OT: If you could spend 2 month anyway you wanted... - YouLookFab Forum

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OT: If you could spend 2 month anyway you wanted...

JuliaInGermany

I have a question just for fun:

Let's say you could take a 2 months leave from your job and your significant other and/or children wouldn't have to work/go to school either. I'd pay you 50 % of your income and you'd be able to go back to your job after that 2 month period. Let's say your leave would start this time next year, so that would give you a whole year to make plans and save some money.

How would you spend the time? I'm very curious!

(Unfortunately this is only a hypothetical question and I cannot make this happen for any of you. Sorry. )

General

20 replies

Latest reply was from JuliaInGermany

rute

Veteran

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that's too bad!!!!

well.. I would have to choose to visit several european capital, I love the beach, but two months away from the stress and the city, well I couln't survive! I'm a big city girl, love people, the traffic and shopping

Sarah Baker

(website)

Let's see, assuming I have someone to care for my daughter (and I was 100% absolved of that guilty feeling of leaving her behind) I would hide out in a 1950s-style restored motel in Palm Springs, CA and write my books on Helen Kane and Ann Pennington. I wouldn't have to write any web content, take care of kids, or talk to anyone, so I could focus solely on my work without guilt. Then after 2 months I would reemerge and happily go back to my other responsibilities.

Dusty

(website)

Hmmm...I'd rent a nice big RV and see as many National Parks as possible. I've been to Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Rocky Mountain and Zion, but I could spend more time at all those places (especially Zion, we only had a couple of hours) and there are tons more I'd love to see! We'd probably fly out west and work our way home and then head east if we still had time (which I doubt).

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Oh no- I couldn't be away from my family for that long.

JuliaInGermany

Chewyspaghetti, you can take your family with you. So let's hear what you'd like to do.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

In that case- NYC! We'd rent a loft and take in all of the museums/sights/events/parks/shopping/theater. We would probably spend a month there, and then camp our way back to California.

marianna

Veteran

One of my most memorable and favorite vacations was in Lloret de Mar, Spain. It's a quaint European beach town, with great food, shopping, and a beautiful clean beach. I'd love to spend a few weeks there. I'd rent a lovely hotel room with a balcony overlooking the beach, and spend my days soaking up the sun, eating delicious Spanish food, and shopping with an unlimited budget.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloret_de_Mar

Next, I'd love to go to Russia and discover my roots. I want to see where my mom grew up!

Then I'd probably fly to Israel, again to discover my roots, and visit my half brother. Plus I've heard that Israeli food is outstanding...!

This is all under one condition: My puppies and fiance must be able to come with me!

Isabel

Veteran

Wow. I would love to go school and learn something totally bizarre that I have no use for, like Medieval Economics or something like that.

I also would love to spend time on the Azores ( to see my family ) and in Lisbon and Spain. Or do the National Parks.

Kate

Veteran

I would put a very tiny capsule wardrobe and some toiletries in my backpack, leave my computer and phone at home, and take my boyfriend to go travel! I actually don't care too much about where - I would be happy spending more time in eastern, central, and southern Europe, or Central and South America, or maybe some of Asia!

But there's no way I could do that on 50% of my current income!

taylor

Veteran

I couldn't leave my family for 2 months...or my significant other....but I would leave any job for 2 months and travel the Caribbean...different parts of Africa and certain parts of Asia. And maybe visit Rute in Portugal !!!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

How fun!

I'd take Greg, Jasmine and Rosie off to Hong Kong. And that would be that.

Marianna, were you at YLF when we did our Israeli posts?

elpgal

Veteran

I've been thinking about this one - there is a 'girl parts' surgery that I need and it takes 6-8 weeks for total recovery, so I'd probably do that. I wish I was hypothesizing.

Maya

Veteran

Since I have no income, 50% of my income is a problem...so I choose to ignore that...

My answer is boring and will put people off, but I'd get my reduction surgery. Right now the biggest issue is money, followed by timing.

As far as traveling goes, I'd like to go to Argentina, Hong Kong, visit my two South African moms, and see my friends and cousins in Australia and New Zealand. I'm not sure if that's doable in just two months...

marianna

Veteran

Angie, no I wasn't reading YLF yet when you went to Israel!

Theresa

(website)

Veteran

oh this is so easy for me! Not likely to happen cos 50% of my income is, well, nothing LOL

But, I would pack myself a bag, fly to Italy and spend the 2 months sitting in little cafes in smaller towns and regional areas sampling all the food and wine the areas can provide me with... maybe even hire a bike and take gentle rides through the countryside... have a little Italian Holiday romance...

Yes, I would probably need a crane to lift me back onto the plane after 2 full months enjoying every possible food and drink I could but by gosh it would be worth it!

anne

Veteran

Well I couldn't do much with 50% of my income either... but if we could disregard that,,
I'd go to England and visit the long list of places I want to see because they've been on TV or in books
Manchester - Elizabeth Gaskell's books
Lake District - Romantic poets and Arthur Ransome
Liverpool - Helen Forrester
Cornwall (or wherever Hardy's "Wessex" is)
Salisbury (from the book Salem or Sarum- can't remember its author)
The sort of place where they shoot Midsomer Murders
Hastings - from Foyle's war
And London - for so many reasons!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

How fun to hear everyone's different 2 month fantasies!

Marianna, we have very close Israeli friends who live in Tel Aviv. We were there again a year ago. Everyone needs to go to Israel. It's simply mesmerizing. Here are the blog posts:

http://youlookfab.com/2009/04/.....contrasts/

http://youlookfab.com/2009/05/.....-its-best/

http://youlookfab.com/2009/05/.....-or-basic/

Mac

Veteran

Ooooooh. I'd grab a girlfriend (assuming I had one who could go with me) and take a fabulous cooking class somewhere, like in an Argentinian vineyard, where I'd have the mornings free to swim and practice my Spanish and sleep in late, cooking and learning about wine all afternoon long, and eating what we prepared in the evenings.

Katiepea

(website)

Veteran

I couldn't go without my family, because I just adore them too much. However....

I was actually verrrrrrrrryyyy lucky in that my husband had long service leave and had annual leave owing and was able to take the equivalent of nine months leave, minimum 50% income after I had baby three. (I wasn't working at the time and we lived solely off his income.)

We ended up having around 3 months together full-time at home and spent very little financially at the time, preferring to focus on getting used to being a family of five (my eldest had just turned four when I had baby three and sadly my mum died just after Master three was born, so you can probably imagine why I was so grateful he was there to help!).

However..... after these three months of sitting at home together we got slightly bored. Most people would just go to the beach for a break..... but we got very adventurous and took the three kidlets over to England to visit my hubby's extended family (he is English/Aus dual citizen) and tour the country-side for six weeks. I reflect now and smile to myself how we were crazy enough to take three children under five on a 22 hour plane flight each way to England and then go traipsing all over the country-side!

After we returned it had been nearly five months together and I can say we were mutually ready for him to go back to work (he was getting in my way at this point ).

Looking back, it was the most amazing and special time (even if parts of it were hard emotionally).

Now of course, it is all back to the nitty-gritty of life - mortgage, bills, school, etc, etc. However, I'd do it again in a hearbeat if I could! If anyone gets the chance, GO FOR IT! I promise that you won't regret it.

JuliaInGermany

Those are great ideas, I love every single one of them.

Marianna, I didn't know that Lloret de Mar was such a nice place. I'd always imagined it to be a crowded little town with lots of night clubs where shallow hipsters went. Hehe. But your description sounds very nice.

Elpgal and Maya, I hope you can both get your surgeries done soon and that you'll recover very quickly. There are definitely more fun ways to spend ones time, but some things just have to happen. Best wishes!

Isabel and Mac, I love the idea of learning something new. And taking a cooking class sounds very delicious. hmmm.

For me, travelling Europe would be high on the list. We'd go by car and stop wherever it's beautiful. There are so many places I haven't visited yet and a lot I'd like to go to again. We went to Tuscany a few years ago and it was so, so nice. That would fit your bill, Theresa.
I'd also like to go to Japan (my husband once stayed there for 3 month), but I wouldn't want to do the flight with two small children. I think destinations like that have to wait a few more years.

Anne and Katiepea, I'm a big fan of England! I've spend lots of vacations there and since our daughter was born we went there 3 or 4 times. It's perfect if you want to combine sight seeing with relaxed family holidays. My husband and I would like to live there for a few years. He might be able to get a job at the London branch of the bank he is working for someday. So I'd also like to spend the 2 month in England and "pretend" to live there. It would be a nice opportunity to brush up our English before attempting to move there. I'd love to rent a little cottage with an old apple tree and a few chickens in the garden. You get the picture.

The nice part is that we might make this happen. In Germany every employee has the right to take parental leave from their job for up to 3 years and then return to their job no questions asked. There is even a government fund to pay part of the income for up to 12 or 14 months. My husband is considering taking off 2 months when our not-yet-born-but-dearly-and-daily-awaited son will turn one year old (our daughter will then be 3 1/2). We've not entirely made up our minds about it, but the thought is very, very nice. As I will stay home with the kids for a couple of years, that would give us the opportunity to get out of the rut and do something completely different to our everyday life. Probably the last chance before retirement.

Any more ideas? Keep them coming!