I've always been the type of person who likes to go on holiday for a short amount of time, the thought of a fortnight anywhere makes me feel a little bit anxious. The longest holiday that we've been on was for two and a half weeks to America, and even though we stayed in four different cities in that time, I was incredibly tetchy from day 13 onwards and just wanted to come home. Mr. TBaM and I sat in Central Park listing all the things that we missed from home; proper chocolate, butter, coke (it tastes funny in the US), decent toilet paper, sleep, our home. We were both quite homesick and were so pleased to return to our beloved semi.
Since having The Boy, I've also realised that when it comes to holidays it's not just the length of the stay which is important to us; I also find it difficult staying in a hotel. By and large, being confined to only one living area that is yours is incredibly restrictive, especially when you have a toddler. Therefore we've taken to having self-catering holidays, and because I don't want to put up with other people's noise, detached properties are the way forward for us.
The United Kingdom has such amazing locations to visit, all within a few hours drive, that I can't understand why anyone would want to deal with the trauma of a plane journey and not being in control of the travel. Last week, mum and I settled down to try and work out where we were going to go on our annual family holiday, perusing many websites about English country cottages, farms, holiday resorts etc. We managed to find somewhere in the end, and after last year's disasterous week-long holiday, we decided on four nights in June half-term down in Devon. Usually we go for August, but the weather has been so bad the past couple of years that we decided to go earlier in the 'Summer' instead.
Tradition dictates that I go on holiday down to the south coast of England, something which my in-laws can't fathom. But then they live near the south coast, so for them it's not a holiday. My husband had holidays in the north of England as a child, mainly because his paternal family are from there. I've been up to the Lake District for a weekend to see a friend in Kendal, been to a wedding in Derbyshire and seen a small part of the Peak District, and have visited Sunderland as a young teen to see relatives. The area of northern England that I really want to go to though is Yorkshire. There are so many beautiful beaches and with the contrasting rugged moors, that I look forward to the time when The Boy is old enough to tolerate the car journey and we can investigate cottages in Yorkshire enabling me to live out a little Wuthering Heights moment!
So, which area of Britain do you most want to visit, and why?
You sound so much like me. I love to travel but I never like to be too far from home, or away for too long. I couldn't holiday for a fortnight.
I like to make sure that if there was an issue back here that I was able to get home quickly enough.
I completely agree with you. Thinking back it might have come from our honeymoon in 2001 when I had food poisoning in Paris and had difficulty getting home early. Ever since, I've been reluctant to go far.
I love nothing more than going on holiday & I can't wait for our 2 weeks away in Spain in the summer. We have booked a villa with my SIL, BIL & Nephew and we are all looking forward to having loads on fun in the sunshine.
When I was younger my holidays were mainly to Newcastle in the North East as this is where my Mum came from – I love going back there & strangely it always feels like I am going to my 2nd home when I go there.
The scenery is amazing & there are lots of beautiful places to visit.
Nothing like me then, I used to start getting depressed at the start of the second week because I knew we'd be going home soon! have the post holiday blues for weeks after getting back to the UK!
If I was visiting the UK, it would be back to Kent, it's been well over a year since I've seen my friends or in-laws.
I used to see those mini-breaks advertised which were basically a long weekend somewhere. I couldn't understand why anyopne would bother packing, travelling, etc… only to come home three days later. Then I went on one to Prague and it was amazing. We packed in loads in three days and managed to have a rest. When I got home I felt like I'd had a proper holiday as much as any fortnight one. Now I love 3 to 4 days holidays.
Oh and in reply to your question – I'd love to go to Edinborough again as I really liked it when I went as a teenager.
*Edinburgh