What do YOU Enjoy Doing on Vacation/Holiday?

[NotYou]

I am curious, if/when you go abroad on a vacation/holiday, what do you like doing? What type of holiday do you pick? I mean, something adventurous, hiking, sightseeing, or do you prefer to just be near the hotel and beach and pool sunbathing, or perhaps a cruise is your preferred type of vacation? Or what exactly do you want to do?

We Brits are quite known (in our own country at least) for wanting British food and drink but in the sun, hence places like Benidorm being so popular.
Personally, I never see the point of going abroad to another country and not trying their foods, drinks and at least some of the culture. I enjoy seeing their buildings, villages and stuff.

I have only ever been abroad twice, both times to the same place and didn't get to do anything like sightsee or much of anything else, but if I go anywhere again i will definitely be wanting to try their things. I want a new experience. I don't want to go all that way and pay whatever just to get the same that I have at home. I could wait for Summer for this.

Now, I wouldn't go to some extreme lengths with things, I do still have my boundaries and comfort zone. Like, I can't imagine going to a country that sells weird animals/insects on sticks to eat as snacks or any other weird stuff... i do draw the line at some things that's for sure lol



So what kind of holidays do you prefer and do you throw yourself in, just stick a foot in, or prefer to just stay in the villa/resort or on the beach etc and not venture out to do anything?
What's your ideal getaway vacation?

 

[MarieElise]

I am curious, if/when you go abroad on a vacation/holiday, what do you like doing? What type of holiday do you pick? I mean, something adventurous, hiking, sightseeing, or do you prefer to just be near the hotel and beach and pool sunbathing, or perhaps a cruise is your preferred type of vacation? Or what exactly do you want to do?

We Brits are quite known (in our own country at least) for wanting British food and drink but in the sun, hence places like Benidorm being so popular.
Personally, I never see the point of going abroad to another country and not trying their foods, drinks and at least some of the culture. I enjoy seeing their buildings, villages and stuff.

I have only ever been abroad twice, both times to the same place and didn't get to do anything like sightsee or much of anything else, but if I go anywhere again i will definitely be wanting to try their things. I want a new experience. I don't want to go all that way and pay whatever just to get the same that I have at home. I could wait for Summer for this.

Now, I wouldn't go to some extreme lengths with things, I do still have my boundaries and comfort zone. Like, I can't imagine going to a country that sells weird animals/insects on sticks to eat as snacks or any other weird stuff... i do draw the line at some things that's for sure lol



So what kind of holidays do you prefer and do you throw yourself in, just stick a foot in, or prefer to just stay in the villa/resort or on the beach etc and not venture out to do anything?
What's your ideal getaway vacation?

My preferred type of vacation is anywhere where there are water parks, beaches, rivers or large lakes. I like to float, and hang.
I go as many places as possible in the time I'm there, but they usually all revolve around water or water sports.
The exception is skiing. I do go on ski vacations and in those instances, I stay in the one area and ski.... until I find a hot tub or pool close by.
What a cheerful topic

 

[CheeseMoon]

My ideal vacation is a very long mostly aimless hike over several days, preferrably only in the company of my grumpy twit of a dog, with no coverage of any sort and mostly in complete silence. I've done it a handful of times for 6 to 10 days. But I've also done several rounds of "lazy mindless tourist in the Mediterranean", and it has its upsides too in the form of the local food and drink. A friend of mine has an apartment (more like a hole in the wall) on Gran Canaria that I've borrowed a couple of times, though the place is full of pinkish brits whose english is poor

But I think it's important to do something different and reset, no matter what you do for a vacation. Not all vacations need to be for the history book!

 

[Deleted member 45270]

When I lived in England, I went to a popular beach resort. We had terrible weather the whole time we were there - can't expect anything different from English weather!

I'm fortunate enough to be able to live in a scenic place currently. From that, I know for a fact that you don't need to travel far to feel like you're relaxing on vacation. Just somewhere that has a beautiful forest or a beach can be enough to make you feel at peace.

I haven't out of the country in10 years so I know when it happens, I'm going to make it count, and not spend a day just idling in the sun when I can do that here. I'd love to be able to hitchhike in some of the beautiful scenery in different North American states and visit some other tourist attractions while in the US. I'm also learning Japanese to help the experience when I eventually travel to Japan in the future. I totally agree with dipping into the culture while you're there, and I think learning the language is one way to do that.

 

[NotYou]

My ideal vacation is a very long mostly aimless hike over several days, preferrably only in the company of my grumpy twit of a dog, with no coverage of any sort and mostly in complete silence. I've done it a handful of times for 6 to 10 days. But I've also done several rounds of "lazy mindless tourist in the Mediterranean", and it has its upsides too in the form of the local food and drink. A friend of mine has an apartment (more like a hole in the wall) on Gran Canaria that I've borrowed a couple of times, though the place is full of pinkish brits whose english is poor

But I think it's important to do something different and reset, no matter what you do for a vacation. Not all vacations need to be for the history book!

I am curious, have you been on "group" hikes? By this I mean, I have searched for SOLO holidays for people, and there are some really fantastic looking 3, 5, 7 day hiking vacations, and you do different things each day and go different places, and you meet with a guide and with up to about 20 other people - some will already be in small groups, or you could all be completely random and solo. It's something I have considered, although they are quite expensive (for me at least), but they look very intriguing and seem to go through amazing scenery etc.

Or has anyone else tried (or would) something like this before?

When I lived in England, I went to a popular beach resort. We had terrible weather the whole time we were there - can't expect anything different from English weather!

Haha, to be fair the summers here lately are fantastic, they really are "summer". And even now, the past few weeks or even month, we have had nice sunshine and warm weather (20c) - you can tell this because everyone is out in their shorts, topless, with beer in hand and BBQ lol

 

[Deleted member 45270]

@Brett M I'd like to go on group hikes. They would probably include local people, which would be one good way to socialise with the people from that country/culture.

I will definitely need to save up lots, because when I go to the US, I'd like to travel to different states while there.

 

[cbhours]

 

[CheeseMoon]

I am curious, have you been on "group" hikes?

Yes. It was organized by the government and is colloquially known as 'military service'

But seriously, no, I haven't. Part of the winding down and reset for me is to plan it, kit up for it and just go out and be in nature without any activities other than keeping hydrated, fed, reasonably comfortable and safe. The last hike was in a national park in northern Sweden in August 2019 for about a week. Didn't see a single person the entire time. Pure magic, but YMMV.

It's not extreme in any way, just basically walking, camping and taking it all in (and hoping the car is wherever I parked it a week ago). I have more than enough goals, achieving and "winning" to deal with in my professional life, so I want to get as far as possible away from that while on vacation. Maybe it sounds daft, idk.

 

[rockin_rod]

We Brits are quite known (in our own country at least) for wanting British food and drink but in the sun, hence places like Benidorm being so popular.
Personally, I never see the point of going abroad to another country and not trying their foods, drinks and at least some of the culture.

OMG! This so reminded me of a story relayed to me by a friend who used to work for one of the airlines operating out of East Midlands Airport.
One day, she got called to a 'disturbance' at check-in. The flight was a charter to one of the popular Spanish holiday destinations.
She arrived to find a stand-off between a middle-aged Brit and the airline employee.
The guy was trying to check in a bulky item that was all wrapped up in blankets.
Turned out it was his TV set.
Guy was heading for a 10-day vacation, and thought he could take his TV from home and still catch up on all his fave shows in English.
When my friend politely explained that a British TV would not work in Spain, the guy triumphantly held up a UK-EUR travel power adaptor plug, and said "Ha! You think I'm stupid? Thought of that!"

[BTW, this was years ago, in the era of analogue TV signals and co-ax antennas, well before Netflix and other streaming services]

 

[AudriTwo]

i like to spend my time off going to visit my family and friends back in pittsburgh. i don't ever consider going back home a vacation/holiday because my anxiety is always through the roof, but i love my family to death. it's never really relaxing. im always relieved that i don't live there anymore and happy to be back home.

my best friend and i had plans to go do our first girl-only adult vacation ever to canada in august. her and i used to do road trips together in highschool and college, and we wanted to drive from pitt to toronto, visit with her brother and his family and drive back. we were planning on making it a two-week trip. good news, she and her partner learned they are expecting their first child. bad news is our roadtrip got canceled because she will be 7 months pregnant. im now going home to visit around that time.

 

[Kathrynne]

I like to explore the area - I enjoy nature and architecture, I love museums, galleries, exhibitions. On vacation, I try to keep my eyes and soul open to absorb as much new and interesting things as possible. Just lying or sitting in a hotel is not for me. But at the same time, I like a comfort. After walk I want to return to a hotel, i need a chance to take a bath or shower and get a good sleep. Life in tents is not for me, although with friends it sounds fun! I don't like hostels when you have to share a room with someone else. More often I prefer to go on vacation alone - without coordinating routes and plans with someone. Then, when I come back, I really feel rested.

 

[ArcticKitty]

I love to see places of natural beauty and historical sites and would really like to be able to see both on the same holiday. .I like a hotel with a pool to return to in the evening from my exploration. A resort may be nice and relaxing for a few days at most. I want to go and see places and experience things.

@Kathrynne random, I think having lunch at a museum or arboretum with you would be fun

 

[THE MOLLIE MARIE]

I want to sit by beautiful water perhaps with umbrella drinks, explore nature, meet local folks and ask them what they love about the location, shop, eat everything I can't try at home, catch a show, see the sights, learn some history, tour architecture and museums... I want to do it all. Before I visit a new destination, I try to narrow it down to just a few main things that I would most like to do/see/eat.

I try to go with the flow the rest of the time, and not set up too much of a schedule before I've even arrived. Being flexible while travelling is the most important thing, I think. Having a really rigid schedule stresses me out before the thing has started, and I refuse to do it. That is not vacation vibes.

 

[Fatquack]

On vacation I like to shoot my cannons! (And no, that is not a euphemism)

 

[rockin_rod]

When I was younger and fitter, I liked the active hiking/trekking experiences, and was fortunate to travel widely with just a backpack and a plane ticket.
Work also led me to travel extensively.
These days, I take a more luxurious approach (I retired the backpack in favour of a wheeled travel case, it felt so weird) but still can't be inactive - lounging on a pool deck or beach is something I can only do for an hour or two, then I get the urge to go and explore. There's so much culture, sights and sounds to take in everywhere, and I get itchy feet.
The last few years have been confined to Australia, due to covid. But am planning something soon, bucket list must-do's are South America (including Machu Picchu of course), Iceland and a trip to the Antartctic on board an ice-breaker.
Ideal balance for me these days is actively exploring and sightseeing during the day, and relaxing in the evenings, maybe a restaurant, walk around the local area, take in a movie or a show.

 

[bbbbadddd]

On vacation I like to shoot my cannons! (And no, that is not a euphemism)

What type of cannon?

I'm a beach/water guy. Give me some place warm in the sun with pretty blue water where I can surf and fish and go boating and sit on my ass with a beer, I'm good

 

[Deleted member 57737]

A friend of mine has an apartment (more like a hole in the wall) on Gran Canaria that I've borrowed a couple of times

I think I know that place or a similar one, have many friends there and stayed there for a few months. Hardcore hippie place.

I love hiking through nature, backpacking but also visit cities for their culture like museums or just take in their athmosphere. in 2006 I was in Spain and the canary islands for 10 months. No money, no plan, no hotels, just me, my backpack and a guitar. Hitchhiking Granada, Sierra Nevada making music on the streets. I met a lot of musicians and we ended up making decent money together. As soon as we had enough we looked for illegal raves to get high as fuck. There is nothing like meeting locals on a trip who know the region. And the food there is wow. Just have some white bread, cheap wine, cheap cheese and Jamon Serrano in fresh air. Damn, if everything goes right I'll do something similar in Portugal this year, but this time with a camper. I got older

 

[IsabelaHarlow]

I really enjoy hiking through the mountains or staying at the beach to get that summer tan.

 

[CheeseMoon]

I think I know that place or a similar one, have many friends there and stayed there for a few months. Hardcore hippie place.

Haha, okay. Not sure what place you are thinking of. Guigui, perhaps? While the island is teeming with hippie types, backpackers, adventurers, around-the-world voyagers, hikers, climate escapees and whatever else you can think of, the almost comically small apartment is on the south coast in one of the seriously hardcore tourist machines. Worked for me since I've already had my time exploring off the beaten track and living on "nothing" in the 90s in the Middle East. I still miss Lebanon, but it's a different planet there now ...

 

[Deleted member 57737]

Guigui, perhaps?

No, then its a different place, but there are many spots with caves, some are tourist spots and some are more like off the beaten track. Also in Granada there are many caves, the ones that are near to the Alhambra are normally Flamenco places. If you walk up the mountain you hear Spanish live music everywhere. At night people play and dance on the streets next to the unbelievable exterior of the Alhambra, you get the best olives and wine and what I love so much there is that the Spanish people let their kids outside until late night because they slept during the siesta. And further up the mountain there are caves with many artists who have their ateliers inside..... its romantic. Everybody should see Granada and Cordoba. The culture there is wonderful because its where the Islam met with Jewish and European cultures in the middle ages. Best is off season otherwise its really crowded.

 

[Fatquack]

What type of cannon?

Black powder medieval cannons.

 

[jillianna]

I love traveling abroad, but that hasn't really been anything that I've been able to plan in the last couple of years because of Covid. I live in Florida so I find that when I go to travel elsewhere --it never makes sense for me to spend too much money to go elsewhere. There's so much to do in this wacky state.

I did get to go on a few cross-country RV trips and would love to do that again in the future.

 

[ericlafayet]

I spend most of my vacations days on 2/3 events I go every year, like music festivals and other venues. I never liked to use more than 1 week for the holidays.

 

[inertvolcano]

I like to go to other places and cities and pretend to be a local for a little while. When I first went to New York City for a vacation I crashed with some friends and while they were at work I went to a cafe and just people watched, tried some local restaurants, went to a karaoke bar, and just kind of hung out. Nothing big and touristy.

 

[Dan Epstein]

Traveling to Budapest Hungary next week. It’s been 4 years since my last vacation so I’m gonna chill with good wine, good food, and some good walks. Not taking my laptop, or answering any emails, just me and my significant other. That should be more than enough

 

[inertvolcano]

I'm actually traveling to Medellín in a couple of days. Haven't been out of the country since I went to Costa Rica as a child. My job lets me work anywhere in the world so I'm scouting it as a potential place to live and work remotely since my money would go much, much further there, I'm decent with Spanish, and it's an easy flight from there to my family in Florida. Mainly just going to go to some restaurants and hang out. Get a feel for the vibes.

 

[Deleted member 57737]

I just had a little Mini vacation in South West Germany at the border of France. There is a construction from the First world war stretching over hundreds of miles called dragons teeth. They have build it to stop the tanks going over the border. It's nice to see it now not in use anymore.
The concrete goes very deep into the ground and everything is connected.

 

[Susperia]

I love to go anywhere that doesn't look like where I live. I prefer the beach over anything, but I'll take mountains too. I love to photograph different topography in particular. I'm fascinated with the beauty of the earth.

 

[Dan Epstein]

I'm actually traveling to Medellín in a couple of days. Haven't been out of the country since I went to Costa Rica as a child. My job lets me work anywhere in the world so I'm scouting it as a potential place to live and work remotely since my money would go much, much further there, I'm decent with Spanish, and it's an easy flight from there to my family in Florida. Mainly just going to go to some restaurants and hang out. Get a feel for the vibes.

La gente colombiana es una de las más amables que hay. Disfruta!