Summer 2018
I know there are some (probably many) out there who might think the weather has been too hot recently, but I love it. I was definitely not born to wear socks but normally I’ll be in them to keep my feet warm. But this summer I haven’t needed to wear them, my flip-flops have never been used so much. I’ve been able to work in my office with my patio door fully open (and yes, I wished at times I could be enjoying the sunshine outside but at least it’s been there to enjoy!) A couple of times when it really has been too hot, I’ve taken my laptop outside and sat under the apple tree at the table working away (sunglasses made the screen just about manageable).
It’s been a crazy few weeks with work. During the World Cup it went very quiet, in fact the whole first couple of weeks in July were the quietest I’ve known in July for a good few years. It generally is the case during the World Cup and Olympics that things quieten off a bit but this year I think with the fantastic weather too it was particularly quiet. But something happened on Monday 16th July (no idea what!) and things went crazy. Absolutely crazy! I’ve been working a few 12-hour days to keep up and it hasn’t really let up for 3 weeks. I’m not complaining of course, when you are self-employed busy is good and I love it!
So, what have I been booking? A bit of everything really. I’d say probably equally split with late holidays up until September/October time (there is still availability and some good deals to be had) and 2019 bookings. The furthest booking in advance that I’ve done to date is for October 2019 and we have lots on sale that we can book that far in advance, it’s a great way to budget and gives you much longer to pay it off. Generally, it’s long haul that gets booked in advance, so it’s been places like Florida, Maldives, cruises, Thailand and honeymoons. For the late holidays Greece has been super popular – they have some amazing 5* hotels now but also, they are offering good value at the lower end of the market too and flight prices aren’t too high like they have been in previous years. Mainland Spain for me has dropped off a little but the Balearics has picked up – particularly Majorca and Ibiza. It’s been a real mixture.
It’s been a juggle with the kids off (there are advantages and disadvantages to being self-employed and working from home!) but this sunshine has certainly helped. I’m lucky my hubby works shifts so he’s been at home some days which has enabled me to work full days and I’m lucky to have parents and in-laws locally who have loved having the kids a couple of days a week too. We took our main holiday in May so don’t have any holidays planned for the summer – normally I’d mind but this year I haven’t, if we had summers like this every year I’d be happy to stay at home. We’ve visited a few beaches locally already and I’m sure we’ll visit more if the weather continues. We have a few days out planned still to come – we’re off to France for the day next week and we have a Travel Counsellors Kids day at Go Ape the week after. I’m sure they’ll be more late nights and weekend working in order to keep up, but rest assured I’m still managing to get back to everyone in a timely manner. I love the buzz of summer and school holidays, the madness and the crazy juggling, the lazy mornings and later evenings but I’m sure by the end of the holidays I’ll be glad to get back to more of a routine.
Do get in touch if you are looking to go away, I’d love to help. If you aren't looking to go away just yet but want to stay in touch, please like my Facebook page which is updated daily - www.facebook.com/VickyDyerTC. In the meantime, enjoy the sunshine, long may it continue, and I hope to speak to you soon!