10 Common Reasons Why People Hate Vacations

Since childhood, we usually look forward to vacations, such as family trips, time off of school, or summer break. Any little excuse to get away from everyday life for a few days was supposed to be fun and exciting. But as we grow up, we start to realize that vacations aren’t necessarily all they’re made out to be. 

Here are 10 common reasons why people hate vacations:

1. The cost of going somewhere.
2. Being out of a routine.
3. The stress of planning a vacation.
4. Getting to your destination.
5. Packing too much or too little.
6. The culture shock of other places.
7. The pressure to have fun.
8. Living up to the hype of vacations.
9. The stress of missing work.
10. There’s no place like home.

In this article, I’ll be breaking down some of the most common reasons people cite for why they hate taking vacations. So let’s get started.

1. The Cost Of Going Somewhere

Money can be a source of stress in all aspects of one’s life, no matter how much one earns or has saved. 

No matter how good you are at finding great deals, vacations cost a lot of money. Sure, you might manage to book a trip that costs half the price it normally would, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be going for free. 

For some people, the thought of spending so much money for just a few days when that same amount could likely stretch much further in their everyday life is enough to make them shy away from going on a trip. 

2. Being Out Of a Routine

We all have our daily routines. We get up at the same time every day, go about our daily business, and go to sleep. Some people may find routine like this boring and might look for different ways to change things a little.

Others, however, are comforted by knowing more or less how their day is going to go. 

To these people, doing something that involves being completely outside their routine, like going on vacation, can be a source of incredible anxiety. They might even be unable to enjoy themselves if they go on a trip and, instead, might count down the days until they can be back home. 

3. The Stress Of Planning a Vacation

Vacations take a lot of planning. 

Between transportation, booking hotels, and planning activities, you can easily lose weeks to planning your trip so you can finally relax once you’ve left. While the planning stage can be exciting for people who look forward to trips, it can make others swear off of traveling altogether. 

4. Getting To Your Destination

Traveling to your vacation destination can be a headache in itself, no matter what sort of transportation you choose. Some of the travel headaches include:

• Cars might involve long hours on the road in a cramped vehicle while you try not to get lost. 
• Boats can make you sea-sick.
• Trains often suffer huge delays that can extend your travel time by hours. 
• Airplanes involve going through the chaos of the airport followed by being in a tight space with a lot of people.

The stress and discomfort of getting to your vacation spot can sometimes be so bad that it’s all you remember when you look back on your trip, and it’s yet another reason why some people hate vacations.

5. Packing Too Much Or Too Little

You might take for granted how easy it is to access everything you might need when you’re at home. When you’re on vacation, however, you don’t have the luxury of going through your belongings to get that pair of shoes you want to wear or of getting the book you want to read. 

Instead, when you go on vacation, you have to plan and make sure you pack everything you’ll need without going overboard. Sometimes, the balance between not over or under-packing can be impossible to get used to. 

For some people, after one too many trips of always missing that one thing you didn’t anticipate needing, or always paying for overweight luggage, they’re ready to swear-off traveling for good. 

6. The Culture Shock Of Other Places

No matter if you go on vacation across the globe or just a few towns away, you’ll likely find that things are a little different than what you’re used to at home. Being able to experience other cultures is a huge reason why some people travel.

However, for others, getting used to different customs or different ways of life while they’re away from home can be too much pressure, and their vacation starts to feel more like work. 

7. The Pressure To Have Fun

When you’re at home, there’s no pressure to have fun or enjoy yourself all the time, but that’s an entirely different story when you’re on vacation. Since we’ve all been told that we should look forward to vacations, there’s an inherent pressure to have fun that can be difficult to deal with.

For example, if you feel like you aren’t enjoying yourself as much as you should be, that can cause you to have more negative feelings towards your trip. Some people hate vacations for that very reason. 

The pressure they feel to enjoy their trip ends up having the opposite effect and, instead, they end up hating taking vacations.

8. Living Up To the Hype Of Vacations

Another common reason why some people hate vacations is dealing with the letdown of their destination not living up to the hype. What’s worse than going to a famous vacation spot, only to realize that all the great things you’ve heard about it were exaggerated? 

That sort of disappointment can make a traveler jaded, even to the point that they’d rather stick to the places they know than go somewhere new. 

9. The Stress Of Missing Work

Some people look forward to going on trips to get a break from work. On the other hand, other people dread being away from their jobs. 

Whether they have deadlines waiting for them or they’re worried about all the things that might go wrong while they’re away, these people might find themselves becoming more stressed while they’re on vacation than they would be if they’d just gone to work like normal. 

10. There’s No Place Like Home

Home is where you’re supposed to feel most comfortable, as it’s your sanctuary where you can relax and unwind. If you like vacations, sure, you’ll miss home, but you want the adventure of going somewhere new for a little while. 

However, for some people, if given a choice between going on a dream trip and being able to stay at home for a few carefree days, they’ll choose the latter. There’s nothing wrong with preferring being at home to being anywhere else. 

In fact, it’s another widespread reason why some people hate vacations.