h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

1st let us dismiss the world weary traveler. We are not them.
And, dismiss those for whom the cost is of little consequence. We are not them, either.

A recent theory I have is that you (mentally) make lists when your are "up" and perform them when you are "down". Plan vacations of 3 days to 1 month duration when you are "up". Please realize that when notions of what would be entertaining come to you, note them officially. When times are sedate and you have "time to evaluate", you won't have ideas because you are "down". It is committed to print in your unmistaken hand. The "down" you can know that the ideas which seem less than stellar now, are you later. Can you deal with the two yous? You have been doing so all your life, maybe without the benefit of your new meta-vision.

Gone, I think, is the vagabond tinge that led to month long vacations. The cost-benefit use of the money seems more of an issue now. Creature requirements have taken on a higher importance. Self discovery (seems like excuses) has revealed the allergies, health triggers, food avoidances, supplements (do you have the discipline or not?) that your body has.

We have had the most success with one to two week vacations, though, admittedly, greediness and inability to resist instant gratification have eaten into the realistic time that vacations can command. That means the majority of "outings" are mini-vacations even if not so acknowledged by the parties involved consisting of 2 days or, throwing dislocation to the wind, 3 days, stealing a Friday or Monday.

The other vacation draining competitor is "the retreat" which my wife takes to get away from the world (and me) that consists of 3 to 5 days every other year and is marked by no phone calls, no daily chores, and no other responsibilities, either. It has to be far enough away that visits to friends (remember the multifaceted personality will put up a reasonable fight to any single minded resolve) or by friends will not happen. This type of outing lacks most of the hallmarks of a vacation. It is not a vacation. Its a retreat... more of a vacation from... a negative, not a positive.

Acting responsibly has led to faux vacations for which delusion has been indispensable in pacifying the inner child. We graft on vacation-
like activities to other trips that have the elevated priority of "required".

Given this topic's initial question: "Long haul or short?" I choose to ignore the grafted-on vacation.

Being WASPs from "the States" we view "the British Isles" as the perfect 2 week vacation. In a condensed geography we get (got) 4 distinct levels of history for the inner/outer adult; dramatic scenery, strange fast-foods (not home cooking all the time), weird people, TV (we don't have a TV), and absence of daily chores, all for the inner child.

You need to accommodate the multifaceted you; they cannot be suppressed/ignored for the entire duration of a vacation.

Anyway, for us:

o screw the travel agents. They just cannot help marketing and promising more than they deliver. Always a let down. They never offer more than you can happen upon as the winds of fortune blow.

o Look in the library or the bookstore for lists of unique events/places/views for the places under consideration.

o we do not highly value either haute cuisine or pampering at nightly lodging, because it saps money too quickly for unmemorable sensations.

o We demand multiple possibilities for activities where ever the eventual destination turns out to be. Neither rain, sleet, nor snow shall be able to thwart a good time. For instance, the beach better be within an hour's drive to an aquarium or museum or mountain (to rise up out of the rain) or "interesting shops" or some such. Unidimensional outings are reserved for 1 or two day trips.. which, when Mother Nature or bodily disfunction quashes entertainment, are chalked up to one of life's little disappointments, but not a death blow for the entire year's budget for vacations.

o We have an understanding that the world is an unpredictable place, and spontaneity has its refreshing qualities, so let it happen / be ready to embrace it. Watch for local advertisements of entertainment. It is perfectly acceptable through vicarious experience to feed off ambient vibrations of those around you in un-simulated exhilaration (which tourist "groups" always seem to end up with.. simulation).

Christ, two hours and 9 paragraphs is all. Oh well.

I came to experience one of this country's popular laid back holiday destinations and stayed.
That's my idea of a 'perfect holiday', thirty years now and counting.
Most weeks while on the beach having a fish I pinch my self and wonder if it's all real and then happily agree it is.