Have you ever forgotten to schedule an annual leave? Maybe
you had to cancel or change your plans, as there were other important things to
be done?
Friends of mine often say that they didn’t have other
possibility, because of many different reasons. I’ve heard many times that they
have to go for a vacation in autumn. Usually when we think about vacation in
October or November, the only option we can imagine is Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey.
When you follow the link to The Guardian web site, you will retrieve the article with TOP 10 autumn destinations.
I must say that it was quite understandable for me, that people want to go for
all inclusive vacation in a place where it is nice and warm, when here in
Poland it is getting colder and the weather is not sufficient. Sharm el sheikh, looks nice, doesn't it?
And everything was clear, you didn’t have time to go for an
annual leave in summer you buy a trip to Egypt in October and everyone is
happy - your colleagues who have
children and need to go for a vacation in summer time, your boss who wanted
you to finish your project in the
beginning of September so in July and August you were working 24h 7days in a
week, your friend who was getting married and could not imagine that day
without you, your mother who asked you to help her in the garden so everything
is prepared for a winter. When you think about this it is even better for you –
because there are less people in the hotel, no families with crying children,
the weather is much better there than in your homeland – just wonderful. 
Everything changed last year – when we decided for a first
time to go sailing on Masurian Lakes in October. Up till then the last weekend of
September was the last moment – that's what we thought. It was mid of October
when we went only for a weekend, it came out it was a great idea – even
though it was quite cold outside. We
were surprised as we were not the only ones sailing. That's what it looked like last year:
This year we were thinking
to go for a holiday to Egypt in October, but finally when writing this article
I’m sitting on a passenger’s seat in our car, and we are on our way to the
north – we’re going sailing this time we’ll stay there for a whole week. What I
must say we have a problem to find a boat, as all were reserved… Promise to
send you some pictures.
And what do you think about autumnal traveling?
Did you ever
have to schedule your vacation in October?
Where do you go then?
Or maybe you
have any other great ideas for a trip?
I always schedule my vacation for autumn. I don't want to go to sunny part of the Earth when there is hot enough in Poland. But I have to say I've never been on my planned autumn holidays... There is always something: budget is too small, someone who I wanted to go with is not available, I have a project to start/finish/rescue. When writing this comment I'm on rescue trip in Munich. There was no planning - Thursday decision, Friday on site. And already planning next trip (this time according to the schedule) for the beginning of next month. How to not being in love with corporation? :)
ReplyDeletePS. Iza, I told you - my boss instead of giving me holidays to go sailing with you, sent me abroad. So I'm still jealous about sailing. BMW Welt cheered me just a bit. Only a little bit ;)
I have never had a problem with scheduling my vacation in October, and what is more - for the past few years I have been chosing the fall as a time for my holiday trips. Why I have been doing that? Firstly because I hate crowds and in months universally recognized as holidays (June, July, August) it is nearly impossible to avoid them. Secondly, the majority of my coworkers leave on holidays in the summer so this period is more tranquil and I can calmly focus on my overdued projects (not that I have lot of them :)). That is an advantage because after closing all professional matters I can enjoy a well erned rest from which I benefit even more when I do not have to think about all the duties waiting for me at work. When planning holidays in October I also take prices into account, because those in autumn are lower and therefore the most of trips I am interested in are affordable. Two years ago I went to Croatia in September and a year before to Egypt in October and both decisions were nothing to regret. The temperature was more than perfect, ideal for sunbathing and swimming in the sea. Because the weather was so agreeable we could easly sightseeing. We visited the pyramids without risk of heaving a stroke, we went to Dubrovnik and saw all it’s beauty spots and aditionally avoided other tourists who could spoil our rest.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I will be malicious with what I am about to say but when I go back to work after my holidays, tanned and relaxed, and meet my colleges who have already forgotten about their holidays I know that autumnal travelling is a good choice :)
Frankly speaking, I have never been on holiday during the autumn so I shouldn't express my opinion.
ReplyDeleteBut during this vacation I have visited several countries for instance: Switzerland, Italy and also Croatia just like Piotrek and I have to agree with him. In Croatia, the temperature was great, the Adriatic Sea was unbelievably blue. There are a lot of interesting destinations to see. Personally, I can recommend you to see Istria which is the heart-shaped peninsula located on the West seaside . The landscape is amazing! Being in Croatia you should also visit Plitvice Lakes National Park.
When it comes to Switzerland OMG people this country is awesome. First of all, the environment in this nation is a lot cleaner, my biggest shock was the language. I expected that people know English but they weren't eager to speak in English. As you know Switzerland is a small country so everything can be easily reached. Mountains, lakes, forests, castles, museums and of course vineyards which are stunning.
Taking these points into consideration, I would say that travelling broadens the mind because you experience new things, you can learn a different side of life, different political views. The aim of travelling may not only be for relaxation but also for business purposes.
I have to say that my experience with "out-of-season" holidays is quite mixed.
ReplyDeleteFrom one hand: Greece in late September , hot during the trip around the country , but cold on a second week on a seaside.
From other hand: great experience with winter holidays in March. Italian Alps few years ago: great weather, lots of snow and quite an empty slopes. On the way back few days spent in Venice, where in March you can actually find places where there are no people , at all, unbelievable for a place like Venice. Great all in all.
So, from my experience, winter holidays outside of a season is highly recommended.
Summer holidays outside of a seasons also makes sense, but be careful with a weather and decide based on main objective of your travel.
As a side note, just wanted to share a strange feeling I have when having vacation outside of a normal season , a feeling that I am missing something important going on at work. Something like "hey, they are working on something important back there and taking decisions ... without me", that's cool coz I am having a rest , but it also worrying a bit. Anybody have the same ?
Daniel, it means you are addicted to work and you don't know how to relax ;) I have the same and decided to do something with that. I'm trying to not think about ork while I'm on my holidays. And what is more important - I don't take long holidays - I prefer to go somewhere for a "longer weekend" and do it even 2 times per month. I tried it this September and it was great decision - I relaxed during my days off but at the same time I had no feeling that I miss something at work. Maybe someday I will be able to go for real holidays :)
Delete"Anybody have the same?" ...No :) I check my email at the beginning but the forget completely. Agree with Agnieszka – sounds like you work too much and can't really relax. ...And when you stop working the the current company and move to another one? They also will make decisions without you – it's not the end of the world :)
DeleteKasia, you're right but when you leave the company you know you won't come back. So it doesn't matter anymore. But after long holidays, don't you feel a little confused? :)
DeleteI had that problem with vacation plans in last year. I had a vacation slot in the middle of September. I had no idea where to go, I had small budget and a big urge to go somewhere where is peace and quiet. I finally found my destination. It was Zakopane in Tatry Mountains. You may think – the weather in mountains is tricky and can change very fast… This is true but, if you see the views when the weather is sunny. And the quite is awesome. In the middle of September there is not so many people on the trails. You can spent all day climbing up the mountain and not see anyone. You can admire sights and be happy. Also this is not so expensive trip and if you are bored with climbing you can go to hot water sources where you can feel relaxed and regenerate your strengths.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's really hard to comment that post, because it's more like a card from diary than actual essay or article. Iza wrote her personal impression and thoughts about spending holidays and we can simply agree with her way of relaxing or not. I didn't like this sentence: "people want to go for all inclusive vacation in a place where it is nice and warm". I know it's just an opinion, but is way too generalized and gives a false impression. Some of us likes to get lazy and lie on a sun lounger, but I know so many people who can't wait to pack their bags and go hiking or suit up and go scuba-diving. But I can agree that there are benefits of taking vacation after the season. If you check prices of flights, the best months to fly somewhere are January/February and October/November, so in that case I can agree with Iza.
ReplyDeleteThe other advantages of "autumnal traveling" is that there aren't that many queues and main attractions aren't overcrowded. I'm a big fan of sightseeing so wherever I go I really like to see as much as possible - museums, amusement parks and football stadiums. The weather might be a problem sometimes, but you can be lucky and enjoy great sun and warm days even in October (today is really nice outside).
Iza asked about vacation in October... I prefer going somewhere during summer, but when I was in high school I had opportunity to fly to States for 2 weeks at the end of October (dollar prices were really,really low). I spent 2 amazing weeks on the West Coast (Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco) and I had a time of my life. The weather was great: 25-27 degrees there vs 7-10 in Poland. I have to say that the timing was great, because we were able to see many, attractions without standing in endless queues and it wasn't unbearably hot.
My idea or piece of advice is that you can plan your vacation on your own. And if you take an effort, spend some time preparing it in advance, you can see a lot of amazing places for very little money. Last year I went on a trip with my friends, we spent 2 fabulous weeks in Europe (London, Manchester, Amsterdam, Madrid and Paris) for the half of the price offered in travel agency.
"It's really hard to comment that post, because it's more like a card from diary than actual essay or article."
DeleteSo true. I find it hard to comment it as well. Maybe because I've never ever worked full-tiume job. Always part-time, usually 3 days per week. So I really don't feel this whole "need of vacation" thing. Even if I have some bigger plans for specific time it's usually connected with special purpose besides sightseeing (work related for instance). If it's only about rest I'd rather go with friends play some music or do something connected to my hobbies. Doing nothing but rest for longer than 3 days makes me uneasy.
I think you don't always need to have a "need of vacation" to travel.
DeleteI don't know if I would survived doin'g nothing for more than 24hours - lying on the beach is in my case impossible - I really think that there are many other things to be done and I'll have time for lying. I totally agree that one can rest just realizing their interests - eg. when I want to rest it's enough for me to go to the gym for a fitness training.
I really like your feedback.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to disagree that the summer season crowd in hotels is much smaller, finer weather, prices more acceptable, and the feeling that everyone is already after vacation and you're still ahead - priceless.
We have many years we go on holiday during the summer months, but in September - October, always were leaving for an extended weekend. The only problem we face at this time is that many places are already closed - for example, on Saturday we had a problem to buy bread for breakfast, I shop in the port to which we had comewas already closed - reopening - May 2014.
Daniel - Thanks so much for your post about Venice , I think I need to think about the trip.
James - my intention was to find out from you where you like to go and find an idea for a cool place to visit. I guess most of us like to go once in a while and relax? Or maybe there is a wrong assumption? Maybe there is someone who prefers to stay at home and spend the holidays such as repairing? improvement? and fixing some little things in the house?Regarding the thesis - I've just wrote about what I usually see, where fiends of mine go for a vacation, but traveling subject was just a coincided with my trip to Masuria, just because I was happy to spent some time there.
Sławek - to what you have experienced the lack of people around us. No one, almost no boats throughout the day, every now and then some to appear on the horizon.
Agnieszka - work addiction is a serious disease and should be treated - I know a good psychiatrist :)
But seriously - I once read a theory about good length of leave – apparently it should be three weeks. I do not know, I have no experience, because I've never been on such a long vacation. 1 week mentally we are still at work, in the second week we begin to rest in phase 3 should come longing for work and responsibilities. How do you like the idea? Can you afford such a long absence from work?
3 weeks? I've never tried such long holidays.. I believe I could have problems to come back - I would miss free time, good book, sunny beach or anything - but not the office. As I said I prefer to take few days off and don't think about work at all. Long holidays means for me the thought "hmmm....what happened during my absence? What is going on there?". Maybe I really need a contact number to your friend ;)
DeleteAgnieszka start treatment as soon as possible. You realy sound like work freak... :)
DeleteGuilty as charged ;)
DeleteIza, know exactly what you meant – for a couple of years now I have vacation in September or October. I’m always the last one to ask for an annual leave and always a week or two before I need it. But I have to admit it is mainly my fault – I don’t like vacation planning... So I don’t plan them. Don’t get me wrong – I love free time, summer, holiday adventures... but when it comes to planning all of it I just can’t force myself to do it. – “Why me again?” I think. I’m sure it’s partially because my boyfriend doesn’t plan anything either and I would use some help and encouragement...
ReplyDeleteThis year e.g. we end up on a trip to nowhere with only a camping equipment ..and terrible weather. Those were probably the worst vacations of my life... Couldn't find a place to camp and it rained almost all time. But what it learned me is that a little bit of vacation planning may be a good idea next year...
I also heard about theory that 3 weeks is a good period for a long vacation. It says you need:
ReplyDelete1 week to forget about work
1 week to actually rest
1 week to come back to thinking about work
:)
not sure how relevant it is to your experience.
I never tried 3 weeks holidays , think its too much for me.
Vacation is a relict. Who want to have some free time from work? Isn't that fun to take your work anywhere you go? Last time I was on longer vacation, was at the end of May. Norway fishing trip with my boss and some colleagues. It was 9 days including trip and I can't recall any other in past few years. This kind of time gone from the office creates a black hole in which we will get sucked into right after comeback. But jokes aside.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite way of spending free time is to go for short trips 4-5 days, spending it actively - mountain bike or mountaineering if You catch my drift :) this way, when i get back to work i can finally take a rest ;) no black holes included. And you can do it multiple times. That's my recipe.
Thank you for you're comment it is really nice thougth to have a longer weekend from time to time. Short working weeks like the one upcomming are my favorites.
DeleteAnd that's why I prefer to have shorter holidays like I said before. And I always try to take e.g. one day off before the weekend and two days after. In that case I have two short working weeks in one month :) I really recommend that!
DeleteThis is exactly it!
DeleteI don't have need for anything longer than one week off :)
Fromy my expirience making short vacations is not a good option in long term. You cannot chillout, your head is still thinking about work. You are not resting at all.
ReplyDeleteAga start treatment asap :-)
In that case, maybe the golden rule would be dividing our holidays 15 to 11? Then we can take three weeks off, according to earlier theory, and the rest - the remaining 11 days use for extension of the weekends.
DeleteWhat do you think about this way of distribution?
This is just the way I do it for few years now, and in my opinion this is the best way you can spend your time off from work - one long leave + some additional short life rescuers:)
DeleteI hadn't had this feeling of urge to go on a vacation in the summer (in the generally understood way - travel far away outside of one's homeplace), until i took a full-time job. Then i realised, there's not that much time to actually go somewhere and roam around the destined place :) Moreover, it is hard to 'synchronize' timetables with friends and go on extended vacation. So I am, kind of, 'forced' to take shorter breaks (e.g. extended weekends) and go somewhere within our borders, or - planning in progress - take a trip to Switzerland/Norway.
ReplyDeleteAs for the 'problem' of having head occupied by work during holidays: from what I'm reading here and experiencing from colleagues behaviors, I could say that I'm blessed to be able to effortlessly flip that switch and enable 'rest mode'. It is essential to have time entirely for yourself, to enjoy and develop your hobbies, or meet your friends. Unless your job is your biggest hobby :)
What a nice post! It was really pleasant to come back to summer holidays in my thoughts:)
ReplyDeleteFrom the first year when I didn’t have to go to school in September (just after I finished my high school) I am always scheduling a part of my vacations for this month. I try to go for one or two short trips (max 5 days) in high season, just to feel holiday atmosphere - hot temperature, relaxed people, a lot of sun, long days etc. And then I plan my long vacations (2-3 weeks) in September. I always travel through Balkans, which are adorable in this time of year - not to hot and a lot of great fruits (like figs and pomegranates) hanging from trees just waiting for you to eat it!
But I have never tried to go for my vacations in October - and I am not sure if I should try it. I always travel with train, and stay in tent on campings and I’m afraid that the temperature in October could be just to low for me to feel comfortable (sometimes even in the end of September it is too low - this year we had 5°C in mid September when staying in Hungary - we had to move south to Croatia).
Thank you Ania for your post - it is really nice to read someone's positive attitude :D
DeleteSometimes I think that the weather is always more or less good fortune? How many it was today? 21 degrees?
I have never been on holiday during the autumn. The point is not that I'm against that. That's just happened.
ReplyDeleteI know that the weather is optimal in many spots, and it’s true that the very best thing about taking a vacation at this time of year is fact that the kids are in school, so you're unlikely to encounter the hordes of family travelers who fill popular destinations during summer vacation time. There are no traffic jams or queues to get tables at restaurants. Suddenly, waiters and taxi drivers are pleased to you again. That beach that was crowded a few weeks ago – now you have it almost to yourself.
I've heard that September and October are perfect months to visit Europe. The weather has cooled down from summer and the crowds are noticeably smaller. Places that you couldn't get into just a few months ago are now likely to welcome you with open arms. If I fancy a beach holiday in Europe in September, I probably would go to Malta, the Canary islands or the Greek island. Why? Because the weather and water temperature are still great for swimming and getting a tan.
Despite this, in my opinion more important than the time of vacation is the fact that holidays should give us a break from our routine and help us to refresh ourselves and go back to work with renewed energy. Just as sleep is necessary for our body similarly holidays are important for relaxation and change – they provide relief from the monotony of our daily routine. They are important for our mental and emotional well being.
"Despite this, in my opinion more important than the time of vacation is the fact that holidays should give us a break from our routine and help us to refresh ourselves and go back to work with renewed energy."
ReplyDeleteVery nice point of view :)
Up until very recently I worked for a High School, so hollidays in October were not a realistic option. Now that I changed my job, I intend to take advantage of that and start experimenting with planning trips out of regular holiday season.
ReplyDeleteActually, I went sailing on Masurian Lakes in October once. It was quite a long time ago. We were living on a bout. One day after we got up, we discovered everything (including our boat) was covered in snow. And you know what? This was a really fabioulus experience. I never saw this area so beautifull, quiet and peacfull. There were no other people anywhere in sight, just us and a white cover of snow. I think experiences like this one are the it's worth being creative with your "annual leave".