Are you enjoying your vacations as much?

[donheff]

I'm with the enjoy them mores. Prior to ER I assumed they wouldn't be as enjoyable because there would be no work tension displaced. But knowing I am returning to a permanent vacation makes all the difference. I also don't need the first few days just to unwind so I more thoroughly enjoy the whole thing.

 

[Aerides]

Here's the thing. You don't get that "high" right at the start - that Friday afternoon when you leave the office knowing vacation is starting, that intense relief. That part goes of course. But that's a blip. I retired in June, and when the July 4th weekend came around I realized I didn't have that marvelous anticipation of a 4 day weekend ahead of me.

But that's 10 mins of glee that's lost - replaced by far more.

The vacation itself isn't backlit by the growing dread at the size of your inbox when you return, or the occasional call about some fire that needs putting out. You can relax differently, and enjoy yourself much more.

You don't start counting the days left when you're almost at the end. You don't come home with a sense of near-mourning. You don't experience the "rough re-entry" period. You don't get those "oh that happened while you were gone" guilt trips from others.

DH and I recently went on a short trip, but both caught the flu on the way home. This was a full on fever-in-bed flu. Had we been working I can't imagine coming back from vacation and then needing to be out sick for a week - neither of us could have done it, we'd at least be miserably working a little each day just to keep caught up.

While the flu week was miserable, it may well have lasted longer if we had the stress of work mixed in.

 

[Danmar]

Good question. Retired 10 years and still travel a fair bit. They don't feel like vacations any more as we seem to be on vacation all the time. Spend more now on vacations and often include friends or family. More exotic destinations and longer durations. More active less passive. Sitting on a beach or taking a Caribbean cruise not very appealing at this point. Not looking for immediate stress release, what stress? Looking for interesting experiences and meeting interesting people.

As much Fun? Yes I think so. More fun? Don't think so? Different. Hard to tell.

 

[Khan]

I have also been "on vacation" for more than ten years. I still enjoy when we travel to places other than our homes, but I will have to say that it isn't as special as it was back when. Just as there is no ramp up period as the time was coming to an end, there isn't much of a ramp down period at the beginning. I kind of miss that process of feeling myself mellowing out. Maybe I'm more mellow on a constant basis, or older (definitely that!), but it was a marvelous thing to experience. A few weeks ago, we had house guests, a couple where the husband still mostly works. He remarked after a day that he was feeling his blood pressure drop a lot. I don't think one can feel that, but he was slipping into that feeling of bliss. I didn't have that because that's my life.

I used to feel my blood pressure going up while at w*rk.

 

[bclover]

Do you notice a difference in enjoyment of your vacations now that you are retired compared to when you were working? I wonder how much of my enjoyment with vacations is under the backdrop of being not stressed because I no longer have the responsibilities of work, and if that same level of excitement will be there when I'm retired and be on a permanent vacation, and a trip is just a vacation from a vacation.

actually I like them waay better, lol.
first, even when you retire it's a good probability that life is not going to see you skipping through a field of tulips. I still have the normal "gotta make sure the bills are paid" type of stresses. Home up keep, kid woes, health problems all continue after you retire.

Next I find my vacations are less "frenzied" now that i'm retired. no more of the trying to pack 50 hours of stuff into 24 hours of day. I find that now when I travel I "stop and smell the roses" more, meaning I notice the little things or nuances that make a vacation memorable.

every vacation is a little exciting to me even if I'm returning to a much beloved place. I try and do different things and I like researching where I'm going.

 

[NW-Bound]

Here's the thing. You don't get that "high" right at the start - that Friday afternoon when you leave the office knowing vacation is starting, that intense relief. That part goes of course. But that's a blip. I retired in June, and when the July 4th weekend came around I realized I didn't have that marvelous anticipation of a 4 day weekend ahead of me.

But that's 10 mins of glee that's lost - replaced by far more...

About that high on Friday afternoon or the July 4th glee, was it not the same as feeling great when your head stopped getting banged into the wall?

And then, when you came back from vacation, the Monday morning driving the rush hour to work, was it not like going back to head banging?

If you are a masochist, then yes, you want to have periodic pain to remind you how great it is going to be between the beatings.

PS. I liked my work, and would have worked longer if it were not for all the mental torture they inflicted with their management tools. See the concurrent thread on "Management Fad: Strength Finder". Why can't they just leave me alone to do my work?

 

[eleighj416]

We just got back from a one and a half week trip to the Canyons in the Texas Panhandle with our Airstream. First of all preparation was much easier as took out time get the gear together and get it loaded. What was really interesting was that we did not have to plan it out to the nth degree. Booked the first two stops and went with the flow from there. Was supposed to be two weeks, but our son was going to be home for the weekend, so we came back early, again no problems. Now off the a cruise through the Panama Canal at the first of the year. Not working means we have time to prepare and enjoy without the rush of work related issues.

Ed

 

[kcowan]

I always took 2-3 week vacations as soon as I earned them because of the pre-vacation hectic time and the post-vacation make up. I left a 2 IC clearly in charge with instructions how I could be reached for emergency advice. The number of calls was low and the 2 IC appreciated the trust.

Our pre and post periods are much easier now so we really enjoy the trips and they are seldom less than 3 weeks.

 

[NW-Bound]

IC: Integrated Circuit?

 

[Bestwifeever]

Definitely yes. By the time we er'd, staff had been cut so much that covering for your work while gone on vacation was awful--none of the coworkers could handle more than the absolutely essential stuff, so you would pre-do what you could and then know there would be a ton of stuff to do on your return. Vacations were limited to one week at a time, which you spent much of worrying about what was going on back at work. Pretty sure a lot of people also worried that their job might not be there when they got back.

Since we like to travel (totally understanding that it would not be something a lot of people would like) and planned for it financially, it's also really fun now to consider trips we might or might not take and know we have time to take them.

 

[athena53]

I'd forgotten about having to compress so much into as few days as possible. I just booked a cruise in Panama and Costa Rica and realized that I'd booked a flight that left me 3 nights in San Jose, CR rather than the two I'd contemplated. So what? I'll find plenty of fun stuff to do during an additional day.


It also made life easier when DH and I made trips with mission-critical connections. Last year on our way to and from Iceland we stayed overnight in Boston (flight was from BOS to KEF). Same with our trips to Alaska- got from Kansas City to Seattle and stayed overnight there, then took the short flight to Juneau or Ketchikan. I tend to be a basket case worrying about missing connections and this way, knowing I have an extra day if the airline messes up, there's less risk.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Just a little while ago, I took my Dad up to get a free car wash for Vet's day. While we were waiting, a fella was on the phone (the entire time...about 30 minutes) doing w*rk related stuff. MS Excel stuff, talking about sales objectives and other assorted w*rk related things. He also mentioned that he would be back in the office next week since his vacation ends today...

Ah, have I mentioned I miss w*rk so much? Oh yeah...I haven't EVER said that.

 

[travelover]

...... Vacations were limited to one week at a time, which you spent much of worrying about what was going on back at work. Pretty sure a lot of people also worried that their job might not be there when they got back.............

Definitely this. At MegaMotors, it was assumed that if your job could be left alone for 3 weeks (which I often took to travel abroad), they didn't really need you. That took a lot of the fun out of being on vacation.

 

[Mdlerth]

I desperately hope so

In 37 years at the sweatshop, I have taken three vacations lasting longer than a week. Those three were without question the best ones.

It takes me a week to adapt. So, without a second or third week to savor the feeling of "vacating", the time off from w*rk is often nothing more than time not at w*rk. Consider also that compressing a vacation trip into a single week means about a quarter of that time is squandered in frantic journeys to and from.

When one is still w*rking, as I am, one gets a trifling few weeks off per year. Throw in competing schedules from DW & five nestlings, and managing a trip of even a single week requires a Herculean effort. Sort of defeats the purpose of a vacation.

But in the two months since joining this forum, I have been inspired by the observations of many of the posters. I have begun whittling down some barriers to FIRE in anticipation of going on permanent vacation. I estimate that now my retirement date is probably two years closer than it was two months ago. When it comes I will have an answer to OP's question, and I suspect the answer will be "I enjoy vacations way more than before".

 

[brett]

Yes, without doubt.

We did vacation when I was working but it was constrained by time. I also did a great deal of NA travel in my working career.

We started retirement with a six month trip. Over the past 4 years it has been two trips per year. Late summer/fall and then we try to escape the cold winter. The trips have been anywhere from 8-14 weeks but DW prefers to keep it down to 8/9 now that we have a grandchild. Just recently combined a cross country road trip with an Ireland vacation tacked on.

We like the freedom of leaving home. Sometimes with a one way ticket, sometimes with an open jaw but a lot of question marks in between. We take advantage of last booking specials on cruises, air, hotels, whatever. Our travel varies between four/five star hotels (if the price/value is right) and small B&Bs.

So far a favourites are Greece/Turkey in fall, Thailand and Oz in the winter.
Still lots of places on our list to visit though. Close to home and far away. But what is far away these days?

 

[Turn_the_Page]

Just back from Hilton Head on the first trip post-retirement. Loved it. Yes, it's a trip and not a vacation from work. It is a vacation from the routine and the same scenery. Funny, just like when working, sometime around day 4 or 5, we're ready to get back home.

 

[Meadbh]

It takes me a week to adapt. So, without a second or third week to savor the feeling of "vacating", the time off from w*rk is often nothing more than time not at w*rk. Consider also that compressing a vacation trip into a single week means about a quarter of that time is squandered in frantic journeys to and from.

Agreed. When I was working at a furious pace, I would go on a one week vacation, rush around trying to do "everything", and often crash and burn on day 4 or 5. By the time I picked up the pieces it was almost time to pack up and go home. Unwinding from the stress of w*rk took at least 4 days and sometimes it hadn't happened by the end of the vacation. Thank goodness that is no longer an issue and I can enjoy my whole trip!

 

[kcowan]

IC: Integrated Circuit?

Sorry for the corporate speak. second in command=2IC

 

[eleighj416]

Agreed. When I was working at a furious pace, I would go on a one week vacation, rush around trying to do "everything", and often crash and burn on day 4 or 5. By the time I picked up the pieces it was almost time to pack up and go home. Unwinding from the stress of w*rk took at least 4 days and sometimes it hadn't happened by the end of the vacation. Thank goodness that is no longer an issue and I can enjoy my whole trip!

I agree. When we took a weeks vacation, it took me until Thursday to unwind. Looking back it was not that great. The last two that we took before retirement were 2.5 weeks each; I could definitely tell the difference.

Ed

 

[Tallman4123]

I'll have to let you know if it's better...taking my first post-retirement "vacation/trip" in a couple weeks!!

 

[Scubamax]

Agree with the previous posts. Back when I only got two or three weeks vacation in a whole year I would block off a big 2 week trip around the quieter time in the office, but I was guilty of working like crazy the week before getting my work stuff all completed so there would not be any adverse problems while I was away for that time.

So I would start the vacation exhausted but elated, and my desk at work which normally was a chaotic mess was neat as a pin!

I think under these circumstances one feels so much relief which is associated with a change of scenery and mindset into vacation mode. It is sort of like some yoga routines, you feel grateful once the hard work is over and done, the absence of the stress is blissful.

Even when I got more weeks vacation, I never took more than 2 in a row, and was always wondering what that third week felt like...now I know, and then some.

Now that a job is behind me, travel is a break from the routine, even if it is a day trip away to an event or place, its great to get away, and helps reset the mind, and I am still happy to come home and be able to sleep in the next day!

 

[EastWest Gal]

Actually, travel is a lot more fun when you are not returning to a hectic and stressful work environment. You travel to something you want to see, rather than to escape.

 

[martyp]

The irony of the last decade of w*rk was that I was earning 2 days/month of vacation but I never felt that I could take off more than a week or 2 for vacation. Toward the end vacation was specifically planned to be stress relief. The surprise was that when I finally ER'd I realized I was only scratching the surface of my depth of my stress with my "vacations".

Each year I meet up with college buddies for a mini reunion. They are 4 day weekends in a different city. We would fly in on Thursday and out on Sunday. My first year of ER I realized I had all the time in the world to get there and back. I chose to drive from San Francisco to Chicago and back. It was a great road trip. Two years ago we were meeting up in Miami and I decided I'd spend the weekend in New York City beforehand. I could never have thought of travel that way when I was w*rking.

This past couple of years I re-discovered international travel. The first trip was a tour group to Berlin. Each day was jammed packed. It was a fascinating trip but it felt too much like travel when I was working. Last year a good friend retired to Thailand and I went to visit him for 3 weeks. Since then I've been back twice for a month each time and I'm going back for another month in February. I plan my travel to be much more relaxed now and I can pretty much go when I want.

"Vacation" is a word that only makes sense to me in the context of w*rking. I've always considered vacation to be a pleasant escape from something unpleasant. I've been ER'd for six years now. Traveling is just another thing I do in my overall stress free life.

 

[Car-Guy]

Even though I had 6 weeks a year of paid vacation towards my later working years, I never felt like I was really on vacation. My company cell phone and laptop were with me everywhere I went. I suspect I worked an average of about 2 hours a day when I was on "vacation". I guess that's better than the 10 to 12 hour work days or 60+ hour work weeks. I would try to take of two weeks at a time because it took one week just to unwind enough to semi enjoy the second week.

Now that I'm retired, I go when I want, where I want and stay as long as I want. Since I retired, I can't tell you how many times, I have just decided to take off in the middle of the day and and go where ever I want for a couple of days. I recently took a 3000+ mile 8 day round trip with about 1 hour planning/packing. (Drove to Vegas again ) I had a cell phone with me just in case the DW needed to call but other than that, absolutely no ties and no rush. Yes retirement vacations can be great.

 

[braumeister]

In the military, you're strategic about scheduling vacations. 30 days a year, but that's calendar days, so weekends and holidays count. If, for example, I wanted to leave Wednesday to fly to a Thanksgiving gathering and return to work Monday, it meant five days of vacation. For a civilian, it wold have been just the two work days, Wednesday and Friday.

I also never got to take more than about 15 days in a typical year. I had a couple of jobs where I simply wasn't allowed to take any days at all for a year or two at a time. That was not unusual among my colleagues.

In your first few years, you quickly built up a "bank" of the 60 days vacation you were allowed to accumulate. For the rest of your career you kept that 60 day bank full and simply lost some of the vacation time you were supposedly authorized every year.

The good part is that when I retired I cashed in that 60 day bank. Base pay only, but that still amounted to well over a month worth of my regular pay that I got in cash.

So when I started a civilian career with only two weeks vacation as a new guy, it seemed pretty normal to me despite being more senior in age.

In retirement, it's not only different, but pretty perfect.
DW and I each take about 3 trips a year solo, anywhere from 5 to 15 days at a time to pursue our different hobbies.

We also take about 3 trips a year together, from 10 to 20 days at a time.

So that's generally a few months away from home every year for each of us. I think that's considerably more than the average for our age group, but good planning makes it affordable. We know where we want to go and what we want to see and do when we get there.