We are not vacation people. Which is to say, my husband and I do not vacation. Traveling is difficult for a variety of reasons, mostly related to diet (him) and extreme overreaction to variations in routine (me). We do travel - to visit family, to attend gatherings such as family reunions, weddings, and funerals, and for business - but, if someone gave us the choice between staying at home for a week without having to work or going on a vacation, we would inevitably pick staying at home. We are cool like that.
I grew up in a family of vacationers. We never had money, but every summer my parents would load us in whatever shambling POS automobile we owned at the time and take us to state parks, canyons and caves, occasional theme parks, and every single tourist trap along a major artery in the mainland United States, outside of California and New England, places my parents apparently had no interest in visiting. This girl will tell you that the Grand Canyon is less awesome than the Grand Tetons, Wall Drug really is totes fun, and the Corn Palace is not. I've got opinions is what I'm saying. And, yes, I've read American Gods and The House on the Rock is one place I've never actually been (although my parents did go there one summer).
(An entire paragraph devoted to me bragging about something completely unbragworthy. We get the magazine National Geographic every month. On the outside of the magazine, there is always a Geo Genius quiz made up of five, usually impossible, questions. My average number correct is probably about 0.5 a month. Dr. BB usually gets 2 or 3 correct every month. Except one month all the Geo Genius questions were about places in the United States and I knew the answer to EVERY ONE of those questions. Because I had been to each of those places at some point between the ages of 8 and 16.)
Dr. BB did not grow up in a family of vacationers. His family that included five children and two parents who were still paying off their student loans into their fifties (true story) and didn't prioritize vacations. They would take an occasional trek to visit out of town relatives or go to an amusement park a few hours away, but they weren't a vacationing family.
We have traveled together twice without a goal in our relationship - both weekend trips I cooked up because I come from travelers and I thought this was how it went. We took a trip to Duluth and a trip to Stillwater. Each time we made great and wondrous plans, especially on where to eat, and then we got there and didn't know what to do. Do you shop? Sleep? Walk up and down the beach? What do you DO on vacation?
So last week we were on vacation with my mother and sister. This vacation included theme parks, unfortunately. I say unfortunately because I really wanted to do about a million things, but I couldn't because of my leg. Theme parks have some really excellent accommodations for disabled folks, so I'm not going to complain about it too much, but there are some things I just couldn't do. And it bummed me out. Fortunately, food stuff was not so much an issue for Dr. BB this time around, so after the first couple of days, we relaxed and started to enjoy ourselves, especially since we stayed at a resort associated with one of the theme parks and there was a water taxi from our hotel to the park. I would have been happy to just ride the water taxi back and forth all day. I am clearly not meant for the life of a vacationer.
Now would be a fine time for me to include a photo of my vacation, but since I didn't take any, I will instead leave you with a series of questions I desperately want to know the answers to.
So, tell me. What do you DO on vacation? Do you stay at home? Do you go somewhere? Do you beach it? Do you stay at resorts? Do you drive? Fly? Stay at the pool all day? Do you ever get questions correct on the stupid Geo Genius quiz? Tell me!
Jill and I had a B&B, cafe and bar for 6 years. We missed a lot of vacations and family get-togethers; so we appreciate vacations. Here's how our break out.
ReplyDelete1. Family Events: Weddings, deaths, marriages, graduations. These typically take us out of our area and so we try to tack on trips elsewhere. Last year's examples included a milestone birthday in Minnesota (after which we ended up buying a cabin there) and London for a graduation (to which we tacked on a week in Ireland).
2. Outdoorsy-themed skiing, backpacking, canoe camping, etc. Gets us out of our element.
Only rarely do we take one of those "relaxing" beach-rest trips.
I'm not a vacationer because I can't afford it. We've lived in SA a year and have not gone one a safari yet. We haven't even gone on a honeymoon yet. I know I live in a place that people "vacation" at all the time, but its different when you live there. I secretly dream of having a "beach vacay" where I don't know anyone and can wear a bathing suit without being self conscious. I'm pretty much a homebody, and love getting to know my "town" really well.
ReplyDeleteOooh! I love this post! (And I would fail horribly at Geo Genius quizzes. Am a Geo Dunce.)
ReplyDeleteWhat you do on vacation and how you get there totally depends on the location of the vacation. Getting there for us usually means flying, although my husband and I DID go to Asheville, NC which was within driving distance. If my husband and I are in a city we've never visited before, we do touristy things: museums, local hot spots, seeing the sights, and eating. A ton of eating. If we go to a family vacation spot - and both our families have a couple - you do the things you do at that location. For instance, my parents' cabin has specific activities: hiking, swimming, boating, reading, playing Scrabble, eating. My in-laws' condo in Palm Springs has walking, lounging by the pool, shopping, golfing (if you are into that, which I am not), and eating. These are places we visit again and again, so the activities are kind of set out for us. I suppose that happens over time. But we know if we are going to the cabin, we better bring a bunch of books and our hiking boots, and you sort of prepare yourself for that type of vacation. If we're going to an unknown location, we prepare well in advance with places to visit and places to eat.
My MIL told me recently that she'd read something once about vacations. It was something like, you should have a regular vacation spot, because it helps your kids feel well-adjusted or something.
And I guess, from my experience, that's TRUE. But I notice it now more than I did as a kid: I look forward to the normalcy of going to the cabin or Palm Springs or skiing and knowing exactly what to expect. To anticipate the restaurants or ski runs or hiking trails I have loved for years... to feel excited about seeing what's changed and what's stayed the same. To feel comfortable and not feel obligated to gogogo unless that's part of plan (like with skiing - you have to be up early!).
This is the longest comment ever.
I look forward to getting less than half the questions right on the Geo-quiz every month- the guy and I wait till the other one is home and then quiz each other. Honestly, it's the part of the 'periodical' we like the best ;)
ReplyDeleteWe didn't vacation when I was a kid - very much like your husband's family.
ReplyDeleteNow, I like both kinds - traveling and stay-cations. Road trips (to House on the Rock. Just sayin'. You should go!) are especially good.
But if you want a vacation where you can get away with doing nothing all day but still feel like you went somewhere cool, take a cruise. Seriously. They have no expectation that you'll participate in one single thing and there is nothing better than being out in the middle of the ocean on your balcony with a book and a cold beverage (brought to you by 24 hour room service). Nothing.