Dear Richard Madeley: ‘How can I get my wife to do more tiresome holiday admin?’

Booking activities abroad has become such a hassle that I’d much rather have my other half do it

My wife and I usually go to southern Italy or Greece on holiday, where there’s a nice mixture of good food, beaches and cultural sites. Historically, she’s chosen accommodation and identified places to eat, while I’ve taken care of the cultural visits. This has generally not been very onerous, just a matter of checking somewhere’s open and coughing up for the tickets.
However, lately it’s all become a complete pain in the neck. You now have to book and pay in advance online or through a call centre, often in the local language – and you have to choose a timed entry slot, which makes it hard to plan, as if you haven’t been somewhere you don’t know how long it’s going to take you to get round it. 
I’ve started to feel incredibly nostalgic for the sleepy laissez-faire atmosphere at these sites, not least because I can tell the various authorities are using tech as a way to get rid of staff by closing on-site ticket offices. 
I’m beginning to see the appeal of just sitting by the pool for two weeks. Is there any way I can renegotiate the balance of holiday planning duties with my wife? I don’t quite want to renounce these dusty, mildly intrepid mini-adventures, but they’ve lost a lot of their lustre…
— John, London SW11
At least you’re honest! Arranging these cultural moments online is hacking you off, so heck, get your wife to do it! I don’t blame you for your frustration and I’ll bet many readers will empathise too. You’re absolutely right, it’s the way these organisations save money and it’s all going the same way. There used to be three branches of my ‘high street’ bank within shouting distance; today there are none. It’s bank online or drive for miles and queue for hours. We’re living in a brave new world where the customer (that inconvenient, fleshy object known as a human being) takes second place to the machine.
I think it’s reasonable to redistribute the pre-holiday workload between you and your wife. People ask: ‘How on earth did we manage before the internet and IT?’ And often the answer is: ‘A lot better.’
You can find more of Richard Madeley’s advice here or submit your own dilemma below.