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Pleasure trip?

Packing in too much into your holiday?

Aren't vacations supposed to be fun? Well then, why do we see people dragging themselves back to their desks, looking like they've just run the marathon?

Of course, having spent that kind of money, not to mention time on a holiday, nobody is going to admit that they had anything but a `great trip'; but the very fact that they need a break to recover from the rigours of a holiday clearly proves that it wasn't much of one.

A holiday, by definition, is a `leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure.' Which it certainly was, several decades ago. That was when people took off to their `native place' and did precious little besides take a dip in the river, walk along rice-fields or visit temples.

This was before packaged or time-share holidays took the world by storm; back then, only fishermen went on catamarans and nobody in their right minds would've paid good money to rise before the sun to spot bison!

Uncomplicated holidays

Granted, holidays years ago were rather unexciting and unorganised; but then, it was also uncomplicated; and when people came back from their vacation, they actually looked rested.

Then, everything became modern. Annual or bi-annual holidays to some `interesting' location typically called for planning. Any decent holiday required weeks, maybe months of preparation; there were destinations to be decided, tickets to be booked, visas to be arranged and one had to research about the place.

So, vacations devolved into rush-rush affairs, from one famous monument to the next, looking, clicking, mentally ticking off the list of "1001 things to see/do before I die."

Not surprising, the most popular holiday destinations today are often the ones where there are plenty of things `to do.' Walking trails, cycling, pedal-boating and trekking up near-impossible slopes.

The mushrooming resorts too, for their part, offer several exciting options — kids clubs, in-house spas, excursions, indoor games and outdoor games. Honestly, with so much to do, how ever does one find a few moments to relax?

Now, if time is one factor, money is the other. To maximise on both are the trendy `see 15 countries in 13 days' kind of holidays. Herded from coach to cable car, across borders and time zones, one typically gets back feeling slightly dazed.

Really, doesn't it all get you wondering — what's wrong with going somewhere and doing nothing.

How about escaping from your daily grind and heading off someplace? Watch the sun set, count waves, figure out cloud patterns and do so many things, none of which can be found in the `1001 things to see/do' agenda? Why don't you give it a try?

APARNA KARTHIKEYAN

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