I enjoy it, but it isn’t that big a thing for me. I have a comfy house, lots of things I want to do and rarely get the chance to just laze around. So for me a week off somewhere has to be better than a week at home.

Also, I feel like I’m increasingly fussy about good beds and noise and stuff, so I can’t just go to random city and stay in a cheap hostel. But then if I end up paying a lot for something, it needs it to be even more exceptional to justify not just staying at home.

That said, I do think there’s something good about going to a new place and experiencing new things. When you find the right kinda vibe for yourself, it balances the excitement of new with the relaxation of leaving the daily grind behind.

My opinions are my own and don’t apply to everyone. You’re entitled to your own opinions. But since you asked:

It’s fine sometimes, but I absolutely hate what it has become culturally. The overspending, environmental pollution, blatant disregard of historical sites by tourists, making life miserable for locals, etc etc. The number of shit companies that prey on people’s desperation to go on holiday. And people see it as some moral good that they are entitled to. You are not a better person for going on holiday (“travelling”). Your all inclusive resort is not expanding your horizons. “I haven’t been on holiday in 3 months” is the not human rights abuse some people portray it to be. I think we all have an obligation to reduce our holiday footprint the way we have an obligation to reduce our beef consumption.

I do like it every so often but it’s a lot of money, work and stress. I’ve got to get on top of my job before I go, organise a cat sitter, get the house in order, and there’s always unexpected costs. Going away is so fucking expensive nowadays as well, so it takes a lot of financial planning. All in all, if someone said I could never go away again, I wouldn’t be that upset

I love going on holiday. I hate planning holidays.

Book me a ticket and tell me where to go each day and I’m happy. Ask me which of the three identical looking hotels I prefer, and to contribute to the itinerary and I’m not happy.

It’s important I think. Day-to-day I live quite a lot in nature, so to change my mind space I do city trips. I find a concert I like in a city not too far, not too near. Then plan 2 or 3 days in that city.

This year I will have done 2 such holidays.

As an adult it makes me anxious. It was easier to go do something when I lived with family where if I was gone for awhile would be living day to day at home but now if my wife and I go someplace we have to leave our home unoccupied plus deal with the pets. I really only enjoy things if I can be 100% carefree for the period.

For me, the definition of good time is either time spend with my spouse or with very few selected friends, time spend reading books & writing, walking, and to do stuff with my hands. Even though it’s perfectly fine to do so, there is seldom any need to travel (or to spend) much to enjoy any of that. As a matter of fact, my spouse and I decided in the early 00s to stop traveling by plane and to use as little car as possible (we have not owned a car since that time, we rent one when we really need it)

I used to travel a tad more when I was younger and liked to go places for holidays, but the majority of those travels I would summarize them as an expensive and rather unimaginative way to get excited.

The only travels I have zero regret doing, and there was quite of few of them, are those I made when I was in my 20s in order to be able to spend time with that girl I was so madly in love and that lived… away. That was some 30+ years ago.

I haven’t really set up my own home base with pets or kids or whatever, or a career yet, so I would still like to get all of my traveling out of the way first.

Aiming for WFH style work and maybe doing a little bit of a nomad lifestyle for a while. First thing I need to do is save in order to obtain my British citizenship, so that I have more powerful passport than a South African one. Then I’d like to select different places to visit.

Honestly Europe and the US are last on my list. First I want to go everywhere completely different to what I know. Certain select African countries (I’d need to do homework first), South America, Mexico, Asia. Doesn’t mean that I won’t visit Europe or the US though. Maybe I’ll sprinkle it in between.

This is my legitimate plan for the future right now.

It’s pretty mid overall. It’s a big return in terms of variety of experience but also a big expense in terms of time and energy and stress. I’m sure that ratio will improve when I don’t have small children.

I had a great first visit to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic just last week.

All inclusive resort. Beautiful beach. Fun activities. 10/10 would go again.

We also left the resort to do a buggy excursion and we visited a beer brewery.

Depends on what you are doing. I like to travel and visit friends and family in places i have never been, or never really seen. I stay with friends and family where possible, or i find a cheap hostel to stay at to mingle. I don’t have paid vacation days currently, so i mostly have to stick to weekend trips where i can take a Friday off and travel.

My advice is to skip resorts and avoid the major tourist spots in a city, or maybe just do a few of them. Labour Day weekend i traveled to San Antonio to see a concert with my brother and his girlfriend. He showed me around his college campus and we went to the Mission San Jose.

Do as the locals do, find little local restaurants, avoid chains, and just try to take in the atmosphere. If you can do it/get it at home, it isn’t worth doing in vacation