Who's booked their summer trip home?

[DeliveredByKiki]

I go home annually with the DC (DH would prefer not to go every year but circumstances have meant this will be the third year in a row he will do) - booked our tickets a few weeks ago

I'm excited and pleased but sometimes I just wish I could spend that $5000 on going somewhere exotic and traveling - there's no way I won't go home once a year, but, well - it's expensive being an expat (particularly with school aged children)

I do spend the money on going somewhere else! Haven't been 'home' in over 8 years, but have been an expat for over 20 years so it's not really home anymore and my kids have never lived there.
Prefer to pay for grandparents to come to us - it's cheaper too!

We go home about every two years but add a 'side trip' from the UK! This time it's Italy. Canada has no decent, cheap, interesting, close places to go so it's hard. Unlike you, Shanghai! Spoiled for choice!

We haven't booked our actual flights yet but our trip home this year will be the ultimate trip home - we are moving back for good! 20 years abroad, 13 of them in the UK.

Kiki one of the things I am looking forward to is not having to spend all school holidays and annual leave on coming "home" / visiting grandparents. I've got lots of plans for lots of exotic vacations!

Booked it at the end of last year, a week in July with each side of the family is enough, might also leave the kids with grandma and shoot off to a wedding we've been invited to in France.

Bring your toque!

MrsTP not to mention hockey sticks, skates and skis. Cannot bloody wait to have a proper winter.

I haven't been back to the UK for a couple of years. The two older ones went by themselves last summer/winter and I will go with the two little ones just after christmas (which is our summer). We have two visitors coming from the UK in July so I have yet to really think about my UK trip. We are lucky in that DH has discovered he can take contracts with his old work and if we time it well these can be in the school holidays when I am off work. This year it was Angola and we decided it was best for him to go alone but I've got my fingers crossed he gets offered the next one in Japan or OZ.

We are booked up for a couple of UK weeks this summer. I am thrilled to say we got them on air miles from my husbands horrible frequent flying job. So there's that benefit.

I don't think of it as "home" any more either but I think my son does, even though he was tiny and still in nappies when we left it!

I haven't been home in 5.5yrs . No holiday at all for us this year (unemployed for 11mths) not sure how I'm going to fill the 3mth summer hols.

No trip back to UK for us this year thank goodness.
Went back for 3 weeks in September last year with a 4 year old and 18 month old. We had a lovely lovely time.

But I feel like I spend my life holidaying in the Uk and splitting time between London and Scotland and I'm missing out on so many other holidays, relaxing times with my DH and my boys. Coming back to uk it isn't a restful holiday.

Next time we're heading back will be June/July next year and that's because we each have separate weddings to go to. I would like at least a couple of elyears to go by before I have to see the inside of LHR again (as much as I love it...)

I am saving spending the long summer hols in the UK until the DC's are older AND we have a vacant property of our own to stay in. Last few summers we have gone to Thailand , cheaply rented a villa and had a wonderful time. Doing it all over again this year .12 weeks to go !

We booked last week. Dh is from the UK, I am from NA and we live in Asia. We alternate going back in the summer and this year we are going to my home.
Dd1 was born there and we keep in touch with some old friends, so she is really excited. Dd2 was born overseas but wants to do everything dd1 does, so she is excited too.

Habibi where do you go? We are moving to Thailand after our summer trip and am looking for places where we can cheaply rent villas.

Ugh it's so hard, I would love to have a year off and go somewhere else but I would endure serious emotional guilt tripping from DM, and I do really want to see my friends even if it's only for a few hours - and I want DC to keep feeling connected to the UK.

Maybe next year we'll do a Christmas trip to free up the summer hols to explore the US a bit more instead

Alligatorpie
We have always gone to Phuket as it's off season in July/August . Each time it's with different agents/owners but consistently wowed by properties v price. Considerably cheaper to ditch beach and seaview places and opt for a villa with a pool still in walking distance of the sea. Never thought I would go to the same island 3 years running but it's worked so well with little children + we have been joined by family and friends for part of our stay.

Hell yes. I'm not spending a day longer here in 40c+ heat and sand storms than I have to. Local paper is forecasting a hot summer, with temperature rising above 50C .
So, DH coming back with us for a few weeks, then just me and kids for a month.
DH gets a silly holiday allowance, so we are using the summer for UK, and Easter /Christmas for a family holiday. Quite apart from the fact he gets fined if he doesn't spend 14 consecutive days each year out of the country. It's in his T&Cs.

Going home for July this year. Booked on airmiles last October. Did whole summer in HK last year and it felt long. I really like the UK in summer. We'll be in our own house for the first week and then 3 weeks with my parents, but we have own bedrooms (DC share and I have my own) and they are laid back and get on with stuff but join in day trips etc. They also look after the DC so I can get into the office 2 days a week (I am an Asian outpost of a UK based team).