Thinking 'bout your holidays

Travelling south to Montana a few weeks ago, I heard a report on the radio that said research showed people get more enjoyment from planning their holiday than they do actually having it. I can quite believe that. “Thinking ‘bout your holidays” was one of the aspects of working class life that Paul Weller sang about on The Jam track That’s Entertainment, reminding us that booking up a holiday months in advance gives us something to think about when the weather’s rubbish and we’re feeling crap.

I’ve always thought people looked happier when talking about what they were going to do on holiday than they did actually doing it. But then that’s probably because I used to spend my holidays in Greece and there is little that can be done comfortably – let alone with a smile on your face – in 35 degrees C.

But is that still the case now that we don’t plan our holidays in quite the same way we did thirty years ago. Back then we’d pick up a brochure from the travel agents at the beginning of the year, get seduced by photos of sparkling pools and romantic beach coves, and then rush to book up a holiday while the rain lashed against the travel agent’s windows. Most of the time back then, we booked early not to secure our place at a top resort, but to help us get through the remains of the dreary winter. At least that was how I used to plan my holiday.

But now, however, we’re much more likely to just pick somewhere on the planet and then work out how to get there and where to stay – either once we’re there or a few weeks before we get on the plane. That’s how I plan my holidays now. And maybe that’s why I don’t spend hours thinking about it before actually having it. The days spent shopping for “holiday clothes” are also long gone (as has the money with which to buy them!). And so I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s this way of planning a holiday – a bit last-minute – that ensures I always have a brilliant time. Either that or it’s the cynic in me that doesn’t expect too much from a holiday anyway!

One aspect of holidays that I do tend to get bored with after a while is eating out. It’s great at first: being on holiday you’re excused counting calories, even more so if you’ve spent the day hiking or walking around sight-seeing. But after a while I miss handling food, preparing it, and cooking it. And as much as I like fries and pizza, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. That’s why on the last few evenings of my trip to Montana, I went to the local supermarket and bought provisions to enable me to “make” dinner in my motel room. When I say make, I don’t mean cook, I mean put together. Simple stuff such as bread rolls, cheese, potato chips, yogurt, and fruit makes for a great supper (I was also able to have a bottle of beer as there was a fridge in the motel room). This is something I regularly do when I go on holiday. Not necessarily to save money, but to break the tedium that can sometimes come with eating out every night. Maybe it’s a reflection of the places I holiday at but I don’t think so, as I’ve adopted this approach when in the south of France and Spain, and not just when in Western Canada and the States!

So maybe, as with the holiday itself, in order to enjoy eating out I need to forget the planning and thinking about it all and just do it. But then again, I really enjoy eating cheese rolls and chips in motel rooms!