Tan Kin Lian's Blog: Vacations

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Vacations

Do vacations make you happier. Read this interesting report. I agree with the findings. It is better to have a vacation at home.

10 comments:

Falcon said...: This report reveals one of the best kept secrets of financial independence. Many people thought that one must have millions to retire. It is simply not true. People tend to think conventionally and thought that a high quality of life includes a regular vacation trip. Thinking is free while doing costs a bomb.
So now you have it, the irrefutable truth, you can have as many vacations as you like a year, to as many places as you like, without the hassle of greedy tour guides who are more interested in you buying price inflated items to enrich themselves, without the hassle of waking up early to fit into someone's else itineary, without the risk and hassle of air travel and stressful and irritating checks and the risk of being the victim of some fanatic's idea of a fairer world.
Just play out your vacation in the safety of your bed, without having to pay a cent.
Thinking is free. :); February 20, 2010 9:50 AM
Anonymous said...: Rex comments as follows,

Honestly speaking, almost every vacation i take with family, includes some episode of unhappiness (bordering on quarrel) caused by different viewpoints reaction to events during the vacation. Perhaps something is not right with me.

rex; February 20, 2010 10:20 AM
Anonymous said...: Vacationing abroad is best when you are retired and can afford to travel.

Having said that, for those who are still employed, vacation is a booster when you are feeling down in the dumps, and burdened with work.

Frankly, there is no logic in looking for `after-vacation' happiness effect. Like all things we desire, once we got them, the level of satisfaction will go down.

What is more important is the joy of seeing the world. For that, home-vacation or `staycation' will never be able to replace.; February 20, 2010 1:00 PM
Anonymous said...: I've not had a vacation that is beyond Thailand or Indonesia in the last 10 yrs or so. I hate to fly long distance -- to me that is work, not holiday. Luckily my family members also feel the same.

Examples include long weekends stays at rasa sentosa and chalets on pulau ubin, kelongs in m'sia waters, various m'sian islands, phuket, hillside guesthouses in mountainous NW Thai region, batam, bintan, bali (too ex, kinda spoiled by ang moh influence).

Plenty of fun for kids too, plenty of nature, sea sports, snorkeling, diving, fishing, catch or gather your own food. Some places can also rent/borrow gun to shoot your food too. Cost of living off the beaten tracks can be damn cheap. Best of all, no need to stress with long flights, stuck with mass tour groups and tacky itineraries, go to tourist traps etc.; February 20, 2010 6:57 PM
Anonymous said...: After every vacation coming home was like another vacation. The feeling was even better than the vacations.; February 20, 2010 7:43 PM
Anonymous said...: Once you have achieved financial freedom without worry of money then you can have a vacation without worry of money.
Vacation is meant to free your mind of worry, money, work or problem.
Life is too short, enjoy while you are still alive & healthy who knows what will happen tomorrow.; February 20, 2010 10:13 PM
Anonymous said...: Mr Tan must be one of those who works too hard if he wants to have his vacation in Singapore! I love my vacations. My family goes to Thailand on vacation every year. Familiarity has its advantages. It takes the stress out of the vacation and if I could afford I would get a holiday home there. There is no physical stress as the travelling time short. There is no financial stress as travel and other costs are low. There is no holiday stress as everyone knows what's in store. Everyone can feel relaxed as there is certainty and we try to let everyone do what he or she wants. People say its boring but the main thing is that it is family time together.; February 21, 2010 12:41 AM
Traveller said...: The journey is more important than the destination.

Planning a vacation involves:
A) where to go
B) where to stay
C) how long to stay
D) what to see
E) what to do
F) how much to bring
G) which is better

The process, for me, would take approx 3-4 months of planning and deliberating, reading, researching.

I dislike joining travel agencies and tour groups: I dislike following someone else's schedules.

Staying in one town or city for at least 3 nights would allow a deeper appreciation of the culture and way of life. It may seem mundane, but watching from your window, the routine of the local populace gives you an insight that is not available from a tour bus.

Try planing a vacation with an itinerary that allows sufficient time to just unwind and relax, without the rush to board a bus to visit a museum or attraction.

Visit places that have a colourful history and meaning, such as:

Morocco
Spain
Greece
Egypt
South Africa
Scotland
India ( rajasthan )
Sri Lanka
Bhuttan
Chile
Peru
Argentina ( pattagonia )
Jordan
Chekosolavia

Notice that China, Australia, New zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, Phillipines is not on the list?
They are nearby or are oversold.
We can visit them when we are in wheelchairs!

Enjoy the journey, the destination is not the point.

Its like drinking wine: it can be an unknown label or cheap, but who you share it with is more memorable... negative or positive.

Many happy travels to all!!; February 21, 2010 11:03 AM
Anonymous said...: Vacation away from home is the stuff sold by travel agents to earn your money. People buy into it after being bombarded with all the wonderful beaches and palm trees on TV, newspapers and brochures.

Furthermore, 'kiasu' people, especially Singaporeans will always follow what others do, because they are afraid of dying without being able to close their eyes if they do not go, so they will tell you.

The worst part about taking a vacation is that you are more stressed after that, because more often than not, you end up doing a whole backlog of work left behind.; February 21, 2010 3:42 PM
Anonymous said...: If you feel that vacation is good for you, then go for it. Like many other things, do it if you like it, there is no hard and fast rules.

For me I enjoy every vaction, I have thousands of photos stored in photo albums and Gigabytes of memory. Once in a while, my kids or myself would flip through photo albums to relive those vacations.; February 21, 2010 4:46 PM