Occasionally, as if to punish us for forcing culture on them, someone would “accidentally” stumble against one of those wires you see around exhibits, thus triggering the alarm. 

These days, no alarms are set off as Jimmy and I cram our empty nester holidays with gallery and museum visits. We go away far more often these days – because, naturally, a two-person trip is more affordable than taking away a herd of five. 

As two fully formed adults capable of exploring a city for a day without factoring in 17 drinks/ice creams stops, we have notched up the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, the Miro, Tàpies and Picasso museums in Barcelona and the stunning Louisiana Museum, 21 miles north of Copenhagen. With no one else to please but ourselves, we have mooched around San Sebastián with no itinerary at all. Discovering “new” cities together – Madrid, Cologne, Bilbao – has brought us closer again, reminding us why we liked each other in the first place and reassuring us that we still have plenty to talk about. 

Another heartening discovery has been that we don’t need a lot in order to be happy. We don’t even have to go very far. From our home city of Glasgow we have driven a hired campervan to the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, mainland Scotland’s most westerly point, accessed via 24 miles of twisting single-track road – a journey we loved, and which would have involved copious moaning and probably a fair amount of vomiting from our children. 

There, on the silvery beach, we sat companionably, sketching the scene before us. Yes, we have become “that” couple who take our hobby things on holiday (paints, bird identification books, secateurs and little brown envelopes for the collection of seeds). What’s happened to us? In 1979 my husband was in a punk band! But he’s not a punk rocker now. He is 63 and last summer we stayed in a bungalow – as un-punk as you could possibly imagine – in the sleepy Cornish town of Carbis Bay. Here we whiled away the evenings playing silly quizzes in the garden, during which I challenged Jimmy – a North Lanarkshire man, and therefore fond of a chip shop – to “name a food beginning with B”.

“Batter,” he replied happily. 

Our young adult offspring would hate the things we love now – hiring deckchairs, taking art classes, hoofing from St Ives to Zennor on the South West Coast Path. But we’re relishing this new phase where no one looks sick at the sight of us in our swimwear or shudders when I try to speak Spanish (in, you know, Spain). I adore the fact that our holidays no longer feature plumbers or, in fact, emergency tradesman of any kind. Yes, I did love those family holidays. For every punctured radiator and pool drainage emergency, there were blissful picnics on Mallorcan beaches and ambles through Breton markets where we would snack on strawberry tarts. 

However, just as lovely has been the discovery that new kinds of adventures awaited us once the hardcore parenting years were over. Although I still wouldn’t class “batter” as a food.

Fiona Gibson

The 10 best holidays to make the most of the ’empty nestcapade’

Sophie Butler

Have a blast in New York

The 24-hour buzz of Manhattan is a blast for adults but it can be wearing for jet-lagged kids. Free yourself from the faff of dealing with flagging youngsters and save your energy for some grown-up fun. Shop til you drop at Macy’s, marvel at MoMA and the Met and indulge yourself with a night at a Broadway show, Metropolitan Opera or the New York City Ballet.

Book it

British Airways Holidays (ba.com) offers five-night stays at Arlo NoMad Hotel in Madison Square Park from £725, room only. Excludes transfers. Departs March 17, 2022

Covid rules

Arrivals in the United States require proof of full vaccination, plus a negative PCR or lateral flow test taken no more than 24 hours before travel (all travellers aged two and over)

Enjoy the art of Madrid 

Madrid’s extraordinary artistic riches are wasted on young children and can be disagreeably tiresome for many teenagers. So if you want to immerse yourself fully in the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza or the Reina Sofía museum, you are much better off without them. Treat yourself to a stay at the five-star Hotel Único Madrid in the elegant Salamanca district of the city, with its two-star Michelin restaurant, Ramón Freixa Madrid, then lose yourself afterwards in the galleries of world-class art. 

Book it

EasyJet Holidays (easyjet.com) is offering three-night stays at Hotel Único Madrid from £658, room only, based on a standard room. Excludes transfers. Departs March 4, 2022 

Covid rules

Adults must show proof of being fully vaccinated in order to enter (though there are no testing requirements) and an online health form (spth.gob.es) must be submitted for all passengers prior to departure from the United Kingdom