Do you take vacations?
By alexandra777
@alexandra777 (643)
Philippines
May 18, 2009 4:52am CST
Last Thursday while having dinner and chatting with my husband we thought of taking a much needed vacation. Having the same very demanding and stressful jobs, taking long vacations is a big NO because of the responsibilities we have in our work. We are accountable in all aspects because of the nature of office operations and unless some competent worker or our respective immediate district managers relieve us and do the heavy workloads themselves a dream vacation will remain just that, "a dream".
While having breakfast the following morning we again talked about the vacation. We looked at each other then he asked me 'when' and i answered 'now?' We laughed at the silliness of our reactions but we agreed to "go home"
We still went to work that day then hastily packed our bags after dinner. We left home at 9:30 pm and reached the bus station after an hour of heavy traffic. I lined up for the tickets for half an hour and we were on the last trip at 12:00 am. It was a five and a half hours bouncy bus ride. I was sleepy and uncomfortable but excited because after six and a half long years i finally saw my birthplace again. Half of my family - my mother, my sisters and their families live near me in my present home but my father, my brothers and their families live in the province and we don't always see eye to eye.
We had a lot of fun in that two day vacation. I got the chance to see and hold my little nephews and nieces. Kids are growing fast nowadays and i want to remember this moment, bond with them while they are still kids. I got reconnected with relatives and high school friends too. I saw a lot of changes in my hometown. It has developed and become a city but the hospitality, the friendliness of everyone i met is still evident.
Last night was another bouncy, long sleepless ride and now i am back here. I missed myLot! So that's what happened in our unplanned weekend vacation. Tired but happy and rejuvenated! How about you? Have you ever gone and took an unplanned short vacation? How was it? I'd love to hear from you!
1 person likes this
11 responses
@darbas_namie (326)
• Lithuania
18 May 09
i love vacation! i do not care it was planned or not. i allways happy if i can go somewhere... sometimes i feel so tired, but at the same time so happy. and sometimes after really really loooong way i do not feel tired, i feel energy in all my body because that is my vacation! :)
1 person likes this
@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
19 May 09
You feel energy in your body because of your vacation! Hahaha! That's right, darbas_namie, i felt that too, being energized mentally, emotionally and physically! So, do you take vacations and travel alone or with your family?@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
21 May 09
My nieces were like that and i had my share of funny experiences traveling with them when they were still babies! 
@darbas_namie (326)
• Lithuania
19 May 09
before i was going alone or with my parents. but now.. i have a child and a husband,, so we are going together :) with a baby so strange and much more funny, because he does not know anything and seeing first time. his reactions makes me lough :)
@shalabhvaid (319)
• India
18 May 09
Hi, the best are unplanned visits to any place. You mostly enjoy and remember them because there are no reservations, no bookings, no proper travel plans, you just go by the flow. Though they can be tiring they are fun. When most family members are working it is also very difficult to plan on a holiday or vacation.
It need not a be a vacation only its also so much when you wanna visit a place in your own locality or state, or a friend etc even though its much close you plan and you never get to go that day, the day you don't you land up visiting that place or friend
Enjoy your future trips!
@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
18 May 09
Hahaha! You've just said exactly as what me and my husband described it! The vacations we planned just stayed a "plan"! We never planned on a holiday break though because it is hard to go with those packs of holiday goers! The bus stations get so crowded and the buses all stuffed and you have to wait uncomfortably for long hours before you can get a seat! But unplanned vacations like what we just had are kind of refreshing. They replace the monotony with fun and excitement!
Thanks for sharing your views, shalabhvaid. Hope to talk with you again!
1 person likes this
@shalabhvaid (319)
• India
18 May 09
ok !!my wife wrote to you and now I am the husband here ..LOL.
I think I totally agree with both of you here. Guess what I am just writing to inform you that when I was a bachelor I would love these surprise trips....Just come home from work, pack my bags and off I go to the intercity bus stand and then think where I am going within the state.
It was fun back then all alone....hmmm....
@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
19 May 09
So you also share myLot with your wife? My husband gets his share of the fun in here too! And he says hi and hello to our friends here and i take some of the ideas from him which i have made as a part of my discussions. Aren't we glad we have spouses joining us here? Please extend my regards to your wife too, friend shalabhvaid! 
@maikarumike (457)
• Malaysia
19 May 09
Yeah i take vacations after a hard time of working and studying.FOr example, at the very end of every semester of study, i would reward myself with the money i have earned working part time to travel to somewhere else that i have not been to. This will be a good life escapade and a good relaxation to the mind and when you are back,you will be refreshed for the upcoming tasks and works.
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@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
19 May 09
I used to do that when i was in college! Go places with some school friends. They took turns inviting me to spend weekends at their hometowns and that was where the money i saved during those times went. Those were memories i can still remember because i had a lot of fun and excitement visiting places i never saw before. And yes, studies sometimes wear us off so it would be great to just escape and enjoy the woods and the flowers or have fun at the beach then come back relaxed and refreshed, ready for another semester of classroom lessons!
Maikarumike, that was fun and i'm sure you had lots of it!
@itsme_cha (504)
• United States
19 May 09
hi there, i did take vacation back home to the philippines just 2 months ago. its was so amazing, as i able to see my family and spend time with them its was fun and amazing vacation i thank my husband to make it happen, i am so glad to see my family, i also attended my sister graduation so its like a very good opportunity for as that we took that vacation. but now were planning to take a short vacation here in states as i want to go to other places close to where we live. good day.
happy mylotting!!!
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@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
19 May 09
Oh, i can just imagine your joy upon stepping on Philippine soil once again and seeing your family here! We are both blessed to have husbands who make way for things to happen! As for me and my hubby, we talk of our next vacations as a joke but we really do have the desire to visit the famous beautiful places here in our country first before considering visiting other places across the sea. That would be costly though but who knows, maybe one day somebody would just appear from nowhere and give us the tickets!
Thanks, cha! Enjoy planning and taking those vacations!
Thanks, cha! Enjoy planning and taking those vacations! 
@thejeangrey (22)
• United States
19 May 09
Yes, we go on at least one real vacation per year. The tradition started when we got married on vacation, and every year we go back. It's nothing big, we don't leave the state, but it is always much needed and so much fun. Now we have a little one to share it with, so it should be a new, fun experience.
1 person likes this
@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
19 May 09
Having "a little one to share it with"...i wish we have our own little one too...but at my age and in my condition i think God's purpose is different. We may not have our own but it was a great experience being with my little nieces and nephews. I wish i can be with them as often as possible. Talk with them, play and have fun with them while they are still young and innocent.
Yes, thejeangrey, vacations need not be that big. What's important is for us to have fun and share it with the ones we love.
@rachababy09 (3)
• United States
19 May 09
I am only 25 and recently engaged. Most of the last five years have strictly been working, so I have not had any time for taking a few days off, as I was trying to build my career. Recently, My fiance and I decided to take a vacation. However, we kept putting it off. Now I wish that we would have taken it due to the unexpected job that my fiance has taken. He will be away for atleast a month and up to three months. This seperation is hard because the hours that he works and because of the young children that we share going to see him is impossible. However, despite the cram packed scheduled we have decided in a "dream" vaction until he returns. Every night, we agree on a different place that we will meet up in our dreams. We just try and focus on the place as we go to sleep. I generally don't remember my dreams so who knows if I actually go or not, but point being this is no vacation. I recommend anyone to take a vacation when you feel the time is right. Your body and life has a way of telling you when it is time for a break. Listen to this....thier will be a reason. When I do finally get to take this real vacation I will stop back by to tell you how a real vacation feels...lol!!
@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
19 May 09
I think i know that feeling! Before we got married my husband lives with his father and siblings and worked here while i was five to eight hours away (depending on the time and traffic situation while in travel). I was the one who came to visit him because my work then was not so demanding and i get to enjoy my privilege leaves while it was almost impossible for him then to take a few days leave from his work. I was fortunate to have a sister here and i used to stay at her place so that's to my advantage. Those few days i spent with him and his family helped make our relationship grow stronger and filled the gaps in those two and a half years of being physically away from each other.
I guess our bodies and the life we live did tell us it was time for a break that's why decided on that short vacation in the spur of the moment! Lol! Thanks for sharing, rachababy!
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
18 May 09
I can understand your happiness coz it’s the same with us. Both of us are working in places where the office seems to stop if we don’t report to work one single day! Then we have our son who is going to school and the most important deterrent is the expense. If you want to stay a little comfortable and enjoy a little, it does require a lot of money. Yes, traveling and tourism have both become very expensive and since we are dependent only on hotels, our expenses rise further. Hence, we can afford no short vacations but once a year, we definitely go on a week long trip.
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@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
18 May 09
It is really a more difficult situation when there are children to consider. You also have to think of their comfort. And the money, well, most of our combined income for the first half of this month went into that weekend vacation. We have already expected that because my brothers are not really earning that much and besides they have their own families to take care of so were prepared for that. Two years ago when we really could not find time to go home i paid for all the travel expenses of one of my brothers and his family just so they can spend summer with me and my husband here in our place. The following year i did the same for my second brother and i hope next year it will be for my third brother too. I thought that if i can not be there to be with them i can find ways to have them here with me. I am just so glad that my husband also loves my side of the family and he is happy doing what he does as his way of showing that he loves me and everything about me.
Thank you, sudiptacallingu. It's nice to know that there are people like you who can relate to our situation. "The office really seems to stop if we don't report to work in one single day!"
@islandrose (686)
• Philippines
18 May 09
We don't have family vacation to our relatives, but we just have a family weekend beach activity, to give ourselves and the kids great fund swimming in the water, eat together and feel the sea breeze. It's just half a day, but it's tiring and satisfying. At least, we break the monotony of daily works.
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@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
18 May 09
My mother and sisters with their kids come to our place every now and then because they only live in the next town. They come for lunch or stay overnight and we all go to the mall which is just a short walk from our house. The kids are contented with the fun rides and it's a heavenly feeling just watching them enjoying everything. Me and my husband do not have children of our own but we are blessed with nephews and nieces who see us as their second parents. Yesterday, seeing the kids coming from the beach all wet and giggling just made me smile. Life is really much more colorful when there are little children around you.
Hello islandrose! I am glad to have you here. Thanks!
@hustonphotography (569)
• United States
18 May 09
I am going to Texas next month to visit my family. I need a vaction. My work is stressful and I only have so much time in year to use for a vacation. I am excited about it. I am flying. I hate flying. But I think this vacation is what I need. I think everyone needs to get away every once in a while!
@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
19 May 09
You've got a point there, hustonphotography! My only regret is i forgot i brought a camera and i only remembered it just as the sun was setting in the horizon a few hours before we packed our bags ready to leave that beloved land of my youth! Next time i'll hang my camera around my neck as a reminder for me to take snapshots and practice photography!
Yes, everybody needs a vacation once in a while, short or long, and living away from our families is one of the reasons to take it. We also need to relieve ourselves of the stress we get from work. I have experienced flying only twice in my life and i was just so excited about it that if the opportunity to fly comes with available resources i'd love to get in the plane again! LoL!
@harryt123 (327)
• United States
18 May 09
I do try to take a vacation about once a year, to just go out of the city and my busy work life but I think that this year it might be different because I am working full-time at my job and from it being hectic and stressful I most likely do deserve a vacation. I tend to go with my immediate family, we go somewhere that we all would enjoy for about a week or so. I was thinking of planning out a vacation out of the country and to see a different site and some scenery. In general we work ourselves and are so caught up in our everyday lives that we forget to take care of ourselves and do things for us.
@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
19 May 09
That's what happened to us, working full time and sometimes with weekend commitments too, that it's only now that we have come to consider treating ourselves to a much needed vacation! Like what i've said to my husband, we might as well enjoy moments such as the one we just had, while we still have the ability to move around easily.
Hello, harry! Let's not work ourselves too much and yes, we also must always remember to take care of ourselves! Thanks for reminding me that! I hope you get to enjoy your next vacation soon!
@alexandra777 (643)
• Philippines
19 May 09
Oh well, i come here and join discussions after dinner at home and on Saturdays too, while waiting for the washing machine to stop spinning. It's my way of slowing down from stress related activities. Since there's only me and my hubby at home, no children to attend to, and after the monotonous office work, i look for something else to occupy my mind aside from watching tv shows. Besides, i learn a lot here. I can practice the English language and i gain friends. I am just blessed to have a husband who also shares his opinions or points of view that become parts of my responses to discussions. That unplanned weekend get away we have just found exciting will, we hope, be followed soon and we already know where we will go next! If God wills it, Baguio City!Yes, tokwa, vacation is a very healthy occasion! Thank you!
