RDQ 10th January - Holiday Plans

Give my regards to Penang - it's where my mum was born when it was part of Malaya (before independence).

Mum's health is giving cause for concern and I'm not sure at the moment about going away anywhere this year; a week is usually sufficient for me, much as I'd love to be able to afford two weeks in some exotic place such as Kenya on safari, something I'd like to do, or visit the Grand Canyon. Holidays still seem much more expensive than before the pandemic plus I get clobbered with the "single person surcharge" so I'll probably look for a European city break on special offer again this year, if I can find one.

I was planning on going to Brussels in 2020 but when I read in the Janaury of that year about some odd virus developing in China I decided against that, or going anywhere else. That turned out to be a good call. Maybe I'll get there this year? After several cheap visits to Berlin I'd like to get to Dresden and Leipzig - the German train driver's strike in December stopped me from getting to Leipzig on a day trip and as it's still not been settled I'm hesitant about going to Germany.
I'll be 65 this year and it would be nice to celebrate by going somewhere memorable and affordable to me (and maybe taking 2 weeks off in one go)

Nothing. We are congenitally incapable of planning that far in advance.

We have flights booked to Fano for a week over Easter, and know that we have to be in Germany for a weekend in late May for a godson’s christening, but that’s it so far.

Herself wants to 'do' the NC500 this year, but as it seems accommodation bookings need to be made at least a year in advance, it ain't happening! (Not helped by taking the dog with us, as many hotels/B&B's still won't allow pets).

We might take a wee spin up the West coast for a change, not been up that way for a good few years. No plans to go abroad though. 

We plan to drive down to Czech again at some point - April or May has been mentioned but no firm plans made.

Mrs Tim thinks she's 50 this year (She says she's not really sure as she's spent so long lying about her age but its true) and a few folk we know have used that as a reason to get away so we might do the same.

Otherwise it'd be nice to have a week in the North West of Scotland - Ullapool or Kinlochbervie - and we might go to the Lake District a couple of times for weekends but only if our friends there invite us


Chris, if you do get to Dresden take plenty of photos, its somewhere I hope to see as well as we've passed fairly close by a few times.

We've got nothing booked and no real plans either. Mrs PG is likely to need two operations this year and with the NHS in the state it is in, making plans around that is more or less impossible. Going abroad is also right out as she simply can't get travel insurance at the moment. We had to cancel our trip to Iceland last November as the insurers said that unless her doctor would certify her as "safe to travel" she had no insurance. Of course they won't so that, as they'd be cared of getting sued if she had to be operated on in a hurry overseas.

So we'll probably do days or the odd few days away here and there in the UK. There are loads of places we'd like to see or go to.

I'm not sure I'd fancy SA now.
One of our friends moved across from there 25 years ago but his brother moved about 18 months ago and was saying that in recent years the white population has halved as they are all leaving if they can.....

Nothing booked yet but expect to have a couple of long weekends - at least one abroad, and a summer holiday - likely 10 days but won't book until nearer the time as it's not a major priority. When we feel like it we'll book and go.

In my 'past life' with the ex we would always have 2 holidays booked nearly a year in advance - a weeks skiing and 10ish days in the summer - plus (usually) an extra week away in one of the half terms.

It actually always filled me with anxiety not joy doing it that way so I'm happier with things as they are now. Don't get me wrong - I love travel and a break from work but I'm not bothered by going to the fanciest places etc - we used to spend a huge ammount on holidays and I absolutely enjoyed them but the balance wasn't quite there and I'm now more focussed on the time rather than the places and building for the hope I can ease away from work a few years earlier with the savings!!!

Similar to Racing, we don't book at all far in advance, generally... And unlike Martin we tend to do things on a fairly tight budget - as and when that's not the case (if ever) then I'll book further ahead, something like Mauritius would be lovely!

In early Feb we have 6 days on the Costa Blanca, flying to Alicante, at least some days in Valencia (never been) as Tina has a friend with a flat there. We've loosely discussed buying somewhere on that coast at some point, for holiday let and winter sun purposes. I get a bit of SAD and try and find some winter sun, but on a budget and looking for reliable sun the canary islands and north africa is usually about it - so the canary islands if you don't want to risk being macheted on a beach. Spain is more of a risk but is usually a lot brighter than here, and the Canaries lack much culture by comparison, its mostly cafes owned by north europeans  A house I could work from for a few weeks in the winter would be nice. 

I want to do a "without kids" drive down through Europe some time. Perhaps Italy via southern Germany and Switzerland, though we had previously pondered a longer than usual holiday of a drive around the whole coast of Italy as a possible Honeymoon, should that occur -I'm not sure if expectations will be raised if I suggest that as a destination, I sure as hell can't afford a big wedding (though that may not be a good reason not to have a small one. Plenty to consider this year!!!

I rarely plan a holiday (three that I can recall in my 60+ years in this world) and just go wherever Mrs L or other family members book - we're heading for a Centre Parks break at beginning of Feb with one daughter, SIL and 2 grandchildren and then we have a holiday in Menorca planned for May accompanying them again - except my daughter says they never feel like they're grown ups as they've never done the airport thing by themselves so we're travelling separately!

And I have booked a few days in London to take Mrs L to the Chelsea Flower Show - she's always wanted to go and a previously booked 2020 trip was thwarted by covid - I was a bit staggered by the prices though.

Living in a holiday resort means we do lots of holiday things all year round anyway though - hence me being not that bothered.

Golf? In Italy, group trips of chaps on "Turkish Hairways" are all the rage.

I wouldn’t go as far as it being like a military operation, but I’ve always enjoyed the research and planning in advance.   We tried to be less relaxed about costs and did seriously think about cutting back on flight costs this time, but couldn’t do it in the end.

Yeah, you do see the hair and teeth brigade on the flights. In fact, as I was waiting to check in for the return flight I bumped into one of the lads from our production line who had been out there with his girlfriend for a teeth and hair top up. 

Being a chap who is thinning on top, my wife has suggested that if I were to even consider this I might win the opportunity for a divorce!

I have no intention of doing it.

Someone I know has been for the teeth and hair and the latter process sounds extremely unpleasant. Not only that they returned from the trip apparently still looking like an accident victim!
Their wife told us the process was going to be taking place but its never been mentioned at all because they're 'sensitive' about it! It's kinda hard to hide.

I'm very firmly in the growing old disgracefully camp. I went grey at 18 and never considered dying it - I did once only at the repeated request of a then girlfriend and I looked ridiculous - never again.