Saturday, February 07, 2009

TWQ: Choosing Vacations

TWQ (The Weekend Question) looks at vacation planning this week...however do we choose?

How do you decide where to go on your annual vacation? What are the deciding factors that make you choose?

My answer is:

This is very hard to do each year, as I dislike choosing. The cost is so much, it seems more should it turn out to be somewhere we don't like. Nowadays, we tend to look at river cruises, cruises and staying in one place and exploring. For many, the current financial situation might well be a deciding factor. The pound is very weak against the euro and dollar.

Now it's over to you...

18 comments:

craziequeen said...

Morning Jean-Luc! :-) NetChick sent me this way this morning.

Hmm - vacations...I have allergies and issues that make vacationing awkward and it all ended up just being too much trouble.

But I have the perfect solution to expensive annual vacations.
As a medieval re-enactor my summer is mostly spoken for so my idea of a great holiday is a weekend spent in a canvas tent in a medieval castle - what's not to love :-)

And *hopefully*, this year they will be dry weekends!

:-)

cq

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

for me it's cruising of course. it is not only the cheapest way to go, but also my favorite! you only unpack once and every day you are somewhere new. the food is great, there are wonderful shows, there is cake, life is good!

smiles, bee
ooxxoxoxoxooxxo

craziequeen said...

Hey again, Jean-Luc. A little bit of M&G before I start my chores.

For years we holidayed in Tunisia; cheap, cheerful, wonderful service, guaranteed sun and beautiful pools and beaches. In fact in 12 years we only changed hotels three times :-)

I know that MB adores Cyprus, but when he goes away with his friends he heads somewhere cheap and hot - Spain, Turkey etc.

cq

Unknown said...

Captain: Anything simple with Bev along would seem a fitting and a romatic vacation! Cheers to you, my friend! :)

Jane said...

It seems most of our "vacations" are spent in Venezuela. But that is OK with us because we love it. Our favorite place to go in Venezuela if we just want to relax is Colonia Tovar, a German colony that was settled in the 1800's. It is lovely and peaceful.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Well, I am unable to travel anymore...BUT, if I were, I think I would do one of two things...Go to New York so I could go and see LOTS of Theatre and LOTS of friends, too.....I hqven't been back there since 2001
OR,
Go somewhere tropical.....Hawaii or somewhere like it...maybe somewhere in the Caribbean....! Mmmmmm it sounds wonderful, doesn't it?
OR....
Maybe The South Of France.....third choice!

Anonymous said...

It's always been easy, with one wage and three children it's always been a caravan holiday, and as my parents in law had the caravan, then it's always been there.

Our children must have played in every stream in Yorkshire, build stone dams, wandered up and down dales, looked at sheep, and climbed stone walls. Did they miss the theme park, the lights, and sea pier, I don't think so.

Now often it's just husband and myself we've been to Cornwall, and at the moment we are loving Whitby, a new bit of the country for us.

that's what we like, exploring a new place.

Jon the Intergalactic Gladiator said...

My last vacation was to Austin to visit my sister. We found the cheapest airfare that we could and stayed at their house.

The Mistress of the Dark said...

I fear I decide based on what I can afford, which is why I never go that far from home :(

Amanda said...

I haven't traveled as much as I have dreamed because my vacations are always to the same place. The place my family is. In a way, I'm disappointed at myself but on the other hand, exotic destinations will probably still be exotic in 10 years. My grandparents might not be.

Jean-Luc Picard said...

Those are some super answers. It is hard to choose, but sometimes there are circumstances that select the places for us.

Fab said...

It's a bit early for me to already be planning that, but some factors I consider is: where haven't I been before? What is my budget? What are the reviews of the place I consider? Is there something to see (not just a beach or hotel animation)? Are there any events in that period? How accessable are the nearby towns to visit?

At the moment, I'm planning a city trip to Paris in April.

Lois Lane said...

The choosing part would be easy for me, it's the getting away every year that causes a problem. :P

Bilbo said...

Agnes and I enjoy cruising, which is a bit expensive up front, but okay if you can control your urge to buy all the "extras" that are offered on board. Our biggest problem, though, is not deciding what to do...it's having to wait until I have enough vacation days saved up to do it!

Heather Dugan Creative / Footsteps said...

I'm very aware of the diminishing number of years with my kids. My oldest has one more year until he'll be off to college. So, I guess I'm aiming for long-lasting memories and to also expose them to as many different places as I am able...
 
Oh yeah. And how much it costs...!

eastcoastlife said...

I don't have the time for holidays now as there's too much work to be done.

I wish to go backpacking in Europe with my son.

David Edward said...

ok, this is a good place to be forthright: I used to take short trips to where ever the current GF was living or wanted to go. I do not take annual vacations any more but when I did I played follow the leader. I can enjoy myself anywhere there is no snow to shovel. The best so far. the big Island of Hawaii
volcanoes!

Bobkat said...

There has never been any such thing as an annual vacation in my life. However, when I do go away it's a number of factors that contribute to the choice, such as where I actually want to go (I have a mental list) together with economic factors (exchange rate and overall cost).

Netchick sent me over to play along.