Random stuff ...

[apocalypsos]

-- My overtime for tonight got cancelled. I'm equally annoyed and happy about it, because God knows I could use the money but at the same time I still haven't made a dent in my Yuletide. Urgh. Now I have a headache.

-- My entry at the holiday love meme.

-- I've been debating lately about planning a really big vacation in, like, two years or so, which would hopefully give me plenty of time to save up and be able to do whatever I want on it. What I really want to do is go somewhere outside of the U.S., because I've never been outside of the country and I would love to hit Britain or Italy or something. I think my biggest problem with the whole plan is ... well, aside from the fact that that I'm eternally broke and whatever money I have usually disappears before too long, I'm really thinking that if I go to Britain like I'm leaning towards if I even do this I think I want to go by myself, which just makes me feel weird. I'm going to want to hit historical landmarks and museums and stuff and everybody I would want to go with is going to hit all the touristy crap. Hell, I don't know. *shrugs*

-- I may just skip out on working on my Yuletide during the day today, pack up my stuff, and go to Panera with my laptop to work on story notes for my next novel. Hmm.

Comments

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

Nothing weird about going on holiday by yourself! I always do. It means I can do the things I want to do, without having to worry about somebody else.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm just nervous because it's not going on vacation by myself in this country, it's going on vacation far, faaaaaar away from anybody I know. But I can't even think of anyone who'd want to be dragged off to Europe with me at this point, so. *shrugs*

the last episode of the amazing race makes me kind of want to go to dubrovnik, croatia, because oh, man, so PRETTY.

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

We all speak the same language. Sorta. Just say you're Canadian and you'll be fine.

(Although I understand the nerves. That's why I'm going the Middle East on a 'small-group' tour, rather than entirely on my own. Ten or so people with a guide, but with plenty of time to bugger off on our own, as well.)

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Man, I wouldn't mind going to the Middle East, either, although that'd definitely be a going-with-other-people kind of trip. I don't know when the hell I became such a ginormous history geek, but HOMIGOD, that trip would be SO worth it.

[rutilante.livejournal.com]

Totally nothing wrong about going on holiday by yourself. I'm planning on going to China solo in the summer next year and I can't wait because for once, I can do whatever I want to. :)

[siberian-skys.livejournal.com]

I went to London by myself a little over 10 years ago. It was great. You should definitely do it. You don't need company. I know it sounds terrible, but having other people around just slows you down. You can see so much more without having to debate where to go and what to see. Just make sure you take the time to go out to Stonehenge. Stonehenge is amazing.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Yeah, see, if I want to go to Stonehenge I'm going to have to go alone because I don't even want to think about how anybody I know would react there or react to my reaction to it.

[siberian-skys.livejournal.com]

I've never been able to put into words the way Stonehenge made we feel. You can't get that close to it and not go. I think people either get it or they don't.

[20thcenturyvole.livejournal.com]

Aw, Britain's pretty good even on your own, and for historical stuff it's one of the best places in the world. It is pretty damn expensive, though - just in terms of food and all - so it's a good idea to go after saving up. I recommend York (loads of great museums there), Edinburgh outside of August (unless you love theatre and don't mind huge crowds, in which case, go in August), Whitby (try the fish! Don't feed the giant mutant seagulls!), and Durham. Er, can you tell I lived in the Northeast?

Don't stay in London any longer than you have to to see the museums. It's a hole. A nasty, super-expensive hole full of dumb tourists and evil little chavs. *cough* No, seriously, even staying the night could a) blow your budget for the week and b) put you in the kind of foul, black mood that casts a pall over the entire holiday. Heathrow alone has been known to crush the souls of the unwary.

[fadagaski.livejournal.com]

If you stay at fandomer houses then you're more than likely to find someone who wants to take you to the non-touristy things.

Though, most of the touristy stuff in the UK *IS* historical in nature.

If I've got a place to stay in 2 years time, you're more than welcome to crash on any surface I have available. I might even have a license and a car at that point, though if I don't there's nothing wrong with trains and buses.

[mercurydraconix.livejournal.com]

Hey, as a semi-world traveller, I say: go everywhere.

Go alone if you like (I usually do) but be prepared for minor loneliness and the necessity of being friendly with, say, other people in hostels to get whatever your daily recommended dose of talking is.

I also might suggest going someplace other than Britain, or more specifically, someplace where the money isn't quite so strong. Speaking as somebody who was there Sept-Dec 2006, when it was only $1.80ish to the pound, everything over there was unbelievably expensive.

*coughs* Just a thought, since you mentioned (and I can resonate with) being perennially broke.

[truelyesoteric.livejournal.com]

I love love love travel. My advice, think about Prauge. England is so expensive that you will spend most of your time in museum gift shops because you can't afford to actually go in them. Prauge is cheep and really really cool. Also Budapest, but that is just me. I like Eastern Europe for some really bizzare reason. Once again I'm going to highlight the idea of CHEAP.

[fyrdrakken]

I highly recommend checking out Radical Travel -- the goddes and I took a Haggis Adventures tour of England, Wales, and Scotland a couple of years ago and are thinking of taking a Shamrocker tour of Ireland this spring. Cheap, they send you to youth hostels so it's more affordable, and they run you around to lots of historical destinations.