Bink

I go once a year with the family and normally make it back over another 1-2 times on my own for business.

I used to combine business with my family trip so my flight was paid for but this time around I'm not doing that as I end up working more than I'm meant to. This year we're going for 19 days - fed up of always being rushed and not having anytime to relax. All my friends/family want to see us, which is great, but it ends up being our main vacation for the year more frequently than not and we've found we don't really get any downtime as a result of trying to cram everyone in, hence the longer trip this time.

Flights have gotten expensive though. When I first started flying to Houston from London circa 2005 it was circa 300 quid or so. These days I can't get a ticket <$1k and frequently it's more than $1,100. Then with the family I've found I need to hire a car these days which isn't cheap and it all starts to add up quickly.

Jerseygirl

I used to go back several times per year but since my parents died I've only been back for family reasons ie wedding, illness etc.

AmerLisa

We average about once every two years. But the first trip didn't happen until we had been here 4 years. I hope to go every year (maybe next year lol) but as our daughter gets older, she doesn't want to spend as much time as we did last summer, 5 weeks. She might be missing something at home.

We like to go, but we also feel like when we go we aren't really getting a vacation (holiday) because it's a non-stop relative journey. Would be nice to get more people over here.... but with exception to MIL (who now has a new destination since SIL and husband moved to Australia) we don't see anyone else, except my older daughter and that's not an easy journey with three kids!

Uncle_Bob

Depends. When I was on the east coast I flew back once a year, mostly in the winter when flights were cheaper and i didnt have kids. I think I flew home on BA for $400 - $500 all in once around the year 2000.

Fast forward to now and its around $7,000 to fly a family of four back now from Arizona. So we go every 2-3 years but go in the summer because we don't want to buy a kids a whole set of winter clothing that would never use again.

I generally dislike going back to the UK now. Food and seeing friends is good but I'm done after 2 weeks. Having to do what my parents expect and my wife parents expect on my vacation really bugs me, along with so called family that can never be bothered to drive a few miles to see us when we've traveled thousands of miles to get there. When i leave the UK I'm always glad I i left. Both my wife and I are now really glad to get home and always feel that we could have spent the $8,000 on something much more enjoyable. Especially seeing as both our parents make an annual trip to see us anyway and its always for 3-4 weeks.

Uncle_Bob

Hopefully you will be able to fly tomorrow and the flights not cancelled. Are you flying out of Logan? I see the BA flight to london is still on for today.

markonline1

I'm going back just after Easter for 10 days. I plan to try and get back once a year.

Steerpike

The world is a big place and there's lots to see ... spending valuable resources (time and money) going back to a place I spent 23 years of my life isn't my idea of getting the most out of life.

I fly my mother, my brother, and my nieces over on a regular basis (mother every year, brother/nieces every few years) to visit me and they love it; that takes care of 'family obligations', and lets them stay longer since I can go to work while they are here and traveling about.

I've visited Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and other European destinations since coming over here, which I think is more fun. I've also met my mother at Rome airport a couple of times, and done tours of Italy with her - again, this lets me see my mother while at the same time, lets me explore something new. Now that my mother is losing her mobility (at 84, she can still walk but only just), I'm probably going to have to start going back to see her.

robin1234

I can definitely understand this approach and I think I felt this way when I was younger. There are so many places to see, and limited time. Now that I'm in my sixties, I feel differently about it, though. I've never been to Africa, Asia, or South America, and I'm not that upset that I probably never will. (Well, except that I've been to Israel and the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula, which would count as Asia and Africa, I believe!)

I remember when I used to feel that I've been to the Louvre, or York Minster, or MoMA, or Alnwick Castle (just to name four cultural/tourist destinations totally at random.). So I can check them off, no need to go again! Now, however, I feel that it might be more interesting and rewarding to keep going back to a place I've been before, to see different details or indeed see the same old thing with different eyes.

In this respect, I'd be content to move to England and live the rest of my life there, not just to vegetate in some Waitrose-induced nostalgic stupor, but recognizing that actually one could spend twenty lifetimes visiting places in England, either new places or return trips. Or just go out for a country walk and not go more than a mile or two from home.

Having said that, I'd like to return to some favorite places a bit further afield on a regular basis, Amsterdam and New York City just to name two, and visit some new places too. Oh, and take side trips to Scotland, Wales & Ireland too!

Uncle_Bob

Not only is there the cost factor but also the time. It took me 5 years to earn 3 weeks vacation. So i had 5 years of just 2 weeks vacation which pretty much had to be in the UK every year, one week with my folks and one with the mother in law. All very rushed and not at all relaxing not to mention it completely starved us of any time doing anything else with our family over here (long weekend trips etc). But apparently its all my fault for moving to America.

cluedweasel

We're averaging once every 5 years at the moment. Unless something changes drastically though, we'll be heading home in 2014.

Karrie72

We're flying into Logan from Heathrow tomorrow, big gales here and snow there I hear. Fingers crossed we'll get home ok.

Ulsterman in Texas

Havn't been to the UK since I moved here 2 and a half years ago.

Derrygal

I go back every 2 - 3 years. I used to go every year when my parents were alive (think I only missed one year). The longest I have stayed away was 6 years (not by choice, divorce, lack of money, started new job here with very little vacation time). I would actually move back if I didn't have children and grand-children here - I think about it a lot.

Cardienscarf

Before MBTTUK in June, I used to come back once a year - sometimes twice if there was something going on. Now I'm here, I'm looking forward to going on vacation to somewhere other than my mum's. Could be my son's in CO now.

Yorkieabroad

We have always done alternate Christmases in the UK. We also tend to have a UK visit alternate summers, so if it goes according to plan, we would have a 6 month gap then an 18 month gap between visits, but sometimes "reasons" come up that break the cycle. A few years back, we had 4 consecutive Christmases there, because the US family decided they wanted to go away somewhere else on the years we were supposed to be here, so rather than "wasting" a year with no family around (family get together is the big thing for me at Christmas), we went to the UK. This year I had an extra trip for my sisters wedding in February. So in theory I think we go twice every three years, but in practice it is more often. I'm not sure how that will be affected when we no longer have a grandparent over there to go see....