Saturday, 19 August 2023
Holiday destinations
For some reason, the holiday photos of other people are notoriously boring, however exotic the holiday. A social cliché perhaps, but maybe not a surprising one. It is not only the holiday destination itself which is important, but the sense of being away from it all. Other people’s holiday photos do not recreate that because obviously they can’t.
We’re on holiday at the moment, about 220 miles from home. Strolled out on our first morning for an early coffee, were caught in a brief shower of rain and mistaken for locals, but so far it’s all very relaxing and as a holiday should be. Another break from the routines and niggles of daily life.
I’ve often wondered how far we have to go to create that sense of being on holiday and away from it all for a week or two. This is an entirely personal view, but I’d say it has to be too far to travel there and back in a day under normal circumstances. On that basis, 220 miles is about right for us, even considering the speed of modern transport.
These days we find it isn’t necessary to travel further to recapture that sense of being on holiday. There is no need to bother with the tedious frustrations of air travel or drive vast distances to warmer climates. We’ve done that in the past but wouldn’t do it now. It's partly an age thing I suppose, but it isn’t merely the destination which makes a holiday.
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7 comments:
Last night we drove back from a northern Scottish loch to the South Coast of England. Quite gruelling, and more than far enough to feel that we've been on holiday. But you're right about air travel. Simply not worth it, and I don't care if I never fly again.
A good chum told me that after weeks of organising her family's holiday - the first ever abroad for their kids, she arrived at the airport and her passport was - sort of - out of date, (don't ask why, I didn't understand either - it had a proper date stamped on it), and they refused to let her on the plane! They all came back home in tears!
I'd have thought that a quick call to Calais and the RNLI would have sorted that little problem out...
I have declined to travel by plane for the tedious frustrations of the security theatre and organisational incompetence would both enrage me. My rage would probably result in making unwise jokes to security personnel, or possibly an alarming frothing at the mouth.
I'm even rethinking driving down to the south coast for holidays. It may be a reflection of my age... or it could just be the routes to the South from the Midlands are now tedious frustrations too.
There was a time when I could do the thousand miles returning from central Italy to Calais with just one overnight stop; the outward journey from London was always three days— and I needed to be away for a month to recover. Then it became four, and now, wending a way from Dorset to Umbria in less that a week does not appeal.
I have a photo of a garden bench in a parched Umbrian olive grove, I look out of my garden office window at a very similar bench in a green apple orchard. I love them both, and my stock of wine and oil has run down a bit these past four years, but the journey is just too much effort now.
I certainly am not interested in flying to the Med in July or August. But long ago we found that flying to Madeira for a week early in January was quite lovely. It's hard to think of any journey less likely to be targeted by terrorists but no doubt the passengers still have to go through all the security theatre.
P.S. A year or so ago a young couple in my extended family boarded a plane in Sicily for a flight to Rome. Before take-off the crew invited Dad and Toddler into the cabin where the wee thing posed for photos wearing the Captain's cap. How delightfully Italian - a rational appraisal of the merits of security theatre.
Make the most of it, AKH.
Sam - that's further than I'd go. These days we think Derbyshire to north west Scotland is too far even though we used to do it. A pity we were away, you could have popped in for a break.
Scrobs - that sounds like a disaster, not easy to make the best of it. It's only bureaucracy though - they knew there was nothing suspicious about her.
DJ - I don't mind the drive down the M5 from Derbyshire, but we leave at 5am to avoid the traffic at least for a few hours. Unfortunately the Devon roads we drive on are in a poor state, so much so that it doesn't make for pleasant holiday driving.
djc - I've never done car journeys as long as that. Even years ago I'd end up working out how much time we'd spend in the car and decide it wasn't worth it.
dearieme - we know people who say Madeira is the place to go although we've never tried it.
James - we try to make the most of it as the years drift by and we wonder how many are left.
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