Long trips?

[SecondAttempt]

People who make long trips, what are the pros and cons?

The longest vacations I have ever taken have been around 3 weeks. I find at that point I start getting somewhat anxious to get home. This might have been driven by missing pets, starting to think about work again and so forth. Or maybe it was just the knowledge that vacation was almost over. It's almost like I have had my adventure and am ready to get back to the routine.

In retirement I have a few month long trips planned. But I read many of you talking about 3-6 month adventures and I wonder if you start to regret at some point. I don't want to use the term homesick because that is not really how it has felt to me. It's more that I think my temperment is more suited to maybe a month away then 2-3 months back home and repeating.

Probably just rambling but interested in comments because my bias may be based on never having the opportunity to be away for 3 months. Was this an adjustment?

 

[skyking1]

We did 3 weeks in the UK many years back and it did get to us as you described. We are now on the tail end of 19 days away and are missing our home, routine, and most certainly our dogs.
I want to do a month in Australia and New Zealand, but not until the current pets are gone.
This can only work if I have enough willpower to not replace them almost instantly like the last time

 

[Major Tom]

I recently got back from a 4 1/2 month, 4,500 mile campervan trip throughout 6 western states. Didn't miss home that much, and didn't miss my cat, as I took her with me. As I travel on my own, she was fantastic company.

 

[skyking1]

going full mobile does not count, Major Tom
We do travel with our pets in the RV and it is very easy on DW that way. Our little trouble dog is firmly attached to "the momma" and everyone else is
https://youtu.be/HNR4hKbSH7I

 

[braumeister]

I had many trips of two months or more while in the military and thought they were just fine. Didn't have any pets then, of course, so that's a big factor.

DW can only handle 2-3 weeks away from home before really wanting to get back, so that's all we do now. We're all different.

 

[DrRoy]

Our longest trip was 5 1/2 weeks, driving out west, and we brought the dog. We've been doing that the last 4 years.

 

[Alan]

Before retiring we set ourselves up so we could "lock and leave", selling the house, setting up all bills online and moving into an apartment complex. First year of retirement was 5 weeks away in a rented house in Colorado, followed a few weeks later by 10 weeks in England.

2nd year was 7 months in England as a base with 1 or 2 week long trips in Europe.

3rd year was 4 months in Ireland, England and Europe.

4th year was 5 months touring Australia plus a cruise round New Zealand.

5th year was 6 months touring the USA and Canada.

6th year was 6 months in England as a base with 1 or 2 week trips to Europe.

We never missed being away, the travel bug was strong.

Since then we have settled in England (2017), bought a house and had trips no longer than 2 weeks, but more frequent than before. We think our very long time-away-from-home vacations have ended for now.

 

[pb4uski]

We did a 6 week trip from Florida to Memphis, Albuquerque, Petrified Forest, Phoenix, Tucson and Austin for the holidays and back to Florida last Nov-Dec-Jan.

Currently planning a 5 week trip out to some western national parks, Austin and then to Florida.

My experience is no matter how long the trip that about a week before I'm scheduled to go home I start getting antsy to return home.

 

[Car-Guy]

The trip coming home always seems long than the trip going. But that's me.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

We have done several road trips out west and as far as Texas over the past 18 years, always with our 3-4 beagles.

We were usually gone 1-3 weeks.

However, after being displaced from our home for 5 months last year as a result of a water leak that required a move-out and remodel, we became a little tired of being away from home.

That said, I did solo for nearly 3 weeks in ATL and the UK in June, and I was ready to be home when I got back.

The dogs are a big pull. Once beagle inventory has decreased, I’ll be following Alan’s lead (except for the settling in England part) — if I can get DH on board.

We’ll need to monitor for leaks. Ugh.

 

[tmitchell]

My longest trip was a full year in SE Asia after college. I taught English for a few months in Taiwan, then backpacked for 7 full months. It became a lifestyle but at the end I was really ready to stop all the moving around and get settled again. I don't think I would want to do that again now that I'm in my 50s.

Generally we find that 3 weeks is our limit for "touristy" travel, i.e. seeing lots of sights and bouncing around.

I had this plan a few years back to live in several different cities for 2 months at a time. I only made it happen once in Montreal due to work interfering, but that was a great experience because it allowed me to live like a local and not get tired of being a tourist. I was able to use it as a base to explore that wonderful city fully, and do some traveling to Quebec etc on weekends.

Next month we're going to Maine for 5 weeks as a combo live/work and tour around New England.

Long story short, I think long trips are great if it's slow/regionally-based. If you're hopscotching it might get tiring.

 

[ivinsfan]

I recently got back from a 4 1/2 month, 4,500 mile campervan trip throughout 6 western states. Didn't miss home that much, and didn't miss my cat, as I took her with me. As I travel on my own, she was fantastic company.

That actually would be our dream trip. No matter how many times we go out West we never get to see everything we want to see. Too much ground to cover! Which 6 states if you don't mind sharing.

 

[Helen]

We waited until our last dog died to do long trips. We started with a 1 month trip around central CA then a three week trip to Vancouver Island. Then we did a 4 month road trip around the US. We had a pet sitter staying with our two cats. We loved the trips and were not in a hurry to get home. There is so much to do and see.

After that we spent two winters in Australia then 3 months in Europe. Then Covid hit.

We've been spending 4 months in Palm Springs in the winter. We adopted a 9 year old Maltese a year ago. We take her to Palm Springs with us.

On Tuesday we fly out to New England for a month. We have some great house sitters coming in to stay with our one cat and one dog. The cat will be fine but I am worried about our rescue dog and I know I will miss her. I think it will all be fine though.

The biggest problem I have is trying to cram everything in while we are home. We have home projects to do, taxes and paperwork, we host a lot of bbqs and outings with our neighbors and friends, then there is cleaning and yard work to catch up on. It all kind of fuels the fire to get away which then becomes a cycle, but so far it is working for us.

 

[pacergal]

No long trips for us! We have discovered two weeks is our max.
I start missing the grandkids
And neither one of us sleeps well on the road.

 

[finnski1]

We waited until our last dog died to do long trips. We started with a 1 month trip around central CA then a three week trip to Vancouver Island. Then we did a 4 month road trip around the US. We had a pet sitter staying with our two cats. We loved the trips and were not in a hurry to get home. There is so much to do and see.

After that we spent two winters in Australia then 3 months in Europe. Then Covid hit.

We've been spending 4 months in Palm Springs in the winter. We adopted a 9 year old Maltese a year ago. We take her to Palm Springs with us.

On Tuesday we fly out to New England for a month. We have some great house sitters coming in to stay with our one cat and one dog. The cat will be fine but I am worried about our rescue dog and I know I will miss her. I think it will all be fine though.

The biggest problem I have is trying to cram everything in while we are home. We have home projects to do, taxes and paperwork, we host a lot of bbqs and outings with our neighbors and friends, then there is cleaning and yard work to catch up on. It all kind of fuels the fire to get away which then becomes a cycle, but so far it is working for us.

Ah September. My favorite month in New England. We spend 2 weeks every September up in and around Acadia National Park. Perfect weather, no bugs etc, and the kids are all back at school.

 

[athena53]

Three weeks is about my limit. I'm two weeks into a trip in E. Europe (group tour with Overseas Adventure Travel) and even though it's been of the best trips I've ever taken, I'm kind of looking forward to going home. I felt the same way on their India/Nepal trip.

I love my life at home and I'm involved in a lot of things. My garden probably has weeds trying to choke everything off by now and the bird feeders are undoubtedly empty (they hang from a second-story roof so not capable of being refilled from outside by a neighbor). These trips also have my neurons firing- interesting discussions, unfamiliar languages, we're heading to our 7th hotel tomorrow, multiple currencies (Albanian Lek, Croatian Kuna, Euro in Montenegro, something else coming up in Slovenia). I have to use Google Translate on my phone in the grocery store! So, it will be good to get back to the familiar.

Not complaining but we all need to find balance.

 

[Teacher Terry]

3 weeks is the max I like to be away from home without my dogs. I have Maltese and they have flown on the plane with me and went on our motor home. If I am visiting friends it works to take the dogs but if sightseeing I leave them home.

 

[Major Tom]

That actually would be our dream trip. No matter how many times we go out West we never get to see everything we want to see. Too much ground to cover! Which 6 states if you don't mind sharing.

Yes, there is indeed a lot of driving in the West - quite often through landscapes that don't seem to change all that much. That's the beauty of travel though. Just as I think the endless landscape is never going to change, it does, and often very quickly. A river or underground aquifer can transform a barren area into a green and lush view in a matter of less than a mile. Sometimes, I turn a corner, and am almost instantly greeted with a very different scene.

I left home in the Bay Area, not knowing how long I'd be gone, or where I was going. I traveled quite slowly, and also spent 5 weeks camping with a friend in Panguitch, UT. I could have seen many more sights and visited many more places if that had been the goal but, as it was, did get to visit several National Parks, and see some wonderful sights. I was in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. As good as all the things we saw, were all the people we met along the way. Did you know there is a lady called Bessie, who bakes the most wonderful pickle pie (yes - pickle pie) in her restaurant in Bicknell, UT? The things and people one discovers when on the road! I could easily have stayed out for much longer, but doctor and dentist appointments, as well as commitments with family and friends, necessitated a return.

Now I'm back home, and get to do the things that I don't do when on the road. Being home is good!

 

[Freedom56]

We just started our 6 week trip and landed in Geneva before noon today. We flew Air Canada Signature Class (which was pretty nice) from LAX to YUL (Montreal) and YUL to GVA. It was much better than flying Air France Business Class last December and several orders of magnitude better than American Airlines business class. This is the first time we took this route. We had lie-flat pod type seating on both flights on their A330-300 aircraft. Things were pretty smooth leaving LAX. The Air Canada international lounge in Montreal was pretty nice. You can get made to order food in the lounge and they also had a buffet. The airport was incredibly busy. Our flight departed one hour late from Montreal. We then had a medical emergency during our flight which caused another delay. The airports are extremely busy now and I would say back to pre-pandemic levels if not slightly higher.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

The longest vacation we've been on is a month in 2019. However, back in the day, I worked on a couple of overseas assignments each for about 6 months.

Coming back home after 6 months away felt really weird. That same but different feeling. I missed a lot of routines with friends and annual activities around town that I enjoyed attending.

Now with time in retirement, I'm not sure if I'd go away on a trip for 6 months. The one month trip kind of felt good and I think we were almost ready to come home. At this point, I think the longest trip I'd want to go on is 6 weeks. It would likely cost slightly more but more frequent medium length trips of 2-4 weeks is likely the sweet spot for us.

 

[rodi]

The pet (dog for us) factor is a big issue. That said - my sister is a good dog "aunt" and if *her* travel schedule allows, she moves the dog to her house for longer trips. In return I take care of her aging cat (multiple daily meds) for her trips which are typically 10 days and happen more frequently than ours. We did 9 weeks in Europe the year after we retired, and have done several 3-4 week trips since. We bought and converted the scooby van last year - and we can take the dog with us on camping trips... but my limit for camping in the van is about 10 days. (No bathroom or kitchen - this is truly camping, but with nicer sleeping than in a tent.)

We are actively looking at doing what Alan did - sell the house and move to an apartment - then look for a lock and go condo. But won't do longer than 3-4 weeks at a time till the pooch goes to the great beach walk in the sky.

 

[SecondAttempt]

We did 3 weeks in the UK many years back and it did get to us as you described. We are now on the tail end of 19 days away and are missing our home, routine, and most certainly our dogs.
I want to do a month in Australia and New Zealand, but not until the current pets are gone.
This can only work if I have enough willpower to not replace them almost instantly like the last time

Sadly, my last pet died in March of 2021. But his last year was one of concierge service since we were working from home because of covid. This is the first time in my life I have not had pets since the mid 80s. No plans to get additional pets until we get years of travel out of the way!

 

[SecondAttempt]

Thanks everyone for the replies. It seems like my 3 weeks is not quite a consensus but a common limit. I would certainly try a longer trip, for example the Lincoln Highway trip will likely be a month or so. Maybe my tastes will change in retirement.

 

[skyking1]

The other common thread I saw was that itchiness that we get when we're about a week to three or four days before going home. I'm hoping that is lessened when we retire.

 

[Chuckanut]

No pets for me. I turn off the water, the water heater, empty the fridge, lower the heat and put my two indoor plants out on the deck to be watered by Mother Nature. If they die, they die.

The idea of shortening or avoiding a trip because of an animal is not for me. This, I have no pets. They are a responsibility, and I respect them enough to not own one I can’t care for properly.