Who do you holiday with?

AubreyMac

and who do you prefer to holiday with?

I have a holiday booked in feb with a friend. Although it is only 3 nights in Norway, I am already feeling a bit resentful as she's just left me to do all the booking and research.

Another hols I went to with a friend I was the one who had to find places as she's poor with direction and wouldn't even want to try.

I have met many people who have holidayed alone and I think I will do this after my the Norway trip.

I have only holidayed once with a partner and that was enjoyable as back then we didn't live together to that time together was appreciated.

richardw

Sometimes it's easier to give someone you're going with a suggestion for what they can easily look at and what they'd enjoy researching.

For example if they like eating, get them to look at the restaurant reviews on trip advisor on their smartphone.

scubaangel

My last holiday was a lazy week in Turkey alone last month, normally I holiday with my Mum and Sister at the family apartment in the Canaries.

Holidays with friends have tended to be fraught either with fallings out while away or over the planning including a trip earlier this year to the family place with two good friends and a friend from uni - two of them were a delight all the trip the other was a nightmare and it was a relief when I dropped them all off at the airport as I could stop pretending I wasn't immensly annoyed by their complete and total grumpiness then entire trip. As three we'd originally decided to do the two tourist attractions, the fourth -aka grump - decided two days before the trip they were coming and grumped about the plans the rest of us had made as they didn't suit, then threw a strop when on a boat trip I wouldn't have a "couples" photo taken as we're not a couple.

I think holidays really do separate out the friends you can genuinely spend time with and the ones that are good for an evening in the pub!

I do love travelling alone though, absolutely no need to do anything you don't want to do, and can do things in your own time and at your own pace - am hoping to go back to the same area of Turkey around Easter next year so I can explore the town and area rather than staying on the beach near the hotel all week.

onomatopoeia99

I holiday alone. No girlfriend and it's rare that friends want to do the same as me, plus most are in relationships so go with their partners, so it's alone or not at all.

AubreyMac

I think holidaying alone is the way forward. I did discuss with another friend a long time ago to holiday together though. Maybe it'll never happen.

With solo holidays, do you eat out for dinner? I think lunching alone is ok as I do that anyway but I imagine that I'd feel very conscious of being by myself if I went to a restaurant each night.

scubaangel

My last holiday was all inclusive so noone batted an eye lid, I fairly often eat out alone for breakfast, lunch or dinner, when I'm on holiday with family though and again noone looks twice, I tend to either people watch while I'm eating or have my kindle with me and bury myself in a book but it's pretty much a 50/50 split. That said I'm single and live alone in the UK too and will wander down to my local pubs for a drink or meal a couple of times a month too without feeling like anyone particularly notices me.

AubreyMac

scubaangel wrote: »

My last holiday was all inclusive so noone batted an eye lid, I fairly often eat out alone for breakfast, lunch or dinner, when I'm on holiday with family though and again noone looks twice, I tend to either people watch while I'm eating or have my kindle with me and bury myself in a book but it's pretty much a 50/50 split. That said I'm single and live alone in the UK too and will wander down to my local pubs for a drink or meal a couple of times a month too without feeling like anyone particularly notices me.

Thanks, that's really encouraging and good for you.

Does all inclusive mean all your meals are set for you?

Ikamva

Holidaying alone is enjoyable, though I will stay in a hostel to meet other travellers. For my last holiday I met a lot of lone travellers, and I hung out with 2 guys I met at the hostel for the week I was there. I will do it again, hopefully to India next.

duchy

I love doing the planning and I've never felt resentful of having to do it.

Doesn't matter if it's my partner or a friend I like to make sure we get a great deal .

It does tend to mean I get to pick the hotels or areas a bit more but I'm mindful of what they want too and don't just choose to please me.

scubaangel

AubreyMac wrote: »

Thanks, that's really encouraging and good for you.

Does all inclusive mean all your meals are set for you?

At the all inclusive it was set times for meals in the main restaurant (which was buffet style) although there was a snack bar open all day along with three or four bars around the place, as well as two al a carte restaurants which had to be booked the day before - I visited one, the waiting staff were completely unconcerned by my being alone. In fact that week there was one person all week who repeatedly commented on my being alone (because apparently a 'pretty young woman shouldnt always be alone with a book') and he was one of the stereotypical Brits abroad types - beer at breakfast, football shirt etc.

In the Canaries I tend to hire a car when I'm there and drive out of the village the apartment is in and head up the mountain to the more "local" areas when I feel like eating somewhere other than places there'll be people who know my family/or just to avoid my family! Or if I've no car I'll jump on the local bus until I see somewhere that looks interesting. But I've been going there for almost half my life so I'm as familar with there as I am where I live now if not more so!

Talking to friends though it does seem that I'm unusual in being so comfortable to do that kind of thing in the UK never mind abroad - but I figure other than language how does it really differ as long as you're sensible about local cultural norms.

Gloomendoom

I holiday with my wife and I prefer to holiday with my wife.