Not sure why I started thinking about this, but now I am curious.
My background - Yes, I am single, and usually am. I'm early thirties; I have a higher degree which I graduated around 7 years ago. In those 7 years, I've had... 5 1/2 jobs (some temp work) due to economy based layoffs. (Turns out my field is more susceptible to this than expected.)
I don't think I've ever really took a vacation in my adult life. No, I am not counting like.. holiday weeks off with family or friends, for example.
My boss keeps pressuring me to take one and it should take up some actual amount of time, not just using a day here or there. Something about it's a process to reset one's self and somesuch.
But I can't think of what (as a single person) I would want to do. What's the point? Aren't vacations a group thing? Both for cost - time - and social aspects?
Most of my friends are couples and/or married, so going with friends is not an option. I don't have any desire to go with family.
So, I know this is a Magic forum so my responses will be slanted, but any thoughts? If you are single, what do you do? What might be vacation ideas for single people?
Eh, I think cost would be the biggest problem, but then again, if you're going by yourself, it might actually be less costly. Who knows?
There are a lot of things you could do by yourself. Is there anywhere you've particularly wanted to go or see or do? Go and see and do it and have fun!
You could always just take a "staycation" and just stay home and give yourself some time to be lazy. Catch up on whatever shows you like, if you like that. Start/finish a book. It's really up to you.
Honestly, you've got more freedom, because it's just for you, you can basically, at least in theory, just go do whatever you want.
I've known single people to go on cruises or the like just to get away and relax without all the hassle of actually planning a trip. Plus, they tend to provide social interaction for you (just make sure you don't pick a family or couples cruise).
Going to a theme park or whatnot can also be fun, especially if you're alone as a 'single rider', you get on a lot of rides much more quickly.
And of course, there is always the good old-fashioned stay-cation. Get all that crap you've been meaning to do done.
It's actually much more cost-effective to go on vacation by yourself (or with someone who you don't mind sharing a bed with), because don't forget that unless you're traveling by car and staying in the same room, all the costs multiply by the number of people who are there.
I've gone on vacations when I was single. It can be much more affordable than going with others. Even if it was a staycation where I just take a couple days off during the week to give me a 5 day video game marathon or something like that, it's pretty enjoyable. Pick a location, go there and explore for some time. Find something you want to do out of town, take a vacation around it. I've made vacations out of concerts that happened out of town that turned out really fun. It does help refresh your mind and body. Just be careful, if you're not in a position where there's a lot of redundancy, it means that you'll probably come back from vacation and have to work twice as hard to make up for the time you took.
Round about 2007 I went on vacation to Los Vegas with my girlfriend at the time. She wanted to take a few days to visit friends in Utah, but because of her friend’s strict Mormon beliefs, she felt extremely uncomfortable about bringing me with her to visit her friends. So, I had a few days by myself in Los Vegas.
It was awesome. I can honestly say that exploring Los Vegas by myself was one of the best vacations I ever had. If you like to gamble, you can sit down at a table and not worry about anyone else’s schedule. You can pay for a single ticket to any show you want. It’s a lot of fun.
Subbing this to get ideas for myself. OP and I have the same exact situation. One piece of advice which I've actually taken to heart is, "if you're worried about going to a concert, cruise, or some other event by yourself, go and do it anyway. There are people already there with similar interests as yours and you might just make a new friend."
Heck yes single people go on vacations. It's great going alone because you get to pick everywhere you go, what you eat, and how late to stay out. Also, you can go on a "camp" style vacation, like a survivalist retreat, without anyone there preventing you from engaging in romance or holding you back from doing something cool because of their own issues.
I don't really consider them vacations but I travel alone to a lot of anime conventions. Its pretty relaxing since I get away from my town, see something new and meet new people for an entire weekend. My schedule just depends on how tired I am and its not terribly expensive.
There's a lot of "vacations" I'd probably take if I were single.
-Large Magic events like GPs outside of my immediate city
-Concerts/festivals, especially overseas ones like Wave Gottik Treffen and M'era Luna
-Conventions like DragonCon, GenCon, or some of the bigger ComicCons
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When I was single my vacations were camping, Canada fishing and hunting, Gambling get a ways. After getting married and having kids those type things became too expensive. my vacations became the long weekend things with the family.
Single people probably take more vacations. Easier to budget and plan and coordinate with just one. I here the magic cruise is a fun time. Just do something that strikes our fancy and don't worry about whether it's good enough or right.
As a working professional, absolutely I agree with your boss and you should go on a vacation! At minimum 1 week but 2 is great if you can. Don't do a staycation! Since it doesn't seem like you travel much, a staycation would be kinda a waste. If you really love MTG, you can always plan your vacation around a GP. I am planning on a vacation to japan this summer, and it just so happens there is a GP in Kobe during my stay, so I figure, why not? Not the reason I'm going, but it seems like a fun thing to do.
As a single person, it is much easier to move around, go where you want, even stay in room shares for less cost (and company). It's also far cheaper. You are more likely to chat up the locals as well, going with someone you'd end up talking with just that person the whole time.
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"I have seen the true path. I will not warm myself by the fire—I will become the flame."
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I'm single, and I go see friends that don't live where I do or spend time at the beach or theme parks or whatever. Sometimes I just take time to myself.
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I am unsure of how many of you can seem to go on vacation somewhat regularly. Maybe my idea of a vacation is a bit different, not sure.
But I live in San Diego and am single and the idea of taking a vacation is tiresome. I don't have someone I get to split my rent and other bills with while having 2 sources of income pooling for expenses. I am fortunate to have been able to go on a "vacation" back home to see my family for about 2 months, but it would not be possible for me to take a vacation where I had expenses of my own while on vacation, such as hotel expenses, any tickets to events, and so on. It is just too much.
But then again, maybe my Idea of a vacation is different than other peoples. Things like a cruise, a backpacking trips in Europe, or South America are what i would consider a vacation and being single does not allow me that luxury. Maybe if I had roommates it would change a lot. I take fairly frequent trips, but hardly anything I would chalk up to a vacation.
I am unsure of how many of you can seem to go on vacation somewhat regularly. Maybe my idea of a vacation is a bit different, not sure.
I have the unfortunate luck of being legally disabled due to cancer so it has allowed me more freedom than I could ever wish for. To be honest its probably the best thing to ever happen to me which is something you would never hear from another. If it wasn't for that I would never have found my love for cosplay and it wouldn't have allowed me to go on these convention vacations so frequently. My cosplay has started to get some attention in the community and if it weren't for the cancer I would never have met several animators and event/community managers for Riot Games and create meaningful relations that could potentially open up some pretty big career opportunities once I am able to work again.
Of course, cosplay has also taught me a ton of off-the-wall skills I never expected to learn while working such as sewing, prop-making, thermoforming, woodcutting, hair styling, makeup...Yes guys can use makeup to accentuate certain features of a character if needed. Its done all the time in theater, before anyone asks lol.
But then again, maybe my Idea of a vacation is different than other peoples. Things like a cruise, a backpacking trips in Europe, or South America are what i would consider a vacation and being single does not allow me that luxury. Maybe if I had roommates it would change a lot. I take fairly frequent trips, but hardly anything I would chalk up to a vacation.
Of the things you mentioned, going on a cruise is actually fairly cheap for a vacation. If you go during an off-peak time (try one or two weeks after school starts up for the year!) the rates are low. You can go on a 5 day cruise for under $1000, leaving you only having to pay for travel to/from and possible accommodations the night before.
Of course, once on the cruise other things cost money, but if all you want to do is sit in a chair in tropical weather and read a book and relax, without having to worry about food, getting back to yoru room, etc. Cruise is a great way to go.
But then again, maybe my Idea of a vacation is different than other peoples. Things like a cruise, a backpacking trips in Europe, or South America are what i would consider a vacation and being single does not allow me that luxury. Maybe if I had roommates it would change a lot. I take fairly frequent trips, but hardly anything I would chalk up to a vacation.
Of the things you mentioned, going on a cruise is actually fairly cheap for a vacation. If you go during an off-peak time (try one or two weeks after school starts up for the year!) the rates are low. You can go on a 5 day cruise for under $1000, leaving you only having to pay for travel to/from and possible accommodations the night before.
Of course, once on the cruise other things cost money, but if all you want to do is sit in a chair in tropical weather and read a book and relax, without having to worry about food, getting back to yoru room, etc. Cruise is a great way to go.
I clearly think about expenses much differently I guess.
For me, I also add how much of my income will be missing during the time I would be on vacation - so the price of a cruise is not just the price of a cruise it is also a weeks income if I am gone for 5 days because while I am on vacation, the world isn't going to stop turning and my bills will continue to accumulate as if I was not on vacation.
I guess if I really wanted to do it, a vacation is not impossible. But I am a pretty routine guy and my disposable income generally goes elsewhere or towards longer lasting things and it is just how it has always been. I go on trips, but they are things like backpacking trips to familiar places in the Rockies, or I go see family for a couple days in NoCal or something like that. Nothing I personally think as a vacation.
The big part of a vacation I get hung up on, is the expenses while I am on vacation that accumulate back home and wherever my destination would be. It just doesn't seam reasonable to go to Europe for a couple weeks. I could probably learn to throttle expenses a bit more efficiently and this would be a non issue I guess.
Hey all, thanks for all your responses and moreover... thanks for not making fun of me. #firstworldproblems amirite?
I might go camping actually. Although since I own no equipment and haven't camped in about 20 years, I might look into a cabin for a few days. Hiking some scenic trails, taking photos, making a campfire and enjoying some non-city living sounds fun and a cabin would at least provide the basics (water, shelter, etc.)
About 4 hours away is a high school friend that I haven't seen in years that has been bugging me to visit is another option. He would give me an intro into geocaching!
Traveling alone is quite nice because you get to experience and do everything you want without thinking about anyone. travelling through the world WITH AMERICAN DOLLARS and an AMERICAN PASSPORT must be x10 better.
go to travel, backpack if you like. having dollars will open lots of doors for you
getting foreign currency here in argentina is very tough (usually you have to recur to black markets) and even if you have the money you have to tramit visas in order to be allowed to enter some countries, like Spain, USA or most of the EU, so I'm very jelly of you.
Honestly? yeah, I go on vacations alone. But, I only go somewhere that I actually want to go, i.e. somewhere relevant to my interests.
Went to Greece over the last couple of weeks, and went backpacking. fun times.
Met some really nice people, who honestly laughed at my Greek (studied Biblical Greek, so there's that.)
Of course, (and this is super happy fun time for me) I was in scouting as a kid, but my dad didn't like our scoutmaster. like, at all. so, instead of me going on the camping trips and whatnot, my dad would send me to a country to earn "merit badges" (essentially life skills and the history of where he sent me.) This is where I get my fascination with history from. it had been a curiosity before, but when your THERE, actually where these things happened, you get a more real sense of it. (dad was a big shot financial broker, so he could afford things like that. lol.)
So, I learned about the Tudors and William the Conqueror in London, the Celtic traditions and history of Ireland, the French Revolution and Napoleonic Era in France, and the cuisine of Taipei.
Although, everything after I turned 18 I had to earn myself, so my trip to Greece and Hawaii I paid for.
But still, those trips were some of the best times of my life. So, if you can, definitely take a vacation.
When I was single I do not think I even did anything beyond a 3 day weekend out of town. Now, looking back, I regret that since it would have been a lot cheaper to take trips when I was by myself (and before I had things like a mortgage to have to deal with).
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My background - Yes, I am single, and usually am. I'm early thirties; I have a higher degree which I graduated around 7 years ago. In those 7 years, I've had... 5 1/2 jobs (some temp work) due to economy based layoffs. (Turns out my field is more susceptible to this than expected.)
I don't think I've ever really took a vacation in my adult life. No, I am not counting like.. holiday weeks off with family or friends, for example.
My boss keeps pressuring me to take one and it should take up some actual amount of time, not just using a day here or there. Something about it's a process to reset one's self and somesuch.
But I can't think of what (as a single person) I would want to do. What's the point? Aren't vacations a group thing? Both for cost - time - and social aspects?
Most of my friends are couples and/or married, so going with friends is not an option. I don't have any desire to go with family.
So, I know this is a Magic forum so my responses will be slanted, but any thoughts? If you are single, what do you do? What might be vacation ideas for single people?
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=4557651&postcount=1
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There are a lot of things you could do by yourself. Is there anywhere you've particularly wanted to go or see or do? Go and see and do it and have fun!
You could always just take a "staycation" and just stay home and give yourself some time to be lazy. Catch up on whatever shows you like, if you like that. Start/finish a book. It's really up to you.
Honestly, you've got more freedom, because it's just for you, you can basically, at least in theory, just go do whatever you want.
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The Niagara Falls is amazing regardless of whether you go alone or with other people.
Visiting museums or theme parks are a lot more fun if you go alone- You can move at your own schedule.
Going to a theme park or whatnot can also be fun, especially if you're alone as a 'single rider', you get on a lot of rides much more quickly.
And of course, there is always the good old-fashioned stay-cation. Get all that crap you've been meaning to do done.
It's actually much more cost-effective to go on vacation by yourself (or with someone who you don't mind sharing a bed with), because don't forget that unless you're traveling by car and staying in the same room, all the costs multiply by the number of people who are there.
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It was awesome. I can honestly say that exploring Los Vegas by myself was one of the best vacations I ever had. If you like to gamble, you can sit down at a table and not worry about anyone else’s schedule. You can pay for a single ticket to any show you want. It’s a lot of fun.
-Large Magic events like GPs outside of my immediate city
-Concerts/festivals, especially overseas ones like Wave Gottik Treffen and M'era Luna
-Conventions like DragonCon, GenCon, or some of the bigger ComicCons
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As a single person, it is much easier to move around, go where you want, even stay in room shares for less cost (and company). It's also far cheaper. You are more likely to chat up the locals as well, going with someone you'd end up talking with just that person the whole time.
—Lim-Dûl, the Necromancer
It's nice.
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But I live in San Diego and am single and the idea of taking a vacation is tiresome. I don't have someone I get to split my rent and other bills with while having 2 sources of income pooling for expenses. I am fortunate to have been able to go on a "vacation" back home to see my family for about 2 months, but it would not be possible for me to take a vacation where I had expenses of my own while on vacation, such as hotel expenses, any tickets to events, and so on. It is just too much.
But then again, maybe my Idea of a vacation is different than other peoples. Things like a cruise, a backpacking trips in Europe, or South America are what i would consider a vacation and being single does not allow me that luxury. Maybe if I had roommates it would change a lot. I take fairly frequent trips, but hardly anything I would chalk up to a vacation.
I have the unfortunate luck of being legally disabled due to cancer so it has allowed me more freedom than I could ever wish for. To be honest its probably the best thing to ever happen to me which is something you would never hear from another. If it wasn't for that I would never have found my love for cosplay and it wouldn't have allowed me to go on these convention vacations so frequently. My cosplay has started to get some attention in the community and if it weren't for the cancer I would never have met several animators and event/community managers for Riot Games and create meaningful relations that could potentially open up some pretty big career opportunities once I am able to work again.
Of course, cosplay has also taught me a ton of off-the-wall skills I never expected to learn while working such as sewing, prop-making, thermoforming, woodcutting, hair styling, makeup...Yes guys can use makeup to accentuate certain features of a character if needed. Its done all the time in theater, before anyone asks lol.
Of the things you mentioned, going on a cruise is actually fairly cheap for a vacation. If you go during an off-peak time (try one or two weeks after school starts up for the year!) the rates are low. You can go on a 5 day cruise for under $1000, leaving you only having to pay for travel to/from and possible accommodations the night before.
Of course, once on the cruise other things cost money, but if all you want to do is sit in a chair in tropical weather and read a book and relax, without having to worry about food, getting back to yoru room, etc. Cruise is a great way to go.
I clearly think about expenses much differently I guess.
For me, I also add how much of my income will be missing during the time I would be on vacation - so the price of a cruise is not just the price of a cruise it is also a weeks income if I am gone for 5 days because while I am on vacation, the world isn't going to stop turning and my bills will continue to accumulate as if I was not on vacation.
I guess if I really wanted to do it, a vacation is not impossible. But I am a pretty routine guy and my disposable income generally goes elsewhere or towards longer lasting things and it is just how it has always been. I go on trips, but they are things like backpacking trips to familiar places in the Rockies, or I go see family for a couple days in NoCal or something like that. Nothing I personally think as a vacation.
The big part of a vacation I get hung up on, is the expenses while I am on vacation that accumulate back home and wherever my destination would be. It just doesn't seam reasonable to go to Europe for a couple weeks. I could probably learn to throttle expenses a bit more efficiently and this would be a non issue I guess.
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I might go camping actually. Although since I own no equipment and haven't camped in about 20 years, I might look into a cabin for a few days. Hiking some scenic trails, taking photos, making a campfire and enjoying some non-city living sounds fun and a cabin would at least provide the basics (water, shelter, etc.)
About 4 hours away is a high school friend that I haven't seen in years that has been bugging me to visit is another option. He would give me an intro into geocaching!
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=4557651&postcount=1
TheWarden's Creative Commons Music Pick Project (Retired):
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=336498
go to travel, backpack if you like. having dollars will open lots of doors for you
getting foreign currency here in argentina is very tough (usually you have to recur to black markets) and even if you have the money you have to tramit visas in order to be allowed to enter some countries, like Spain, USA or most of the EU, so I'm very jelly of you.
Went to Greece over the last couple of weeks, and went backpacking. fun times.
Met some really nice people, who honestly laughed at my Greek (studied Biblical Greek, so there's that.)
Of course, (and this is super happy fun time for me) I was in scouting as a kid, but my dad didn't like our scoutmaster. like, at all. so, instead of me going on the camping trips and whatnot, my dad would send me to a country to earn "merit badges" (essentially life skills and the history of where he sent me.) This is where I get my fascination with history from. it had been a curiosity before, but when your THERE, actually where these things happened, you get a more real sense of it. (dad was a big shot financial broker, so he could afford things like that. lol.)
So, I learned about the Tudors and William the Conqueror in London, the Celtic traditions and history of Ireland, the French Revolution and Napoleonic Era in France, and the cuisine of Taipei.
Although, everything after I turned 18 I had to earn myself, so my trip to Greece and Hawaii I paid for.
But still, those trips were some of the best times of my life. So, if you can, definitely take a vacation.
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I will always firmly stand by the belief that Magic is a game first and a collectable second.