Do you go on vacation in the summer?

Marion

Mon, Jul 22 2013, 11:37 am

No. Who can afford it? And if we could afford it, who has that much time off work?

That said, we travelled last summer for my sister's wedding. I don't consider that a summer holiday; we would have travelled regardless for the wedding (and my parents paid our flights); I was on maternity leave (he was 5 weeks old when we flew) so time off was not an issue.

yo'ma

Mon, Jul 22 2013, 11:55 am

Wherever I might go in the summer, I don't call vacation because I'd be going with my children Smile

. I love them dearly, but with children is not vacation, at least for me Wink

. That being said, we went away last summer, but our usual summer vacation is a few days or maybe a week, if we can last that long, to where my dh works. I voted for sometimes. We don't have anything set.

Merrymom

Mon, Jul 22 2013, 2:18 pm

We have more kids then we can take into one hotel room so we just take lots of day trips. One of these days (or years) we'll have to rent our own place at a beach somewhere though...

chatouli

Mon, Jul 22 2013, 4:31 pm

I voted sometimes. Usually we go stay with my ILs for a week or so, which is definitely not a true vacation, but is much easier than staying in a hotel because they have all the baby and kid stuff we need. (Plus free babysitting at night!) But this summer we rented a beach house in Cape Cod, which was more affordable because it was not on the beach but was a very short drive away, and we had a wonderful time. We had plenty of space and a kitchen (with a self-cleaning oven!) and it wasn't restful exactly but was a really really nice change of pace. And the kids had a great time!

MaBelleVie

Mon, Jul 22 2013, 5:01 pm

Sometimes. If we have the funds, we enjoy taking up to a week and spending it somewhere new and interesting. If not, we do day trips on Sundays. We've also done a weekend in a nice hotel within a few hours of home- that's a nice compromise that is very economic while still giving the feel of a vacation. I don't love spending shabbat in a hotel, though.

Mrs Bissli

Mon, Jul 22 2013, 5:09 pm

Yes, because my kids are in school, so summer is literally the only time we can take time off as a family. Most people take 2 weeks off in summer. I would rather prefer travelling in spring or autumn when the weather is nicer, and costs not too high, though we're very much bound by school schedule and the fact DH cannot take time off over Pesach/Succot.

MMCH

Mon, Jul 22 2013, 5:44 pm

it depends on the year and my kids are still little.
we lived OOT until recently so our vacation would be coming in to see our families.
this year we took a 'formal family vacation' to lancaster and it was really great.

amother

Mon, Jul 22 2013, 5:52 pm

dh and I are teachers so we have the whole summer off and bh are able to "vacation" -- usually a trip to visit family anywhere from a week to a month...some people dont consider that a true vacation but we enjoy it so I voted yes!

chocolate chips

Mon, Jul 22 2013, 5:54 pm

My family, living in the uK, always go away on a family holiday for 1-2 weeks. Most people in the UK do this.

I am actually jealous that we cannot join along, it is a lot of fun and family time.

In USA its totally different. A week off work means a week unpaid besides for the fact that we barely cover costs during the year so right now, although each year vacations are in the plans, nothing is coming of it Sad

DrMom

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 2:44 am

Before I had children I would only go on vacation off-season. Less crowded, better value.

But as Mrs. Bissli said, summer is when the kids are off from school, so that's when we go. This year flights are crazy $$$$ so we are taking a domestic vacation rather than flying abroad.

We could all use a change of scenery!

shabbatiscoming

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 2:51 am

The past few summers we have taken vacations either to my parents or my in laws but there was always a reason for the visit, not just stam to go.
Last summer my father in law had a milestone birthday so we went for 2 weeks there (and my husband has a good friend's wedding) and made a vacation out of it.

We are thinking, at the end of the summer, to go away for a night and a day, just to be able to sit by a pool and veg and to have a change of scenery for a bit.

But I agree with a poster above who wrote that it is not really a vacation with children. I only have one 5 year old but it still would be more of a vacation if it were just myself and my husband, but not in the cards right now. Maybe when our daughter is older and we can leave her with a friend overnight Smile

DrMom

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 2:54 am

I actually like taking the kids on vacation, even if it is more work than travelling alone with DH.

Kids are hard to care for when they are bored and restless, and vacation away is far less boring than staying at home. If my kids are engaged in what they are doing, they're usually pretty okay, B"H.

Mrs Bissli

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 5:31 am

Yes, I hear you. It's not really a dream holiday when you have to make sure kids are clothed, fed and kept active, especially when you're self-catering. Though I do have a mixed feeling. Things get easier and more enjoyable when they're older, and at some point teen-age/young-adult children would probably prefer to take holiday with their friends than their (aging and boring) parents. So, I'm trying to make the most out of the years we can travel and enjoy as a family.

etky

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 6:05 am

DrMom wrote:

Yes. It's also important to have fun together as a family, w/o the everyday stresses of work (for us) and school (for them). It's these types of experiences that make for treasured memories later on in life.
We usually take 3-4 days in August and go up north. This year we have various types of time constraints so only mid-August will work for all members of the family. We're still looking for something affordable.Seems like there aren't any deals whatsoever this year so we'll either have to shell out and maybe go for only 2 nights instead of 3 or just stay home and do some day trips. Our kids still enjoy traveling together with us though eldest DD will be going into the army next summer so this year might well be our last summer family vacation Sad

, at least for a while.

slushiemom

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 7:20 am

yes, we go to my in laws in florida, and the kids are in camp during the day so it's a real vacation! It's great to be able to spend time with my in laws in a relaxed manner instead of the rushed visits we have when they come to israel for the chagim.

amother

Tue, Jul 23 2013, 9:35 am

Google condo rentals for wherever you want to visit. We rent a 3 bedroom condo for less than 2 hotel rooms and we get amenities like a pool (the complex always has one) plus a kitchen. We then do not have to eat out every meal. We bring some food from home and you can kasher the kitchen or doublewrap in the oven. Also, since there are actual bedrooms, once the kids are asleep, we have the living room to hang out in.

TehillaHadassah

Thu, Jul 25 2013, 1:27 pm

We go somewhere in the fall after Tishrei. Cooler, less crowed and a little less expensive. No kids at home now.
Growing up my parents would do the same and take us out of school for a week.