you can't stay indoors.
Regarding eating, I'm eating out in restaurants whenever I'm away with work and even the best restaurants are relatively poor compared to what we prepare ourselves. What's more, you don't have others around you.
What I love about holidaying in the UK is the variety of places.
I completely understand that if your idea of a holiday is getting pissed on cheap lager, shagging total strangers who wouldn't look at you twice if they weren't equally pissed and lying on a beach for the rest of the time, then the UK might not be your thing.
I respect that view but different people like different things.
Someone couldn't understand why you'd want to rent a house and cook for yourself.
There's nothing we love more.
Renting a whole house means you've got space so even if the weather is rubbish, you don't feel you can't stay indoors.
Regarding eating, I'm eating out in restaurants whenever I'm away with work and even the best restaurants are relatively poor compared to what we prepare ourselves. What's more, you don't have others around you.
What I love about holidaying in the UK is the variety of places.
I completely understand that if your idea of a holiday is getting pissed on cheap lager, shagging total strangers who wouldn't look at you twice if they weren't equally pissed and lying on a beach for the rest of the time, then the UK might not be your thing.
I respect that view but different people like different things.
I holiday in the UK and abroad and enjoy both, they are just different.
I have no issue in finding good restaurants in the UK and some amazing bakeries and cafe's. Quite often abroad in the tourist hotspots it can be harder than the UK to find a decent restaurant or one that isn't a rip off, just look at the number of places that have photo's of the food on the menu usually a sign of lesser quality.
I have no issue in finding good restaurants in the UK and some amazing bakeries and cafe's. Quite often abroad in the tourist hotspots it can be harder than the UK to find a decent restaurant or one that isn't a rip off, just look at the number of places that have photo's of the food on the menu usually a sign of lesser quality.
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