I’ve just come back from holiday.
That’s it for another year.
It wasn’t the holiday I would have chosen. It was my husband’s 50th birthday in June, so the holiday was ‘his choose’, as my kids would say. So he chose a lodge in North Wales surrounded by family.
And it was a holiday. I know how to count my blessings. And I am counting them, believe me.
But a night in a Travelodge on the way back from Llangollen gave me time to reflect on what I love and hate about holidays.
Ten things I hate about holidays…
- Being surrounded by people all the time. And I’m talking a lot of people. And being seen as anti-social if you withdraw with your adult colouring book for a while.
- Cooking in a strange kitchen. For fourteen people. When you open every cupboard every time you want to find something. Never having enough baking trays. Struggling with a different oven. Never remembering to take your own vegetable peeler.
- Never enough mugs. Never ever ever enough mugs. Unless you use the same mug all day and wash it between uses.
Having to look like you’re enjoying doing things you would never choose to do at home. Like eating sandwiches in the rain. And kayaking.- Not being able to browse in a beautiful Italian clothes shop called Ragamuffin. Because five bored grumpy people and three dogs are blocking the pavement outside waiting for you.
- Driving strange places on strange roads. In a hire car. With a hefty deposit.
- Everything being weather dependent. And being grateful for the half hour of sun a day that is supposed to make it all worthwhile.
- Gift shops. Tacky gift shops. When the most suitable souvenir you can find is a badge that says Galley Slave.
- Returning home with unopened books. And a yoga mat that was only unrolled twice. And games that weren’t played.
- The exhaustion. Arriving home knowing that what you need now is a holiday to recover from that one.
Ten things I love about holidays…
The early morning calm. The promise of waking up somewhere different and going out onto the balcony to enjoy the view and the peace.- Being away. Away from home. Away from work. Away from the responsibilities and duties and routines of everyday life.
- Playing family games. We never ever do this at home. But there are some advantages to a patchy Wifi signal. To be fair, not once did anyone say they were bored. The Beer Pong created good memories – as did Logo and Mr and Mrs.
- Creating memories. All of them. The good, the bad, the funny. Shared experiences that draw you all together.
- Packing. I love packing. Packing to go away and packing to come home. I don’t know what it is about it. It’s the only time when I’m properly methodical.
- Lifting my eyes. North Wales is a beautiful place. And on holiday, you take the time to lift your eyes and really appreciate it.
- Being cut off. No phone signal and Wifi from only one spot outside the lodge. It changes the dynamics when everyone is forced to put their phones down.
- That lodge. It was amazing. Perfect for us and our dogs. It reminded me of the Twilight house but not so grand. Like a tree house. And there were loads of twinkly lights.
- Family. Holidays throw family together. Which can sometimes be a good thing. Watching my kids interact in ways they don’t at home. It had its moments of pure joy.
- Focusing on my husband. We don’t normally do that. We don’t normally go out of our way to please him and do what he wants. It was a novel experience for all of us – especially him!
So this holiday was a week of highs and lows, but isn’t that true of every holiday? Isn’t it true of your holidays?
What do you hate about holidays? What do you love about holidays?
