Early this year, Adam and I agreed not to take a vacation this year for financial reasons. We were really struggling, and a vacation is a budget-buster that is easy to cut out of the equation.
Now we have three trips planned.
Our financial situation improved a bit, so we thought, well, maybe we’ll take a quick trip somewhere. But we also decided that we wouldn’t go visit any friends or family, but just get out of town on our own, just the three of us.
Two of the three trips are family visits.
It’s just irresistible. My parents are staying in a campground just 4 hours away for the next month, so we’re going to drive there with the dog for the Fourth of July weekend. Cheap and fun! Then, Adam’s parents told us they’d chip in if we flew down to Florida to visit, and that they’d watch Sam for a couple of days while the two of us took a side trip. How could we say no to that?
Then, Adam has a business trip to New York just after Christmas, so Sam and I will tag along. Going along on Adam’s business trips is an easy and cheap way to travel, but, again, it’s not something we really chose on our own. (But I have been dying to get back to New York lately anyway.)
Most of our vacations are like this – things that fall in our laps. Mostly, they are a lot of fun, and we don’t end up doing the same thing year after year, which I prefer not to do.
But someday…someday…we’ll make it to Italy for our long-delayed honeymoon. Maybe I should start planning now if I want to do it in the next decade.
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We have similar vacation issues. I love for just us to be able to get away, but with all of our family out of town, and given that we generally like to see them every once in a while, we often end up seeing them for vacation. Plus, they help us out with a free place to stay and/or babysitting.
We do have a longstanding annual trip to the beach at the end of the summer with friends. It’s something we look anticipate and reminisce about all year long. We’ve done it every year since Ryan was an infant. I didn’t realize how much I looked forward to it until I wasn’t sure if we’d make last year’s event due to having a very young baby. Now I know that I really cherish that time!
We have even more vacations this year that we usually do–which is both good and bad. In addition to our beach trip this year, we are going to Orlando for my parent’s 40th anniversary celebration–another free place to stay & we’re big Disney fans with days left on our passes. The next week, my mother-in-law is tying the knot with her longtime fiance up in Wisconsin. All of this adds up to lots of fun, lots of family, lots of travel–and lots of money.
I think that next year, we’ll stick with just the beach trip and that’s it!
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Kim – I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anybody who is not a vacation-taker. Do you ever do anything just for a change of pace? Or is your life so exciting and multifaceted that you don’t need a change?
I’m really curious – what don’t you like about it? Having to go through airport security and being treated like a cow? The extra laundry? The stress of keeping track of ten thousand little objects that must not get lost? Those are things I don’t like.We’re not sure of the dates yet, but probably just a few days like 12/27-30 or something. I’d love to meet you in person, but this one will probably be a whirlwind. Still, Adam will be working at least one full day so I’ll make a note to check back with you when we know more.
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My wife and I try every year to take a week off without kids. At first, I felt somewhat guilty, but it has turned into a great tradition. I find it is a great way to reconnect with your spouse.
We also try to go somewhere with lots of outdoor activities (Wyoming, Montana, Washington and Colorado). This year we are going to the Canadian Rockies. For some reason I think great conversation flows well while hiking. We also have a standing rule that, absent any emergencies, cell phone and blackberry usage will be kept at the bare minimum.
With the economy, we thought of canceling it, but it was our parents that were adamant about us going. It turns out they love having the kids for an extended stay without us. My parents and the in-laws split the time, so it turns out great. We were lucky enough to use my parents timeshare points for a condo for a week.
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I’ve never considered a vacation a change of pace. A change of place. If I really want to relax, I would take time off work. Since my work is now being with the kids, there would be no change during a vacation.
I have not really taken any vacations. I have taken one and the reason was to experience new things and see different sights. So I would definitely be a sight-seer. That vacation was for a long weekend and cost a lot of money! But it was fun.
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I love trips, but I especially like for them to be spontaneous. We just pick a direction, maybe an end city, and just go. Then we visit friends if we want to, visit sights that catch our eye, and do as we please. I love those vacations best just with Aaron, but it is actually really fun with Livy too. Our dream is to one day all take off a month or so from work and to go out west in an RV, seeing anything that strikes our fancy.
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