Gransnet forums

Travel

How many holidays do you have a year?

(127 Posts)
notonyournelly Wed 20-Apr-16 16:34:00

Our neighbours are off next week for what must be the 3rd holiday/break already this year - and they tend to go to France for a few weeks over the summer. And have a trip booked to the US over Christmas. hmm Jealous? Moi? A little. But I'm also usually left feeding the cat and he makes me sneeze wink
I do feel very lucky to have the means to holiday a bit more in retirement than I did when we were working but it's usually a long weekend European city break in the spring, a late summer holiday of a week or so somewhere hot (Spain or Greece) and then one or two walking weekends away in the Lake District or somewhere like that if/when we can fit them in. How often do other gransnetters get away?

granjura Sat 23-Apr-16 13:29:49

Lol OH also learnt to read very young- once he was in a public loo with his dad and read a notice on the wall and asked 'daddy, what is a venerable disease'? We still call butterflies 'flutterbies' in our family, ever since they were so named by our youngest. And as a memory to my early English learning days, our family still sings about 'old enzymes' on New Year's Eve, and still talk about 'clof hangers' (instead of clothes' hangers)- lol. But we digress.

What I find exhausting about hols (and we really do a lot when on hols- pool or beach lounger is perhaps a rest at the end of a long day) - is the getting ready, getting to airport, parking, etc, and same at the other end. Hence my general dislike for short-breaks abroad (as well as ecological reasons).

Lovedit when the kids were young and if the weather was good- would just throw a few bits and bobs in the boot with the wellies- and just be off to a YHA in Norfolk or the Peak District for the week-end- fab.

wot Sat 23-Apr-16 13:28:10

Grandura , the best invented words are by Lewis Carroll.......marvellous! Slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe,
All mimnsy were the borrowgrabes
And the Nome wrath
Outgrabe my memory is not so good.
Sorry, gone off subject of holidays.

wot Sat 23-Apr-16 13:15:21

I'm going to have to dig out my physical dictionary. I caused much hilarity as a young girl by pronouncing words wrongly as I was an avid reader. Words such as facade etc. Probably still do it when I talk to the walls!

wot Sat 23-Apr-16 13:11:52

Holidays may be knackering but its amazing how they give one a fresh perspective on one,s life at home and,perhaps for me, a rest from my jabbering away all day on Gransnet ha ha

granjura Sat 23-Apr-16 12:58:48

so sorry to hear that wot- but I'm afraid this is it- cumudgeonly is now part of my furiner's English dictionary. If Shakespeare can invent 1000s of words, so can you, I love it.

Apart from that flowers

wot Sat 23-Apr-16 12:50:42

This year has knackered me already and left me feeling curmudgeonly grin

wot Sat 23-Apr-16 12:49:31

I like that word grin

jinglbellsfrocks Sat 23-Apr-16 12:48:56

Holidays tire you out anyway. #knackered

wot Sat 23-Apr-16 12:46:27

curmudgeonly

wot Sat 23-Apr-16 12:45:44

Yes, Alea, that was the word I meant. I first came across it when I was reading an article about the character of Morse [played by John Thaw]

jinglbellsfrocks Sat 23-Apr-16 09:52:53

We never take DH on our city breaks. We are out way past his bedtime.

Alea Sat 23-Apr-16 09:49:53

"Curmudgeonly "
Is that the word???
Not that I would recognise the sentiment hmm

granjura Sat 23-Apr-16 09:41:39

How many of you agree to disagree with DH on some holidays?
From time to time, we've had a holiday which was not together- because he, or me, are not keen on the location or main activity- I think it is very healthy to do so, and not always be velcroed at the hip. Last time was when I went snorkelling with Greatnan a few years back- it was wonderful and we snorkelled for about 5 hours a day... and DH would have hated that. When his cousin comes over from Tasmania, we intend to go driving around like Thelma and Louise, around Switzerland, France and Italy- without any planning- just go and do. And some girl friends met on a French Forum, from different parts of France and the UK- are planning to visit here and go off and do all sorts... DH really likes them, but will be very happy for us to go off and do our own thing.

So many of my friends say 'oh I'd love to go with my friend/s- but DH would hate that, would be jealous, would sulk, etc'.

Greyduster Fri 22-Apr-16 18:04:25

We usually have a couple of weeks away in the summer and long weekends when we can fit them in. We are down in West Wales with the family this August and are trying to find a nice hotel in North Norfolk for a long weekend in July. By the time we've managed to agree on somewhere it will be too late to book it!! DH has set his face against going abroad these days and refuses to renew his passport, and, if I'm honest, I'm not that bothered.

wot Fri 22-Apr-16 17:59:32

Could guess the word. Maybe I could blame mis spellings on predictive text!??

Daddima Fri 22-Apr-16 17:58:38

When I became a part time worker tree years ago, the Bodach and I used to have Christmas in Gran Canaria, a couple of wee weeks in Zakynthos, and a couple of city breaks in Paris, Berlin, Barcelona. or similar.
Sadly, I've been forced to retire through illness, so the coffers are not so full, and I'm not fit for the busy city breaks ( which I loved!), so we'll need to rethink.

wot Fri 22-Apr-16 17:57:37

Granjura, ??? I thought if people who guess the word, that would do?

Coolgran65 Fri 22-Apr-16 17:55:26

Our last holiday was two years ago, to west coast USA to visit our son and family. We go again in 4 weeks.
This time we have an 11 hour flight, followed by a 2 hour flight..... but it's so worth it. DH doesn't fancy driving over there, on the wrong side of the road and also all vehicles are automatic especially as we are staying in a city.
We tell ds to rent a larger car and we cover the cost. And we are happy to use the excellent public transport and a street map when we take ourselves off for the day.
We used to have more holidays, dh seems to have become more 'stay-at-home' and needs a push. Not to visit family, but to take off for a long weekend which we used to do very often.

Mamie Fri 22-Apr-16 17:46:05

We don't fly anywhere now because I don't like it and OH spent years flying with his job (including over 40 trips to the states and Australia twice to give a 60 minute input at a conference) and doesn't want to do it anymore. We spend a month in southern Spain in January to see our son, several trips a year to the UK to see our daughter and a week in September on the Mediterranean coast of the Roussillon here in France. Apart from that we sometimes take off to see other bits of France for two or three days. In the summer we have lots of family and friends coming to stay in the guest cottage in our garden.

granjura Fri 22-Apr-16 17:40:47

was just about to look it up wot - thinking here is a new English word I've never come across before.

downtoearth Fri 22-Apr-16 17:39:53

What is a holiday ?2005 for us

wot Fri 22-Apr-16 17:28:34

Grumpy, easier to spell than curmungly

merlotgran Fri 22-Apr-16 17:27:20

We love our short breaks. We started taking them rather than proper holidays when I was caring for Mum and couldn't get away for long. DH doesn't enjoy being away for more than a few days and the cost of kennels for the dogs puts a dampner on going for a week or more.

Last year we had a few days in Yorkshire and a couple of days in North Norfolk as well as trips to Staffordshire and Hampshire to visit family.

Not sure what we'll do this year but we don't have to plan!!

wot Fri 22-Apr-16 17:27:01

Granjura, my partner is on the way to helplessness but I hope it will be gradual. He's very hard work already. Curmugendly, deaf and can't see very well. The holidays I have been on on my own I loved. The GN idea for holidays is really good!

phoenix Fri 22-Apr-16 16:56:13

We haven't been on holiday since May 2005!