Foreign holidays

[Two_Sheds]

the school were doing a trip to Belgium .... The only draw back was they went by coach and ferry and it took all day to get there and back.

I went to Paris with my college ... the coach took 12 hours to get from Brighton to Paris and some of the students got drunk on vodka on the ferry and pee'd on the bus

Not to put anyone off school trips or nuffing.
We also went to Barcelona and New York with college ... 4 or 5 to a room, but I wouldn't have been able to afford to go under my own steam.
Family holidays were always to my Nan's in Devon, and I loved them. Until I became a teenager, and then I stayed in my room for 5 years listening to Sisters of Mercy with the curtains drawn

[bobleponge]

Pipscariad, the peer pressure thing isnt good, and I sympathise. I also suffered with it with my kids, I think as a family we only ever went abroad once, to France, whereas their friends were all over the world. Used to come home with tales of Johnny went to blah blah and Julie went to blah blah. Its never easy, but as has been said, you will hear it when they have their kids too.

Snuffer, I think most of us wonder the same thing.
My kids were adorable as infants, and just the strangest creatures as teenagers, whereas I was clearly perfect.

[bubblewrap]

Teenagers are a strange breed. For several years we wondered if perhaps morphing aliens had abducted our children and taken their places.

What like this?
YouTube - Kevin becomes a teenager - BBC comedy

[pipscariad]

Ever fancied Ireland.
Easy to get to from where you live(ferries from Fishguard & Pembroke)

I'd love to go to Ireland (would it count as 'abroad' for No1?), but have heard that it's expensive - views welcome from those who've been/live there. Big prob for me is that unless I can get cheap/free accommodation (i.e the aforementioned Deals from The Devils Shop) it's a non runner. (I know there's always tents, but my back twinges at the thought of it for more than a night!) Bah.

Would changing your reasons from lack of funds to actively reducing your carbon footprint help with the peer pressure??....as yet we've not had to deal with it...

Hmm, have tried that, and it is indeed a factor in it anyway as OH swears blind he will never use a plane again in his life and I sympathise where he's coming from. Unfortunately, however cool it is to be green, the grass on the other side of the fence is also greener too!

Thanks for your replies though folks, have made me feel better . As for me, I'm as happy as the day is long, and very content, so it makes me a bit sad that he can't be likewise. We are very, very lucky to live in a wonderful part of the world, where lots of people come for their holidays anyway - in fact, the house next door is indeed a holiday home. I have lived here 6 years and still feel as though I'm on holiday everyday! Youngsters eh! And I've got the teenage years to look forward to yet Still, I love 'im to bits, as I do all of my brood, so will just have to keep working at it....

[snuffer]

pipscariad, we go to the Republic of Ireland for about four weeks every summer. It is not expensive. The hire of cottages is very reasonably priced. Every Easter we pay almost as much for cottages in Wales as we do for peak season holidays in Ireland. Eating out is relatively inexpensive if you choose where carefully.

It might be more expensive this year because of the value of the pound against the euro but still well worth going. If you get the oportunity, take it, you'll not regret it. It is a beautiful country and even if it is a bit of a cliche to say so, the people are very friendly.

One year we broke down in the middle of nowhere. A lady stopped to see if we were allright and then drove us to a garage. The chap from the garage drove us back to the car in the pick-up truck with his wife following in her car. When we got to the car they helped transfer what luggage we needed into their car and then the wife drove us all the way into Waterford to a car hire firm. After all this they would only let us pay for the repairs and would not take anything in payment for all the trouble they had gone to. Can you seriously see that happening here? On our return home we made sure to send flowers and chocolates.

[bluemoon]

We've been abroad once (honeymoon) and frankly loathed it. Starving for a fortnight is not my idea of fun. We've always camped since, a combination of dogs and kids meant that little else was an option. We still camp even though the kids have flown the nest, I love it and even though finances are no longer as tight as they once were I'd never consider anything else. In years to come people will look back on the last 30 years or so and be disgusted that we so blatantly used resources on rubbish such as foreign holidays. Tell your kids you're thinking of your grandkids and great-grandkids, tell them you're refusing to play the great consumerism game and perhaps at some point in the future they will have some respect for your decision.

[cupcake]

I used to live in the Rep of Ireland and found the food and particularly the wine very expensive, but with the pound being at parity with the euro I should think it's just the same as here now.
I used to dread the boys coming home with the school trip details as we didn't have the money to send them except the last year my youngest was there. They were both in the Air Cadets tho, and they went away for weeks with them which were dirt cheap. Eldest went to Germany with them. It was cheaper than keeping them at home eating everything!