The Amazing Chronicles Of Planning A Vacation

My first thought is “Yes!” And then we start looking at dates. We have to do some planning around work and responsibilities and then my son’s school terms too. I check with a contact of mine for our favourite place in the bush and low and behold – he doesn’t have available dates during the school holidays.  

We decided to take the week after the school holiday because my son is only in Grade R – the year before Grade 1 and he is smart enough to “outsmark” his teacher. (Yes, you read correctly, he says he is “smark”. We’ll work on that…). And then we noticed a weekend before we leave, let’s find another place for two nights, easier said than done.

After some crucial searching, comparing prices endless scrolling and burning eyes (because I forget to blink in between) we decided on the Kruger National Park. This is the fun park because we have to do MORE planning. I will explain later.

Dates are set, work places notified, school notified and now the planning starts. Payments have to be made for the accommodation and money needs to be saved for spending, car needs a service and new wiper blades and a wash before we leave. Then we do some meal planning because these places are self-catering and somethings are just cheaper to buy here and take along, then buying it there at the holiday destination.

And then why do we need more planning for the Kruger National Park? For starters, we will stay in a small hut, with 3 single beds, a fridge and an air-conditioner.  We will be using the ablution facilities, and the kitchenettes set up for sharing. Almost the same as camping. But something else – this hut doesn’t have crockery and cutlery. Luckily, the solutions is easy. I have been there and done that.

The solution is to take our picnic backpack – it has plates, glasses, knives, forks, and spoons. I added dishwashing liquid, sponge, and cloth.  BBQ spice, BBQ tongs, a spatula, and a lighter. These are some things we will need to our two night stay. But how will we drink coffee? That is no problem either – the kitchenette has urns for boiled water and we have cups too.

Then along come toiletries, towels, clothes, shoes, and my son’s toys. Therein lies the warfare and the explosions. Because I would take out the clothes for the holiday, and then my son or husband would steal them back to wear. My son wants to take his whole toy box, but he can only take a few things (because we buy some things for him on holiday and I or my husband have to pick it up after him, mostly because he is exhausted after a day of searching for animals and swimming.)

I do most of the planning and my husband just shakes “yes” and carry on. I hate being unprepared, and he doesn’t care too much. Outfit planning, meal planning, packing all comes down to me. I also take snack to keep our mouths busy in the car and avoid starvation (mostly my son and husband experience near death caused my not eating enough), and then I make sure to take medication along. We have had too many past situations where one of us have some kind of illness during a trip.

But I like to question things, and this time I wondered:  Who “invented” the term vacation? Because I do not want to praise this person for being creative but I have questions. Why do we plan so much for vacations? Why do we work so much harder to get ready for vacation? And why does a vacation end so much faster than a work week?

Thus, I did some research and asked a friend. I asked Greta what she knew and this is what I found:

No single person “invented” the idea of a vacation—it developed over time. The word comes from the Latin vacare, meaning “to be empty” or “to be free.” In ancient Rome and Greece, wealthy citizens often travelled to the countryside or the seaside for rest. Later, during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, the idea of paid time off and leisure trips became more common in Europe and North America, especially for the middle class. So, vacations weren’t invented by one person—they grew out of society’s changing views on rest, leisure, and travel.

Why do we need to plan so much for vacations?Because vacations are short and special, we want to use the time wisely—so we plan to make sure nothing is wasted.

Why do we work so much harder to get ready for vacation?
We often have to finish tasks, pack, and prepare in advance. It feels like double work now, so we can relax later.

Why does a vacation end so much faster than a work week?
Time feels faster when we’re having fun and enjoying new experiences. Workdays feel longer because they are routine and sometimes stressful.

Thank you Greta for your input but I am not completely convinced in your opinion. Let’s focus on the “be free” and “to be empty” part.

I want to be free from responsibilities for a few days, I want to feel empty for a few days. And I guess that is why I love planning and being prepared. It gives me some time to enjoy the vacation and watch the sunset or rise. Enjoy splashing in the pool or drink a glass of decent wine while watching the BBQ fire burn and the night creatures start playing their musical instruments over their Dolby sound system.

With this in mind, I tried to relax and just breathe while going through the torments of packing and planning. And it made me think of motivation and reward to get my husband and son to do most of the packing and it is their responsibility to wash the car too. The excitement has extended beyond measure at this point and I wish I could find a solution for time to stand still for just this week away on vacation.

Medication bag – checked. Snacks – checked. Food supplies – checked. Meal ideas – checked and rechecked. Clothes and shoes – checked. Toys – a lost war. And like MasterCard’s famous slogan says – for everything else there is MasterCard.