Vacation versus Travel
 

Thread on sharing info about travel made me think there is a difference between travel and vacation, starting with what you call it. Certainly some overlap, but I think of vacation as a relaxing break from regular routine - like a cruise, AI, cabin on a lake. Limited stress and work in both planning and while there. Travel is often not relaxing - there are always logistics and uncertainties to be addressed and location is often out of usual comfort zone. I think this might explain why some people go to the same cottage every year for 2 weeks in July - they may just need a break more than others. Plus may be more uncomfortable with unknown than others. For us, we enjoy both.

Tourist vs traveler?

"...there are always logistics and uncertainties to be addressed" IMO those happen for both vacation and travel

“Explorer” please.

Now that I am retired, vacation never seems right. Vacation from what? On the other hand, I never did "do nothing but relax" trips.

That was a HUGE edit! :-O

"This months’s trip to France will be anything but relaxing, we’re moving around a lot, the maps are on order, the gps is ready to go, and we’re starting to get together rough day plans. Parking, language, food shopping, day markets when and where, car pick up and drop off, train tickets, there’s just a lot more moving parts."

Yeah, sounds like the typical trip in some ways. Once you get there does it ever "rise" to the level of relaxing? Do you ever look back on it and feel it was as satisfying as the trips elsewhere? Perhaps more so because of the preparation? As they say, "just asking..."

I like to travel during my vacation. If I stay home, I don't really feel like I've properly vacated.

These days I'm meant to take holidays and now I'm not clear if travelling will also take the place of a holiday as it does a vacation. I already get confused if our holiday falls over Christmas or Easter... which are also holidays (holy days) even if you work. Further, I'm not a fan of calling travel to the beach OR to Paris being referred to as a holy day, no matter how long I've been praying for it to come. And I fear someone might get on a plane and inadvertently cancel Christmas.

Even if I'm not working, time away from home doing pretty much nothing is a vacation. But it does have to be away from home. For those two or three weeks we vacationed with friends every second year in the OBX we pretty much did nothing. Nobody did laundry, we took turns cooking and cleaning up after meals, there was no housework or gardening work. No obligations. If you wanted to make your bed, you did. If not, you closed your bedroom door. Days were spent lazing on the beach, evenings meant reading, music, talking, napping, games. Even if I'm not working, a vacation at home is not like this.

Travel is a different thing altogether. Lots of prep and planning and scheduling. Lots of walking, lots of getting places on time, lots of busy-ness, although we did make a deal years ago that we wouldn't get up early unless there was something we absolutely had to be at on time in the morning.

For various reasons, we haven't done those OBX vacations for years but I really miss that ability to totally relax for a few weeks -- something I can never seem to manage at home.

We used to go to Bull Shoals Lake on the MO-AR state line, where we'd camp for a week. Fish, swim, cook on the fire. I guess that's sort of what we're calling a "vacation"?

As opposed to going further from home and... sightseeing? (that would include museums, castles, churches or whatever)

Our version of the latter doesn't really cause us more advanced work than my parents put in getting the gear and the boat ready and making sure camping spots in the park weren't all booked. Plane tix and the first hotel are sometimes all we plan.

OK, I'll stop by assuming those trips to the OBX didn't involve any advance prep, any decisions as to when and exactly where to stay, no scheduling of the trip itself, no walking, no decisions about where to eat tonight or what to eat IOW it just happens.

Sorry for getting nit picky

We stayed in the same house every time and booked it through the same real estate agent. Each couple traveled on their own so we all made our own 'getting there' plans. For us, that meant stopping at a Red Roof Inn overnight which required no reservation.
"Planning" meant deciding which weeks we were going and even then it was almost always the last two weeks in August because the last week was lower priced.
Did we decide what to have for dinner or where to go when we went out? Of course. And lordy, what hard work that was! I also decided what book I was going to read and actually carried it and my cup of coffee out to the lanai every morning. OMG, the stress!
You're not getting nit-picky. You're getting silly.

Right now we are on Cape Cod in our 2 week timeshare overlooking the beach. This started 18 years ago as (mainly) my husband's vacation from his demanding job. We have continued it into retirement and post cross country move to CA, even though the original need/motivation is no longer present.

While I love this area, for me it is not the same "vacation" as it is for him and that makes me think, in response to you, that for some people travel can sometimes be more of a vacation. I guess context and perspective are everything.

I use vacation and travel interchangeably. If I am away for an extended time, it means I am on vacation or traveling, regardless of whether I am going to a beach for a week or visiting a city.

I think of all time away from home, regardless of destination or activities, as a trip.

For me, it's not one or the other. All trips are a mix.
I used to take a trip and try to fit everything in. About 20 years ago, my partner decided in the middle of the trip that she wanted to sleep late. And then later. And later. She wanted to rest. She needed to rest. I was virtually vibrating with unused energy, but more than that. I thought I was SUPPOSED to be up and going and stressed about "losing" an entire day of vacation. I was extremely stressed until noon and when I finally "got it" that she wasn't getting up any time soon, I got back in bed and rested too. She finally got up in late afternoon. We wandered around Durango and ate at a Thai restaurant. It has become one of my favorite vacation days ever. I remember the sleigh ride from that trip but not a lot more.

That day broke a (for me) bad habit. Since then, I've mixed in "lazy" (to use a now deleted word) days along with busy days. I schedule at least one day to be still and just enjoy BEING wherever it is we are. Now I feel cheated if busy trips don't include down time. My favorite place to be "lazy" is in Paris. It's familiar enough I know there are unlimited new things to explore but I don't feel bad about spending hours doing a whole lot of nothing. Well, "nothing" = enjoying being in Paris.

Cruises and AIs do not appeal to me but I do love trips that are based in the mountains or on a beach and there's lots of time to relax but lots of time to explore and discover new things.

Re the other discussion topic = planning/ prepping
Planning a trip, especially to a new location, is as much fun as actually being on the trip. For me, it's a high. I love the research. I love the discovery of options. I love everything about it. It's not "work" at all, but a joy. But I'm not the type to worry for hours/ days/ weeks about the choices. I trust my choices. I'm not much of a second-guesser so planning is not very stressful to me at all.

I definitely agree about the "just being there" part as well as the planning. Yes, the latter can be frustrating and even disappointing but it is part of the overall picture and experience IMO.

starrs, I used to be a "I didn't come all the way to Paris, for example, to do nothing" person.

Then I went with my parents who were very, very good at stopping morning and afternoon for a coffee. I started on that trip impatient to get going and thinking of all the things I wasn't seeing/doing. A lightbulb went on during the trip, and I'm thankful I learned that. Too busy thinking about what's next robs the moment I'm in. And lazy days or mornings or afternoons are good!

I think of travel as going somewhere to do something not necessarily for recreation. I can travel to New Hampshire to drop someone off, travel to California on business, travel to Florida for a wedding, etc. It doesn't have the express purpose of enjoying oneself. Vacationing is the enjoying yourself part, no matter what it is you choose to do and where. I don't think the difference is anything to do with the amount of planning involved because there may be a fair amount involved either way, like making sure the mail is stopped, the dog sitter is hired, accommodations are booked, credit cards are notified, car is road trip ready...

sugarmaple, totally.
That is why I think this thread describing binary choices is another version of traveler/ tourist question.

EVERY trip can be both kinds of trip. Most of mine are. My favorite "lazy" (to use that now deleted word) were weeks on St. Croix or St. Lucia. The relaxing was mixed with adventures. I think everyone should take whatever trip they enjoy, but I don't see vacations/ trips as one or the other. Just like I don't see a significant difference between a tourist or a traveler.

"Vacation versus Travel"
Heck, I try to sneak in little segments of "vacation" on work trips if there's time. Last week was a segment of the Little House journey that I planned to take after retiring.

Just returned from a 10-night vacation, in three different California locations, mostly spending time with our adult 'kids'.
Everything went really well, the weather was perfection, and we had lots of fun. Biggest decision of each day was usually what we'd do during the day and the restaurant we'd choose for that night.

I do all the planning for our trips, so I'd spent a fair amount of time in advance, lining up all the air travel, auto rentals, and hotels. I get fairly obsessed with choosing just the right place to stay, and was really happy with the choices I'd made. It certainly pays to reserve as far in advance as possible.

By the end of the trip, though, I will say I was ready to come home and relax. Choosing all those restaurants is exhausting. haha. Honestly, though, I do wish someone else (ahem) would step up and manage the daily logistics once or twice. Just sayin'.

Next two trips: a high school reunion in the midwest this month, caring for grandson next month in California, Baby's First Christmas in Park City. Pretty good line-up!

At this time all my trips are vacations. I don't do any typical tourist activities. But traveler would be a stretch -lol!

Likely will stay that way until after I am retired from working full time. I don't need the stress, time, expense and don't have the interest of a major trip right now. That said I have beach vacations (Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii) down to a science. I can plan them in about 10 minutes max. I would never take a cruise or stay at an All Inclusive resort. And a cabin on a lake is booooring when you're solo.

I love discussing this distinction.

Was just having a similar conversation last night -- I said that I think I would travel indefinitely (on my own schedule, of course). I realized this many years ago, at the end of a 3 month Europe trip, feeling as though I had just really got my legs under me, and raring to go for more.

I have never been at the end of a trip and throught, gee, I'd rather be home about now...

ibobi- I think that last sentence is a fairly unusual feeling. Even for people who love to travel/trip/vacation many (most?) are ready to come home at the end of their aloted time... whether they've been gone a few months or even a few weeks.

Let me guess. ibobi is single and doesn't have pets at home.

Our pets are the only reason I want to come home. I could travel forever. Of course, at the pace we go, I'd probably be dead within six weeks.

((H))

@ibobi - I totally get it, and have had the same experience in many instances. Not always, but more often than not, and even more so now that I am retired

@suze - yep, having repeat planning down to a checklist makes it easy, especially if one is familiar with the destination. I find that even for newer destinations, the ready availability of online resources (like, ahem, Fodor's) lets me throw together an itinerary in pretty short order if necessary, though I must admit to enjoying exploring options, too, if time allows.

I am also among those who have learned to relax on travel, have maybe a few key things scheduled and let the rest flow. As the firstborn and a caretaker I'll likely never totally give up wanting to have a plan of some sort, but do find that a more relaxed approach has made travel more enjoyable.

That would make for an interesting thread.

Lately (due to physical constraints) I have been doing more vacationing than travelling. I like both but I miss the adventure of travelling and I hope someday soon to do more of it.

I think "Trip" is an all-inclusive term. Like others here, I am retired so it's hard to call a trip a "vacation"...vacation from what?

Lol!

I use them interchangeably, but if I had to make a distinction, I think "vacation" is like the word "tourist" in that leisure or pleasure is the intent of the experience, whereas I can "travel" for all sorts of reasons other than pleasure (business, necessity, etc.)

Exactly! There are times when you really miss them and you want to be home with them.