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Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Old Jul 22nd 2013, 8:50 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Originally Posted by SultanOfSwing
I suppose not. I sometimes take it for granted how lucky I am that my lot usually does a good job of keeping their nose out.
I do have to admit they have come here several times over the last four years or so and I think they feel I should be going there because they came here.
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Old Jul 22nd 2013, 8:52 pm
  #17  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Originally Posted by sime303
I do have to admit they have come here several times over the last four years or so and I think they feel I should be going there because they came here.
Maybe, but as we know it's not always that easy. They've probably got a good 10-15 more days off than you for a kick off ...
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Old Jul 22nd 2013, 9:37 pm
  #18  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Last Sept I went back for my wedding reception which was in Nov. I told a few close friends my plans and contacted/visited a friend who wasn't going to be able to make it to the reception. Luckily, I was having a big party and got to see everyone then, but due to the nature of wedding parties it was difficult to have a good chin-wag with everyone.

I spent most of the time chilling out at home with my family and friends who live close by, and dieting and exercising before I saw the rest. I wouldn't have called it a true holiday. My husband wasn't with me til the day before the reception because he had business trips in Japan, New York and San Fran in the October.

Even when I lived in Japan it would be the same protocol. I'd just let my close (proximity) friends know I was back and contact others who I really wanted to see and that lived far away.

I don't feel bad about it. The ones who know I'm coming back are the ones I have the most contact with and who know what I'm doing. Others are people who I'd like to see but live too far and are busy doing what they do. They are welcome to visit me at home.
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Old Jul 22nd 2013, 10:03 pm
  #19  
 
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

I tell my parents, but no one else.

It's nice to have time without everyone else getting "involved".
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Old Jul 22nd 2013, 10:33 pm
  #20  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

It would not be a 'holiday' if we told the inlaws My husband tends to visit them on his own now.

Last time I was back, I told two old friends I'd probably be too busy with my Mum to see them, but they insisted and I really appreciated it
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Old Jul 22nd 2013, 11:45 pm
  #21  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

I've done trips where I've kept my itinerary publicly vague and let people at one end of the country think I'm at the other and vice versa. Luckily I manage to get back to the uk three or four times a year with a mix of work and personal trips, and I have a boss who doesn't mind me extending business trips with a couple of annual leave days and days spent working in one of our uk offices if I can justify with meetings etc. Works out well with careful planning and maximum use of weekends.

Having said that, I've whittled it down to the family and friends who really make the effort to stay in touch, and those friends who count and understand are usually happy if I can squeeze in a couple of hours for lunch during one of those mad weekends that are scheduled to the nearest minute. Also fortuntate in that my parents understand that having travelled several thousand miles to get there, the last thing I want to do is then spend more time travelling around the uk, unless I really want to. Plus, small family - don't have vast numbers of aunts, uncles, cousins etc etc.
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Old Jul 27th 2013, 9:02 pm
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

I love this thread! We did the first family trip back to the UK in June, after two years of living here (and 3.5 in Switzerland before, where we would pop back for 2-3 day trips, see my family one time, his the next, don't see anyone and visit London, etc).

As a family trip, it was a huge success. We really like all our immediate family members, they were delighted to see us, and they never say things like 'why did you have to move away with my grandchildren'. Consequently, I felt incredibly guilty that I spent a lot of time thinking 'thank god I don't have to do this again for another couple of years' and 'I could've been having an epically stunningly real holiday for the $7-8k this is costing'.

Because even with nice family, it's relentless, isn't it? We were scheduled up and parceled out for virtually all of the two weeks we were there. We had to visit 4 different places spread across most of England, so it was 'greet, make cup of tea, have same conversations, sleep somewhere uncomfortable and crowded, have merry-go-round of meals, hug, cry, leave' on a 3-day loop. I've never felt so shattered.

Next time, we shall go for longer, at least the kids and I who don't have work leave restrictions shall, and have periods of time off where we do holiday stuff, have some downtime, and show the kids there's more to their British heritage than other people's living rooms and trains.
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Old Jul 27th 2013, 10:18 pm
  #23  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Originally Posted by penguinsix
So I'm in the middle of a holiday back home and I've yet to have a free day to myself. Everyone wants us to visit or have lunch (even random friends who didn't have much time for us when we lived here).

It's got us thinking "next time" we're going to come home and not tell anyone at least for a week so we can do some shopping and other bits around the house without any pressure.

Anyone tried something similar?
I used to go back without telling anyone...it gave me a bit of time to myself without having to dash around visiting people.
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Old Jul 28th 2013, 6:41 am
  #24  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Set up a meal date tell everyone to come and save the hassle that is what i do now.

I used to have people get upset at me because I never made it to meet up with them... really think about it, we pay to take us and the kids over, use our vacation days etc, travel 4000 miles then family/friends throw a hissy fit because I wasn't able to make to visit them? Seriously, I hauled my arse 400 miles to visit, they need to get off their and travel 4 or 5 miles to come to me!
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Old Jul 28th 2013, 5:07 pm
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Originally Posted by kodokan
and they never say things like 'why did you have to move away with my grandchildren'.
Thankfully I don't have any family that could come up with such a vile and selfish comment.
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Old Jul 29th 2013, 11:05 pm
  #26  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

I'm in London now... been here almost 2 weeks, staying with my daughter.
Normally I come with my husband, rent a car, and drive around, rushing to see everybody.
This time I came alone...didn't rent a car....went on a couple of 3-day trips to Germany and Spain (daughter is BA cabin crew....so almost freebies)
It's been lovely and peaceful....nobody knows I'm here...totally relaxing, not doing any 'catching up' or 'doing lunch' .
We're here again in October,before a 3-month far east trip....we'll probably do it 'in secret' again!!
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Old Jul 30th 2013, 12:58 pm
  #27  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

I'm off to the Motherland on Saturday, for three weeks.

Only a select few people know the US Tribe are coming over.


Jim.
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Old Jul 30th 2013, 2:17 pm
  #28  
 
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Originally Posted by SultanOfSwing
Maybe, but as we know it's not always that easy. They've probably got a good 10-15 more days off than you for a kick off ...
I get that crap from my mother, who is retired, but won't stay for more than 8-10 days, AND complains when we don't take every day off while she's here.

And don't get me started about my sister, who has visited once in ten years, despite being a kept housewife with no children for seven of those years, and living in Pennsylvania for another year but never visiting even once while there. She has no regard or understanding that taking holiday time and paying for three airline tickets around Christmas makes returning to the UK for Christmas an expensive and difficult thing to arrange. It may happen this year, if a few things line up right!
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Old Jul 30th 2013, 2:22 pm
  #29  
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Originally Posted by Pulaski
I get that crap from my mother, who is retired, but won't stay for more than 8-10 days, AND complains when we don't take every day off while she's here.

And don't get me started about my sister, who has visited once in ten years, despite being a kept housewife with no children for seven of those years, and living in Pennsylvania for another year but never visiting even once while there. She has no regard or understanding that taking holiday time and paying for three airline tickets around Christmas makes returning to the UK for Christmas an expensive and difficult thing to arrange. It may happen this year, if a few things line up right!
My mum, also retired, usually only stays for 8-10 days as well, though she has stayed for a month before. It's more to do with her health though, she gets uncomfortable if she's away from home for too long. Plus, she doesn't complain about us not going over as she's made it out here 5 times in the 8 years I've been out.

My sister has been out fewer times but she's no money so that's to be expected.
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Old Jul 30th 2013, 4:10 pm
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Default Re: Anyone secretly go back for a vacation?

Originally Posted by Pulaski
I get that crap from my mother, who is retired, but won't stay for more than 8-10 days, AND complains when we don't take every day off while she's here.

And don't get me started about my sister, who has visited once in ten years, despite being a kept housewife with no children for seven of those years, and living in Pennsylvania for another year but never visiting even once while there. She has no regard or understanding that taking holiday time and paying for three airline tickets around Christmas makes returning to the UK for Christmas an expensive and difficult thing to arrange. It may happen this year, if a few things line up right!
My brother and sister last came to see me in 1999.
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