Recently, a friend posted some nice vacation pictures from France, and I liked them. He then asked me about my 2023 vacation plans. I told him that I have none. He asked me why. His question was simple but my answer is not. There appear to be many and even complex reasons.
My last vacation was mid 2014. Back then, I was still celebrating the apparent ending of my 2013 burn-out. Since 1-2 years, I now know that this 2014 vacation was also one of the reasons for the ending of my relationship, several months later. I assume that this has left scarred memories.
Since my 2013 burn-out, I have not had a job. Hence, financial arguments became the next reason for avoiding vacations. In 2019, I finally thought that I would start travelling following the sale of my house. A sudden back pain and subsequently closed Covid-19 borders prevented that.
Since several years, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t miss the stress of vacations. Usually, a 3-week vacation took me one week to adjust, one week to enjoy, and one week to worry about the return trip. Short foreign or domestic road trips have created a workable compromise.
Today, I’m even wondering why vacation is so important to others. Obviously, vacation is the perfect excuse not to be bothered by anyone. A staycation is reason enough for some to keep bothering you. The best vacation places do not have mobile phone service.
My best vacation memories involved many weeks of travelling in USA. There was just a rough itinerary (eg, cities, national parks). A nice place led to a longer stay. A disappointing place caused a brief (overnight) stay. Travelling feels so more rewarding than an organised vacation.
However, setting a first step is still a challenge for me.
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
A quote by Laozi a.k.a. Lao Tzu, an “ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher, credited with writing the Tao Te Ching“.
Summer Holiday (1963) by Cliff Richard and The Shadows
artist, lyrics, video, Wiki-artist, Wiki-song
We’re going where the sun shines brightly
We’re going where the sea is blue
We’ve seen it in the movies
Now let’s see if it’s true
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless in quotes or stated otherwise.
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