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European ladies- how terrible are August vacations, really?
Back home, we've pretty much just taken vacations whenever air fares and our schedules were conducive to it. Here, it seems like DH's job pushes folks to take their vacation during the slow month of August and DD has the whole month off, too, since all the summer camps seem to wrap up by then. I work for myself, so can arrange things to be off in August if it makes sense.
We were talking about our travel plans with a group of French people yesterday and they were all so adamant that we should not schedule our vacation for August because places are crowded, expensive, etc. But the prospect of being stuck in the city with no air conditioning or ceiling fans when the rest of the city clears out seems not so great, either. So, give it to me straight. Should DH really push to take his vacation time in September and should I pull DD from school for that?
We were thinking of going to Corsica or Cypress, if that matters...
Re: European ladies- how terrible are August vacations, really?
Short of prison, I can't think of anywhere I'd less like to be than an Italian beach in August. And mind you, I love the beach and I like Italy a great deal.
The crowds are insane b/c literally every IT takes vacation 15-31 Aug.
I would suspect Corsica will be very similar. If you have to go in Aug, I'd try to go the first two weeks, it'll still be crowded, but slightly (emphasis of slightly) less so.
Sorry, don't mean to be negative, but giving it to you straight, everyone here vacations in Aug. Stores, restaurants, and even hotels just close, and I'm not just talking Naples, that's nationwide.
Used to live in Gaeta, Italy, an Italian beach vacation central for August. Town went from 30k to 80-100k for the month. Craziness! And not much in the way of a/c. Fabulous food because so much produce is in season (like a-freaking-mazing) but at the restaurants it's al fresco dining in whatever temperature and humidity combo the evening was blessed with.
Travel in Aug is doable but you have to accept the crazy. Crazy crowds in some places or crazy dead in others, crazy prices, crazy tour groups getting in you way everywhere, crazy hot, some crazy stink depending on the hygiene of others, but some crazy good times as well. There are reasons why people vacation during that time. Food, weather, warm water, sunshine, lots of festivals, and more places open and available to explore.
It sounds like you are set on the beach, but I thought I'd add that I did a trip to Switzerland last year in late August/early September, and found the crowds manageable.
Ugh, European beaches in August
Would you consider spring in S. America? Buenos Aires, etc. If you get lucky, it might be warm enough in Punta del Este (Uruguay) for a swim...
Or use this time to go home and visit the family?
We're not planning on going home while we're here since DH's job stint is only for a year. And we just did BA last March.
I guess we'll either move the beach vacation plans up to July or back to September, if DH can take the time off.
Good idea, most countries in Europe clear out during August, I know in lux they have "collective holidays" so the whole company closes down and everyone goes on vacation! NOTHING happens during that month. I was so excited last year because DH's company did away with the "collective holiday" and we are now free to go away when we want
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Here in the south, August is horrible. The beaches are crowded.
I have found that near Beziers/Montpellier it is a bit less crowded and the beaches are more natural. Just avoid travelling on the weekend of the 15th, crazy traffic everywhere!
If you can, try to do June or September. Double check with your DD's school though. I know in NL it's against the law to take kids out of school for a better vacation time or something fun. They only allow that in very special circumstances and parents get hefty fines (like 100 euros a day) if they just take them out because it's more convenient.
I suspect that's just Dutch craziness, but I would definitely double check to make sure you don't come home to an unpleasant and costly surprise.
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Eating our way through (northern) Italy on vacation
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home DI'm going to have to agree with staying away from beaches. Everywhere is crowded in August, but the beaches are unbearable.
My personal rec would be the Baltics. I went there in August and, while crowded, it was much more chill than being farther south. Just don't plan on it being a beach vacation. I went to the beach in Parnu, Estonia and it was rockier than Nice. The Finns loved it though
Wow!
DD is in a private school right now and I've already talked to them about taking her out when grandparents are visiting, etc., so I know there wouldn't be any fines attached or problems. It's just her adjustment to a new school year I would be concerned about. I think it would kind of suuuck to start school after the other kids have, but maybe not so much if it means having fun with her parents in Corsica instead.
The Baltics could be nice too. DH grew up in Stralsund, Germany and we went in February (brrr). But I recently saw pictures of it in the summer. Wow, it was beautiful looking. He has fond memories of the beach. It could be crowded in August but not nearly as bad as the down in Italy. I know there are tons of places to rent in the area too. We rented a nice apartment in the city since we went in winter but there are place by the beach too.
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Norway is open and uncrowded. Everyone here takes their summer holiday in July. And as for other Europeans invading, the tourism season in the western fjords actually ends in mid-August.
haha. I assume this was supposed to be "shut"? Such a dirty word. Bad Publius. ;-)
So far DH and I have never gone on vacation in August. Well, once we went at the very end of August, like Aug 31-Sept 16 or something like that. I'd also recommend it if you want to go to a beach. We've also done stay-cations which were kind of nice in our town because all the university students were gone, almost all of the stores were still open, and the restaurants and bars weren't full.
LOL! This is what happens when I post from my iPhone.
Thanks for the input, everyone! If DH is forced to take his vacation in August, Mozambique has been on our list for a while and I think it's the dry season down there in August. I just wrote to my friend who lives there to double check. In the meantime, DH is trying to play it cool at work and not be the new guy who asks 1 month into the job if it's okay to take vacation during non-slow business months...
ETA: I also just ordered a detailed guide book for France to see if there are any non-beach/non-super-tourist towns/areas we could visit in Aug.