Wish #21: Book a holiday a week before departing

Why? Whilst in my final year of Uni, one of my friends went to Barcelona for a few days by herself.  I didn’t know about this until I saw the photos on Facebook and I asked her about it.  She said she saw a great deal for flights and hotels online, to depart in a week, and couldn’t resist the bargain.  At the time, it seemed utterly perplexing that she should want to go on a holiday by herself, and I was surprised to find that the prices were very reasonable so close to the departure date.  That friend, another friend and I then vowed that we’d take a holiday together somewhere sunny and warm before the end of our degrees and that we would book it a week before leaving.  From then onwards, I’ve wanted the thrill of booking something so spontaneously that went against my very particular and organised nature.

Gaudi's "La Sagrada Familia" in Barcelona. Heather's caption: "Taken at 6.30am after night out in Salsa club with too many tequilas and spanish guys called Pedro!"

My sister is 5 years older than I am, and when she graduated from the University of Sheffield, my mum took her on a long city break to Murcia.  This mother-daughter trip sounded great andalthough it was nice to hear about their holiday when they came home, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.  Still, I was promised a similar trip after I graduated, so I’ve always had that to look forward to.  So, when I graduated in summer 2009, we started thinking about where we could go.  The unspoken default was a European city break for four days, but Europe for some reason doesn’t excite me.  On family holidays we always went to southern France and rarely spent much time in cities when we got there, so a “city break” isn’t something I particularly desire.  It would be nice to spend my first one with my mum though, I thought.  Months later still no decision had been made; it had been put off, slung to the side to make way for more important chores with closer deadlines.  As summer 2009 drew to a speedy close and chilly winds and grey skies became the norm, I was excited by the prospect that my mum’s Seasonal Affectivity Disorder (near enough) would prompt her into hankering after some sunshine and warmth.

Of course, I was wrong… Instead, we’re heading to London in January.  Far from being the disappointment that this could be compared to my initial expectations, I’m rather looking forward to it.  We’re going to see Billy Elliot and then visit cousins (including two gorgeous children) that live nearby.  Other relatives also happen to be descending on London on the same weekend after flying in from San Francisco.  These are relatives that I will be staying with for ten days or so in July this year when I go travelling and, having not seen them since we last visited when I was 4, I’m very much relishing the prospect of spending time with family.  Relatives on my mother’s side are scattered across the globe and, whilst it’s great for taking advantage of any spare bedrooms on my travels, it means there’s very little family living in the UK.

I booked the West End show and rail tickets as well as the hotel in a fantastic package deal with www.show-and-stay.co.uk for the weekend of 23rd-24th January.  Okay, so I realise it’s not within a week of boarding the train but it’s near enough without getting poor theatre seats and really the extra days don’t matter when the thrill and excitement of visiting family is imminent.

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