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Vacation vs. Staycation

fpgt72

Old Salt
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 26, 2019
4,112
6,588
What say you on this.

I generally don't take Vac time at work....I just don't. When I was hourly employee I would get paid down on it, now it really is not tracked like that, being 24x7x365 now they figure they win in the end....and they do. I have spent a month here in the past.

Monday was my first day back after two weeks of a staycation.

Many people said go somewhere, I was hitting burnout pretty hard, just retire now, 18months to go and I don't think I can do it. I took two weeks off. They tried to get me to go somewhere, even if just over night.

I really don't want to. You really need to get away. I don't know what to do with the dogs, one is old and with that thing going around I don't want to kennel them. I thought you said your kid and his wife would come out and babysit. Yea they did but I don't want to impose. Just go one day I will come out and let the dogs out a couple times, no big deal.....no I just want to stay home.

Well what are you going to do.....

I worked my ass off, and loved every single minute of it.

Gravel in the driveway, new "wireless" fence for the dogs (works good to), worked on my VW. Did some shooting I think is the only "fun" thing I did. Ran some power in the barn. I just worked and it was great.

I guess there is something wrong with me that I just love being home. Am I missing out on the world, or are they so misrable at home they have to get away from it.
 
i always equated the difference btw travel bugs and the stay at home’ers to introverts and extroverts.

ain’t nothing wrong with being around the house or just a day excursions.

That has a great deal to do with it I think, I am not a people person. Part of that is the profession, trusting others is something that is not easy for me.

At home I can just relax like no other place.
 
I love home, but also love seeing the world. Almost all my trips away are hunting, fishing or river trips, so either solo or small group. Im not big on crowds or touristy shit so if that was the kind of vaca I had to take I'd probably just stay home too. If you're happy just staying home then nothing wrong with that.
 
My wife and I are opposites for travel and what we consider ‘fun’…she’s energized by crowds and loud parties, and I love a quiet night reading a good book. A perfect vacation for me would be a quiet beach, or better yet, a mountain cabin overlooking a lake with no one around, and a stack of books.

Funny enough, after almost 35 years of marriage, she’s gonna be taking a vacation apart from me about a year from now…just entered the planning stages. Her best friend just flew out so they could go see a concert here in San Antonio, and her and a couple work friends (all ladies) are going to fly to Germany next year to take in some Christmas markets, and visit some of our favorite winter tourist attractions over there like Trier (ancient Roman city in NE Germany), Rothenburg (still the epitome of how I picture old Europe), the Zugspitze, etc.

She’ll also visit family (her much older brother married a German girl and lived there for years raising his family before passing away from cancer decades ago…now buried over there), and friends who are still stationed over there throughout Germany.

I’m gonna hang out here and do….well, as little as possible except shoot stuff and put in some time at the track! LoL
 
Build a life you don't need to escape.
Staycation every time.
I can't say how much I like that.

Good friend of mine, known for over 50 years tried hard for me to just overnight to Branson. Only a few hours away.

I think you nailed it. The only thing in my life I am tired of is work. And that is likely just because I am old and I don't want to play this game anymore. Same stuff still going on as has always gone on, I just don't want to deal with it anymore.
 
My wife and I are opposites for travel and what we consider ‘fun’…she’s energized by crowds and loud parties, and I love a quiet night reading a good book. A perfect vacation for me would be a quiet beach, or better yet, a mountain cabin overlooking a lake with no one around, and a stack of books.

Funny enough, after almost 35 years of marriage, she’s gonna be taking a vacation apart from me about a year from now…just entered the planning stages. Her best friend just flew out so they could go see a concert here in San Antonio, and her and a couple work friends (all ladies) are going to fly to Germany next year to take in some Christmas markets, and visit some of our favorite winter tourist attractions over there like Trier (ancient Roman city in NE Germany), Rothenburg (still the epitome of how I picture old Europe), the Zugspitze, etc.

She’ll also visit family (her much older brother married a German girl and lived there for years raising his family before passing away from cancer decades ago…now buried over there), and friends who are still stationed over there throughout Germany.

I’m gonna hang out here and do….well, as little as possible except shoot stuff and put in some time at the track! LoL

Something like that I might do. Being a history nut I can see me going nutz on all the WWII and WWI stuff over there. I am the person that can spend two days in a museum and still want more time.

If my wife gets an idea of a trip to europe I know who to hunt down now. :) She is just like yours. We don't do things like this apart, but she will go with her friends on day trips to places, but always in our bed at the end of the day.
 
Happy is happy. Everyone is different in what makes them tick. My house is just a place to sleep and store the "tools for the next adventure. Not a world traveler....more of a backcountry explorer. No crowds or tourist traps......the harder to get to, the better. My dad on the other hand (mid seventies) is content to stay home and work on projects......and is happy doing it.
 
I travel for work, so going home is awesome. I can't wait to retire. I have a small ranch that needs love and I can't keep up with it right now. Honestly I get stressed out when I take the family on vacation.

I have the cattle, chickens and domestic animals that all need to be taken care of while we are gone. It get's expensive and nobody does it they way I would like. Last time I came home from my Moms with the family I had a dead calve in the middle of the pasture. All they needed to do it move the other cows to another pasture, but they didn't. Didn't even mention it when we would check in to see how things were going.

I am taking the family to Moms for Christmas and I am already stressing about it already. Staycation is what I look forward to. However, everyone else in the family is stuck on the ranch and they want to get away. I would much rather be around to see to the ranch and go MTB or shooting then get on a plane. Besides being a frequent flyer sucks when you travel with others who are not.

To each there own I guess.
 
Staycation for the win!!!!!!!!! We have woods on one side, really big/deep water on the other side and toys to enjoy both environments. Unruly crowds of drunken folks or just plain crowds are not fun anymore, those events just set the alert level at 10/10ths.
 
What say you on this.

I generally don't take Vac time at work....I just don't. When I was hourly employee I would get paid down on it, now it really is not tracked like that, being 24x7x365 now they figure they win in the end....and they do. I have spent a month here in the past.

Monday was my first day back after two weeks of a staycation.

Many people said go somewhere, I was hitting burnout pretty hard, just retire now, 18months to go and I don't think I can do it. I took two weeks off. They tried to get me to go somewhere, even if just over night.

I really don't want to. You really need to get away. I don't know what to do with the dogs, one is old and with that thing going around I don't want to kennel them. I thought you said your kid and his wife would come out and babysit. Yea they did but I don't want to impose. Just go one day I will come out and let the dogs out a couple times, no big deal.....no I just want to stay home.

Well what are you going to do.....

I worked my ass off, and loved every single minute of it.

Gravel in the driveway, new "wireless" fence for the dogs (works good to), worked on my VW. Did some shooting I think is the only "fun" thing I did. Ran some power in the barn. I just worked and it was great.

I guess there is something wrong with me that I just love being home. Am I missing out on the world, or are they so misrable at home they have to get away from it.
Different strokes.

I enjoy staying home, but it is a beautiful, big, world with lots to see. Just avoid the cities.
 
What say you on this.

I generally don't take Vac time at work....I just don't. When I was hourly employee I would get paid down on it, now it really is not tracked like that, being 24x7x365 now they figure they win in the end....and they do. I have spent a month here in the past.

Monday was my first day back after two weeks of a staycation.

Many people said go somewhere, I was hitting burnout pretty hard, just retire now, 18months to go and I don't think I can do it. I took two weeks off. They tried to get me to go somewhere, even if just over night.

I really don't want to. You really need to get away. I don't know what to do with the dogs, one is old and with that thing going around I don't want to kennel them. I thought you said your kid and his wife would come out and babysit. Yea they did but I don't want to impose. Just go one day I will come out and let the dogs out a couple times, no big deal.....no I just want to stay home.

Well what are you going to do.....

I worked my ass off, and loved every single minute of it.

Gravel in the driveway, new "wireless" fence for the dogs (works good to), worked on my VW. Did some shooting I think is the only "fun" thing I did. Ran some power in the barn. I just worked and it was great.

I guess there is something wrong with me that I just love being home. Am I missing out on the world, or are they so misrable at home they have to get away from it.
I guess maybe you did too many chores on your vacation, from my perspective. You said it was great though, so I’ll take you at your word. I have coworkers who go on vacation (we get an obscene amount) and they just cant sit still, and the chores commence. They trade one job for another, and return to work just as hammered as they were before the went on vacation. Seems weird to me.


As far as stay or go, I lean towards stay but with a lot of fun or relaxing activities.
 
I guess maybe you did too many chores on your vacation, from my perspective. You said it was great though, so I’ll take you at your word. I have coworkers who go on vacation (we get an obscene amount) and they just cant sit still, and the chores commence. They trade one job for another, and return to work just as hammered as they were before the went on vacation. Seems weird to me.


As far as stay or go, I lean towards stay but with a lot of fun or relaxing activities.

I think it falls into a "have" to do or "want" to do.

When laying out my week to a buddy he sounds like it really sucked. I guess I can see that. But, and it is a big but.

I did nothing the wife wanted me to do. Well I did toss towels into the wash but how hard is that. I am not "allowed" to do real laundry. The rest of it was just what I wanted to do.

Had to go to see the head shrinker yesterday for my 6mo checkup (work thing). What are you going to do. Piddle around my house like I did for the last two weeks, I figure I have about 6 years worth of stuff to do if nothing new comes up.

You see the look in their face.....thats all........ Well if I get bored I will do some with with an animal rescue. We are already active with X and Y. Oh ok, that sounds nice.

I think it is relaxing just doing what you WANT to do.

Now keep in mind I am not moving that well anymore, so about 45min of "work" is followed by about 15min of just sitting there and looking out the window waiting for the back to calm down or the next pill to kick in. So there is a lot of sitting.
 
Been a stay around the place kind of guy my whole life. Was going to retire at the beginning of this year and decided it was a stupid idea. I work at home most of the time and being in the shop making parts is just what I do.
 
I think it falls into a "have" to do or "want" to do.

When laying out my week to a buddy he sounds like it really sucked. I guess I can see that. But, and it is a big but.

I did nothing the wife wanted me to do. Well I did toss towels into the wash but how hard is that. I am not "allowed" to do real laundry. The rest of it was just what I wanted to do.

Had to go to see the head shrinker yesterday for my 6mo checkup (work thing). What are you going to do. Piddle around my house like I did for the last two weeks, I figure I have about 6 years worth of stuff to do if nothing new comes up.

You see the look in their face.....thats all........ Well if I get bored I will do some with with an animal rescue. We are already active with X and Y. Oh ok, that sounds nice.

I think it is relaxing just doing what you WANT to do.

Now keep in mind I am not moving that well anymore, so about 45min of "work" is followed by about 15min of just sitting there and looking out the window waiting for the back to calm down or the next pill to kick in. So there is a lot of sitting.
How much shrinkage are we talking about? An embarrassing amount?
 
I retired 7 months ago from a mental, but not physical, job. I wore myself out mentally during the week with work and travel, and then wore myself out physically on the weekends keeping up around home. Getting away for a few days a couple times a year was an attempt at a reset for me, usually just a quick 3 or 4 day trip somewhere with my wife for some hiking, etc., but I could never get work off my mind.

Early this past year I said "f*** it, I'm not doing this anymore". Since retiring, I'm amazed at how content I am putzing around home and in the shop. I have not missed working once and I'm in the best shape I've been in for the last 25 years. Plant a food plot, building upkeep, lawn maintenance, removing dead trees, hunt, fish, take a walk with my wife, etc. I thought I'd be out and about much more. Maybe next year. We do take a few trips each year for 5-8 days, drive somewhere, hike, explore, let my wife shop, etc. There is so much to see in this country that I feel the window is closing for us due to getting older and my wife's old ankle/leg injury that seems to be acting up more, and we need to fast track the hiking/exporing trips for the next 7-10 years.

jmp1 said "Happy is happy", and I think he is correct. Find what that is.
 
When I ruined her clothes.....a 2yr old could not wear them.
Image 17.jpeg
 
Well, technically, I'm "retired." if that makes any difference. And, I currently live in the place where I would always go "on vacation" anyway. To go anywhere else for "vacation" would be strange to me at this point. But I can "travel" to other places. Not as much as I used to, but there are still some more places for me to see.

I would like to travel to Europe once more to do some shopping I can't do anywhere else. And, perhaps, try to get to Taiwan before China "F"'s it up. Perhaps, South Korea as well. Japan is a BTDT for me, so no need to worry there. Also been to Bali, Indonesia. Other than that, I'm pretty happy to stay home on "permanent" vacation.
 
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I see way more burn out working in a high stress non physical work environment than I did in any of the physical labor jobs I did. I think the act of exercising your body through work is proabaly much more therapeutic than it is credited for. Granted if you walked onto the floor on a drilling rig and said. I am just burntout guys. You would just draw laughter and ire and probably end up chasing your hard hat down the stairs or with pipe dope in your ass Crack.
 
I am leaning more into traveling now after visit a few countries… it’s stress and fun, never know what you’ll see next. Greece and some warm island are on my sights.!

I did a lot of travel to French Polynesia Society Islands (Tahiti, Bora Bora). I did some of my SCUBA training there.

Bora Bora is EXPENSIVE! This, because the pricing is geared more towards the Japanese tourists whose economic "demand curve" is a lot less "elastic" (they're willing to pay more and in cash). It's funny how the "French Pacific Franc" (XPF) is still tied proportionately to the Yen. They don't use Euros on French Polynesian Islands when I last checked, so I don't really know.

Don't know much about the other Islands so I can't comment on them, but if you really like the colors green and blue, and you like paying a ton of $$$ for it, Bora Bora is the place for you.
 
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I see way more burn out working in a high stress non physical work environment than I did in any of the physical labor jobs I did. I think the act of exercising your body through work is proabaly much more therapeutic than it is credited for. Granted if you walked onto the floor on a drilling rig and said. I am just burntout guys. You would just draw laughter and ire and probably end up chasing your hard hat down the stairs or with pipe dope in your ass Crack.

My son is like that, when he was in school he tried a retail job, lasted one day. Tried to get him on looking at data here, pure computer work, he was in hell.

He went to work at a sawmill and loved every single minute of it.

People are just wired differently, currently he drives a truck.
 
You just got a "warm up" for retirement. Sounds like it will suit you fine.
 
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I recently started a new job with weekends off. Where I live NH is only a short drive so I can head down on weekends if I want to go somewhere.
 
I did a lot of travel to French Polynesia Society Islands (Tahiti, Bora Bora). I did some of my SCUBA training there.

Bora Bora is EXPENSIVE! This, because the pricing is geared more towards the Japanese tourists whose economic "demand curve" is a lot less "elastic" (they're willing to pay more and in cash). It's funny how the "French Pacific Franc" (XPF) is still tied proportionately to the Yen. They don't use Euros on French Polynesian Islands when I last checked, so I don't really kjnow.

Don't know much about the other Islands so I can't comment on them, but if you really like the colors green and blue, and you like paying a ton of $$$ for it, Bora Bora is the place for you.
Thanks, I t was on my list.
Nice to have more info
 
How does not moving others cows to a different pasture cause a calf to die?
Couldn't you have done that before you left?
If you needed more than just "throw some hay and water out" I would have assumed a more competent sitter/farmer/ranch-hand to start with?
 
How does not moving others cows to a different pasture cause a calf to die?
Couldn't you have done that before you left?
If you needed more than just "throw some hay and water out" I would have assumed a more competent sitter/farmer/ranch-hand to start with?
I see. I must have written that incorrectly. The calve died while we were away. There was hay in that pasture that was close to the house. The back pasture is much larger and could have sustained all the cattle for the week we were away. He just never looked in on them. They normally have 70 head of cattle at his Dads ranch so I thought he could do the job.
 
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Recently found my 10 year old expired passport. Totally full but for one blank page. all work related. I said to my wife I am never getting on a fucking airplane again 10 years ago. She recently flew to florida to go to fucking disney world with her nieces and nephews and had a shity time there and at the airport. 24 hrs from fla to tx. she said she is never getting on a fucking airplane again.
 
My wife and I are opposites for travel and what we consider ‘fun’…she’s energized by crowds and loud parties, and I love a quiet night reading a good book. A perfect vacation for me would be a quiet beach, or better yet, a mountain cabin overlooking a lake with no one around, and a stack of books.

Funny enough, after almost 35 years of marriage, she’s gonna be taking a vacation apart from me about a year from now…just entered the planning stages. Her best friend just flew out so they could go see a concert here in San Antonio, and her and a couple work friends (all ladies) are going to fly to Germany next year to take in some Christmas markets, and visit some of our favorite winter tourist attractions over there like Trier (ancient Roman city in NE Germany), Rothenburg (still the epitome of how I picture old Europe), the Zugspitze, etc.

She’ll also visit family (her much older brother married a German girl and lived there for years raising his family before passing away from cancer decades ago…now buried over there), and friends who are still stationed over there throughout Germany.

I’m gonna hang out here and do….well, as little as possible except shoot stuff and put in some time at the track! LoL
Tell her if she runs into a guy with his nuts tucked in his socks, just SA hi to @Threadcutter308 @Threadcutter308 😂😂😂
 
I enjoy being home and in my shop more than traveling. I spent the last 12 years as a traveling commercial superintendent, flew home almost every weekend from somewhere in the US. When I was home I’d putz around the house doing shit but the wife was home all week so she wanted to go out, now we both enjoy being home as I’ve been retired for a year and a half.
Nice to work on my bikes, or the house at my own pace. Still get up at 4:15 though😆, now I drink coffee and wander the property Before I start my day.
 
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I have been looking at Hva and Korcula, sweet baby Jesus. well it may just be my next stop.
Been there before? any tips?
Korcula town is cool. Haven't been to the rest of the island. Next time we go, we'll rent a car and go explore the rest of the island.

Hvar town is beautiful, but tends to be overrun with trust fund brats bringing in daddy's yacht and picking up hoes. At night, it's a young person's town. Partying all night long.

Best advice I can give for Hvar is rent a car, get out of Hvar town, go through the tunnel and explore the rest of the island. "Stari Grad" is a gorgeous, laid back little port town, well worth the trip. There are a bunch of tiny little towns on the water, each worth exploring. You should go to Hvar town, just to see it, but get onto the other side of the island as quickly as possible. Milna, Zarace and Dubovica are all real nice.

The people there are exceptionally nice and want to please. As with anywhere in Europe, use/mind your manners. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Don't be the ugly American and they'll bend over backwards for you.

The wife and I are in Graz, Austria right now. We just got back from dinner at a really good Italian restaurant. I was chatting up our waiter. He's a 35 year old Austrian. He spent 5 years in Toronto, speaks no French and said that English is taking over as the primary language.

I asked him if the restaurant had wifi. He said "sadly, no". But you can tether off of my phone while you're here". Very nice of him to do that and he probably wouldn't have offered if we had behaved like the typical grumpy Americans that they have to deal with. Oh, and I tipped him well. In most of Europe, the waiter's tip is supposed to be included in the price of the meal. I'll usually slip them another five or ten Euro if their service has been good. It usually is.

We were told a long time ago that when paying you bill, the waiter should bring the wireless handheld terminal to you/to your table. Do not give your card to the waiter and allow him "to go into the back with it". There had been instances where cards were copied/cloned and fraudulent purchases were made on them. We've never had a problem, but it does sound like good advice.
 
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Something like that I might do. Being a history nut I can see me going nutz on all the WWII and WWI stuff over there. I am the person that can spend two days in a museum and still want more time.
If the poitical situation ever improves I'd highly recommend St. Peterburg. I've been to ~45 countries and it is far and away the most beautiful city I have been to. There is a staggering number of museums and for WWII stuff it's hard to beat the Artillery Museum. Check out the cannons shown about the 4:25 timeframe



Across the Neva (river) is the crown jewel: The Hermitage. I can't do it justice. Suffice to say the first time I went there I spent five minutes just examining a doorknob.



So much more to see but just these two museums could eat up a month-long trip
 
If the poitical situation ever improves I'd highly recommend St. Peterburg. I've been to ~45 countries and it is far and away the most beautiful city I have been to. There is a staggering number of museums and for WWII stuff it's hard to beat the Artillery Museum. Check out the cannons shown about the 4:25 timeframe



Across the Neva (river) is the crown jewel: The Hermitage. I can't do it justice. Suffice to say the first time I went there I spent five minutes just examining a doorknob.



So much more to see but just these two museums could eat up a month-long trip

Absolutely. Would love to go. But, unfortunately, I think the potato and the globalists have fucked up our relationship with Russia so badly that it'll never be repaired enough for me to go in my lifetime.
 
I enjoy seeing/experiencing someplace new. Just walking around, talking to people. I especially like hearing people's opinions of the U.S. Shocking, but it's almost never what the media tells us how people view the U.S.

The part I hate is the actual traveling. Airports, TSA, lugging around bags, etc. I could go anywhere in the world almost indefinitely with a carryon and backpack. My wife packs like a Duchess boarding the Titanic.
 
and remember, if you swim in the pool with all your clothes on, people can see you're crazy. but if you swim with all your clothes off, people can see your nuts.
Unless it is cold out there. Then, they just see a turtle with ear muffs.