Holiday Nightmare

[Kendhni]

What would be your holiday nightmare?

[Kendhni]

Mine would probably be a caravan ... even if we visit friends who own caravans I just find them so claustrophobic (and that is a 32 footer) and restricting. I would prefer to drive the 1 hour trip back home to my own bed, rather than spend a night in one.


PS: And why is that the decor usually looks like the day room from and old peoples home?

[GillD46]

For me, in fact for both of us, it would be a coach tour, especially if it involved visiting loads of cities. The thought of living out of a suitcase and hours sitting on a coach fills us both with horror, even if we could sit for hours on a coach - which we can't. And personally, I don't care for cities, although Tony doesn't mind them now and again.

[The Monocled Mutineer]

Narrowing it down to personal experience, probably Oceana, Azura or indeed any so called family friendly ship in August.

[Dancing Queen]

Camping .. because I'm terrified of "creepy crawlies"

[Quizzical Bob]

Mine would probably be a caravan ... even if we visit friends who own caravans I just find them so claustrophobic (and that is a 32 footer) and restricting. I would prefer to drive the 1 hour trip back home to my own bed, rather than spend a night in one.


PS: And why is that the decor usually looks like the day room from and old peoples home?

I am sitting in our caravan right now in Noirmoutier, France. We have just had breakfast outside in the glorious sunshine. French bread with butter salted with local sea-salt, Camembert and coffee. All the local bird life is flitting around us. You should try it Ken.

[barney]

Camping for me as well.

I can slum it but am very fussy about hygiene facilities.

Maybe a tent with an ensuite would cut the mustard

[Gill W]

A Club 18-30 holiday.

Fortunately I'm way to old now!

[Silver_Shiney]

Camping for me as well.

I can slum it but am very fussy about hygiene facilities.

Maybe a tent with an ensuite would cut the mustard

We're very fussy, too, but found that "club" campsites (ie Caravanning Club and The Camping & Caravanning Club) had spotlessly clean facilities. Even the French sites at Guines and Eperleque were quite acceptable. The best of all of them was Burg Lahneck, overlooking the Rhein.

Having done caravan, trailer tent, frame tent, and back to caravan, we would say it's a great, cheap (after the initial outlay) way to holiday. The kids loved it. What we did find, though, with the trailer tent was that (the model we had had the "kitchen" on the back of the trailer, accessible without unpacking anything), if we wanted a break from driving, we could pull in, fire up the gas and boil the kettle. Not practical in the rain. With a frame tent, you couldn't even do that. With both, you'd still have to stop at a service station if you needed the loo. With a caravan, however, you just pile inside and it's all there for you. It's a very civilised way of camping.

[Meg 50]

I have a regular bad dream where I am on my way off on a cruise and it's not the short notice that we're going or anything like that - it's that I haven't packed my sea sick pills

[Silver_Shiney]

We did a weekend coach tour to Paris a few years back. I slept most of the way to combat travel sickness - I do that on long shore excursions as (eg Civvi - Rome), so a coach holiday is not something I would choose to do, although the Lady C is well up for it. A prolonged holiday in somewhere hot and humid would be my idea of a nightmare. I'm having enough trouble coping with the weather here at the moment!

[HK phooey]

Somewhere like Benidorm. The horror of a flight, followed by 2 weeks being surrounded by drunks and eating in greasy spoon cafes.

[Romig1]

Somewhere like Benidorm. The horror of a flight, followed by 2 weeks being surrounded by drunks and eating in greasy spoon cafes.

Sounds a bit like Sandown to me?

[Not so ancient mariner]

Somewhere like Benidorm. The horror of a flight, followed by 2 weeks being surrounded by drunks and eating in greasy spoon cafes.

I'm with HK on this one, though I find the airports are even worse than the flights.

[ChesterfieldJohn]

Somewhere like Benidorm. The horror of a flight, followed by 2 weeks being surrounded by drunks and eating in greasy spoon cafes.

Benidorm is nothing like this if you go out of season.
John

[Boris+]

The 'holiday nightmare' which I dread and therefore plan to avoid is one where we are in a confined situation and can't get much privacy and where there is a 'holiday bore' or poor behaviour.

The confined situation could be a train or coach holiday, a very small ship or an hotel on a small island.

Oh well, planning to win - that's just the ticket.

Em

[Holiday Planner]

Walking and setting up camp each night ... carrying all your gear, and without even running water or a fridge at the end of the day. And in the rain to boot! I always fancy the idea of walking the Coast to Coast or the West Highland Way, but just know I would hate the actuality! (Unless I can get someone to carry my bags, and whisk me off to a luxry hotel at the end of each day!)

[Suekersh]

Anywhere where I can't take my Hairdryers, heated rollers etc, no ice to make G & T and insects.

That's no camping, no caravanning no hostels, and def no coach tours.

Sue

[Dark Knight]

A holiday nightmare, would be poor service, poor food, limited entertainment and a forced ambience , what ever that may be?

[Silver_Shiney]

Anywhere where I can't take my Hairdryers, heated rollers etc, no ice to make G & T and insects.

That's no camping, no caravanning no hostels, and def no coach tours.

Sue

With respect, Sue, you are well out of date with the facilities in caravans (and some tents). We had mains electricity in our 'van 24 years ago - ice, iron, rollers, no problem!!

[Dark Knight]

SS
most caravans now also have double glazing , central heating, power showers and a full kitchen
and even gas fires

a far cry from the early days

[Silver_Shiney]

SS
most caravans now also have double glazing , central heating, power showers and a full kitchen
and even gas fires

a far cry from the early days

our first caravan just had a kitchen sink and 2-burner hob, toilet room and gas lighting. I retrofitted it with a new sink/hob unit, 3-way fridge, mains electricity, 12v lighting, gas fire and wash-hand basin. Out second 'van had double glazing, I retrofitted mains power, and a pump for the water. We never bothered with a shower, as they use too much water (okay if your pitch has a water supply) and the site facilities were always (apart from a non-club site at Blandford St Marys) spotless. Uless you plan on using the unit during the winter, there's no real need for central heating, even in spring/autumn, the insulation in our second 'van kept us quite comfortable. The gas heater I put in the first 'van could only be used for 10 minutes maximum, otherwise the room got too hot.

[Suekersh]

Anywhere where I can't take my Hairdryers, heated rollers etc, no ice to make G & T and insects.

That's no camping, no caravanning no hostels, and def no coach tours.

Sue

With respect, Sue, you are well out of date with the facilities in caravans (and some tents). We had mains electricity in our 'van 24 years ago - ice, iron, rollers, no problem!!

I was the oldest of 5 children. Caravan holidays were what we did. The nightmare still lives with me. No doubt things have improved in the last 40 years but in our van we only had a chemical toilet and water that only ran from the supply being filled from a tap. The showers on the site were full of moths and other creepy crawlies. Yes we enjoyed it and had great family time but it is just not for me now
and luckily although DH did not do caravan holidays he understands why I prefer cruising.

Sue

[emjay45]

Camping for me as well.

I can slum it but am very fussy about hygiene facilities.

Maybe a tent with an ensuite would cut the mustard

Me too. Camping I just couldn't do. In fact any holiday without an ensuite is out of the question for me

[Jacknian]

It's camping for me too. We went to France when our kids were young and although the facilities were very good, - we had our own fridge , separate bedrooms with proper beds, and the tents were set up for you when you got there, I hated it ! Some large insect dropped on me in the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep after that. Then the weather turned very windy and I was scared the tent was going to take off or one of the very tall trees would fall on us. There were molehills under the ground sheet and the toilets and showers were about 100 metres away. Never again ! Prefer a bit of luxury on my holidays.