One of the thought-provoking questions in the otherwise very silly what colour is your brain? quiz [blue if you must know] is: if you need to get away for a week, which vacation would be the most refreshing?
* A vacation at a remote beach
* An interesting conference
* A quick trip through Europe
* A trip somewhere new… and very foreign
* A week alone in your favorite city
* A spa vacation
The key word here is “refreshing”. Many of the listed activities would be interesting, even exciting, but you might need another holiday when it’s all over. Where’s the option for staying at home?
I think we often kid ourselves that a holiday is going to be relaxing especially if it involves long distance air travel and unfamiliar surroundings. Now that I have done a couple of home exchanges (see posts from May 2006 and June 2006 for stories of our adventures in the French Pyrenees and the Yorkshire Dales), I think this mode of travel has much to recommend it: a wide choice of locations, a comfy home base with room to spread out and your own kitchen for self-catering. And it’s easy on your pocket.
You can read my earlier post on how home exchanges work here. In addition, this new home exchange listing service offers very reasonable pricing (but so far no promising leads):
Sometimes you don’t even need to get away, you just need a break from your regular commitments. Perhaps you need to take a blog holiday – in which case, you might find this article of interest – how to know when to stop blogging.
Tracey Petersen says
My brain is green. Apparently I’m a good problem solver!
Squeaksqueal says
Blue, blue, my brain is blue….like you!