Anything planned yet for 2025 ?

rubysong Get yourself over to see your son and family! So many people do not have one! Be thankful!

I hate to be a killjoy but air travel and cruises are major factors in the global climate crisis so I don't intend adding to it. We had a talk at WI recently which shocked us all. The government is doing nothing to educate people about the seriousness of global warming. There are lots of lovely places to visit in UK without needing to fly so that will be my plan.
We have a son and family in USA and they want us to visit so I am in a dilemma. Thank goodness for Skype.

chabot1928 Once your daughter and partner return home, write and tell them that as you get older you are finding it more and more tiring to cope with guests in your home, even your daughter. So next time they come over, while you will be very happy for them to spend their days with you, will they please stay in a hotel.

The fact that you put your cat into a care when they visit with their dog suggests, that perhaps you were one of those parents who has always done everything for your children, with the best of good intentions, and the result has been selfish children who expect you to do everything they want.

It is time for the worm to turn. Tell them what you can cope with and what you cannot cope with - and stick to your guns when they start protesting.

Currently on holiday in Australia combined trip as daughter lives here been all around Australia now 4th time, hoping to visit Canada and Rockies and couple of trips to canaries. Want to move and downsize but not looking forward to starting the process.

I have classes booked for zoom and at our local education centre. I'm doing a uni course online too. I also have 3 holidays planned in the countryside in various parts of the UK with our AC and dgss, and a 3 week cruise planned in September. We like to book early to get the cabin we want.
I love to see my wider family, and plan some trips to see them too.
I like to have things to look forward to and feel productive! All my weeks are filled with activities, choir and piano lessons.

This thread has led me astray,
I'm lying here with a bad back unable to do anything more than get to the loo unaided. So what have I been doing? Planning a final ABA (Awfully Big Adventure ).before Brexit and Covid, I had planned to follow the Danube from its source to the sea in my campervan with my dog. My dog has died and I've given up driving due to eyesight problems. So I've started planning the trip by rail. So far I've discovered Eurostar are doing a special offer if you book before the 9th January. If nothing else I will spend many happy hours planning and working out how much I need to save to do it.

We have no definitive plans for this year. We have had some bad health news for my DH's brother, who lives nearby, so DH doesn't want to go away anywhere for now. DH is also high on a wait list for a hip repair (not replacement), so will have some recovery. That scuttles any warm winter get-away.

But I am planning on retiring at the end of March, so if things have settled I may plan a get-away then. I've always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, so possibly that.

I'm actually ok with not having any plans and taking it one day at a time.

Got GC staying for the weekend, 3 of them. Not as exciting as some on here but should be fun.

That is dreadful Chabot1928. They are using you. Don’t put up with it.

I think you sound very reasonable Chabot and I can perfectly understand why you are upset and disappointed. I think you need you start your own thread as this is really about holidays and plans for 2025. You will get more replies.

I think you're posting this on the wrong thread Chabot1928.

I’m trying to keep this as anonymous as possible.
My English daughter lives in France with her french boyfriend. She has lived there for about 9 years. I travel as often as I can via Eurostar to visit. I work incredibly hard to make Xmas as wonderful and accommodating for them as possible when they visit by car. They bring their dog so my cat has to go away, I of course give them guest room and my study for all their stuff which is 5+ suitcases, boxes, huge bags of presents for all their friends and their friends children) food for them (they mainly like french cheeses, french meats etc etc and my fridge stinks as there could be 15 different seriously smelling cheeses) I try to provide food which they like, but all English food is inferior (they do like the Xmas dinner I make and the Boxing Day dinner I make) he belittles everything English and sadly my daughter is now completely french. And everything he says she agrees with. They are here for 6 + days and out every day visiting her friends for lunch, friends that she grew up with (although all these friends visit them in France) leaving at 10:30 returning at 4:30 most days. When they return they barely acknowledge me, go straight to guest room for a nap as they are so tired from traveling to visit friends and come down around 8:00 pm, make themselves something to eat sit in my lounge and speak the whole time to each other in french. I sit there trying to engage and ask a few questions in English, I am trying very hard to
Learn French but am in my 60s and I find it hard. When I ask her to please speak English as my french is still not good enuf she says they are tired and anyway they are talking about mundane things. Also as she and I went away for my birthday earlier in the year (and had a fabulous time, I paid for it all but she booked everything so that was fair) they are both earning excellent money so that is not an issue. When I tried to discuss with her how I felt as I had no quality time with her at all she told me I was very selfish as we had our quality time for my birthday. She says some of her friends she hasn’t seen in awhile. She told me I was selfish and jealous and proceeded to criticise me, that I talk too loud, I talk too much, don’t dress smart enuf, expect too much of her etc etc. but when she visits all of her friends I know she and he speak English as none of her friends speak French. I basically feel that I running a B&B for them and might as well not be here. Am I very selfish and expect too much? There is so much more I could say but I find writing this still so upsetting.

I’m off to stay at my cousin’s house in the south of France in July, and off to Uzbekistan in September. And London for an exhibition in February. I try to have something every month so plenty of bookings to do. I am off to an early doors disco next Saturday- 3 - 10pm… does that count?

I have booked to walk the Tour de Mount Blanc in September. I am going with a girl friend as my DH didn't fancy it. We are going with Exodus so a leader, all accommodation booked and luggage transfer. I will only have to concentrate on walking 108 miles. Really looking forward to it.

I too have tickets for Bruce in May, I gave my daughter one as a Christmas present, as we like to go to gigs together. This will be our 7th Bruce gig. Really looking forward to it.

That's all I have planned for now in the way of outings, any spare pennies will be going into the kitchen renovation that seems to have been in planning for ever. We were going to do it last year but we upgraded the living room instead and I'm pleased we did. The room is a nice cozy refuge now in the cold weather! However my inhouse plumber/electrician is not getting any younger so we had better get on with the kitchen before his knees give up altogether!

Plan 1 - Give up smoking !! again.
Plan 2 - Lose some weight, it has gradually crept on since DH passed in 2014 and I have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic.

Plan 3 - I need to get up the courage to go dress shopping around July as my youngest son is getting married in September. I hate shopping in any shape or form. Lucky for me, it is not a big formal affair—they are getting married in the woods near here—but I need to do better than my normal attire of jeans.

I hope everyone has a great new year and fulfills everything that you have planned.

My 80th this year and I have a cruise booked to the Eastern Med to celebrate - I will be on board for my birthday!

Also a theatre visit to see Tony Blackburn's live Sounds of the Sixties show. Hope there'll be dancing on the aisles!

We'll just load up the dog and hit the road in our van. Away several weeks last year and plan north of Scotland this year, weather dependent. Might go to Europe if the kids will take the dog or we pluck up courage to give her a rabies shot and get a pet passport.... Can't wait for the spring and get going!!!

So, at the moment I can still drive with no problem and enjoy travelling. So I have decided to do one last major trip. The cost of hotels or b@b is extortiate these days , so am investigating the options. Either sell my car and buy a camper van, or keep car and hire camper van to try out for a couple of days and see how I like it. Or alternatively work out a rail trip with hiring cars at various places, where no public transport available. So want to go to some of the old places that I havent been to for ages. Up to Plocten, down to Lands End, across to north wales etc.Visiting friends and family but on my terms. Then I will accept that I might begrudgingly have to accept some help. I have fitted in as we all do with the family and put them first. Well folks my turn now and shall make my plans and organise it all and then once I am on my way will send the family the info that I am off on my travels!! Shant tell them before I go, as they will try to stop me or tell me tales of doom and gloom, and think that I shouldnt do it etc., when all they really care about is if they have to come and rescue me. I have various health problems including bladder cancer. Well I have looked after myself, lived in POrtugal, Syria and all over europe and travelled up to the arctic etc, my body may not be so supple but I can still get round now so intend to grow old disgracefully and remember the poem that starts :-
When I am old, I shall wear purple
with a red had that doesnt go

I shall keep going as long as possible so long as I can cause no problem for other people but live my life a I already have done. Well now dont have the winter fuel money and the weather being very cold, I might live longer being in a camper van than trying to keep warm and fed at home!! Of course my other plan is to keep breathing so that politicians of any type have to pay me my pittance of a pension until I am 103!!

Oooh, your Barbados holiday does sound exiting GrammaH.

My plans so far hopefully get someone to cut some branches off a tree.

I'm just looking forward to having the freedom to do exactly what I like. Freedom from ill health, pain, encumbrances and responsibilities and having the confidence to do the things I like to do.

We're off to Barbados in March where we'll spend a week by the sea then a week on the sea, under sail. I'm very excited, I've always thought a trip round some Caribbean islands on a tea clipper would be really romantic and, thanks to a bequest from my dear father, my dream is coming true! We've been ultra organised this year and will be staying in an air bnb in Budleigh Salterton in June followed by a few days in a hotel on the north Devon coast. In October, we're revisiting a superb hotel we discovered last year in Paphos. In between times, we have DD a few hours across the country from us and a dear friend just outside London, both of whom we visit when their schedules and ours allow. In fact, the dear friend and I are going to a spa for a couple of nights at the end of this month. So yes, we've a lot planned, hopefully our health and other circumstances will allow us to enjoy the trips. We are lucky to have excellent house/cat sitters otherwise we wouldn't be able to go anywhere.

My life is one long holiday now I am retired (sort of) so I don't feel the need to go away. Visiting family and friends will do me.
Also I plan to sell my house this year with all that that entails.

I have 2 Cruises planned already one in April and one in November plus a few theatre visits. I might squeeze a holiday in June or July too.

Bargain!

Hope you end up somewhere nice, but it's the going that's just as important, isn't it? The "Going away"