On Holiday

This blog is on vacation till mid-August. The history of vacations in American is a curious one. The first recorded vacation in the colonies occurred in the 18th century when a Dr. Alexander Hamilton (presumably not that Alexander Hamilton) saddled his horse in Maryland and rode off seeking "health and recreation."

Since the good doc took some time off in 1744 until now, vacationing has become a multi-billion dollar industry. The psychology of vacationing is that you've worked like a field hand for 50 weeks, and you're entitled to spend anything you want. It's as if someone handed you a pile of Monopoly dollars when you jumped behind the wheel (or up on your horse, in the case of Dr. Hamilton). Things you wouldn't be caught dead with or spending a dollar on in real life somehow end up making their way home with you after vacation. Tee shirts with stupid sayings. Sombreros for the beach. Wet suits you'll never use again. $100 worth of fishing tackle. I know of people who have come home with new cars. People who won't wait at a traffic light will stand in line for an hour to get in to a seafood restaurant. There they'll spend for $40 for fish that spent the last 2 years of its life frozen in a box in some one's freezer.

Money has no value on vacation, and hence, is no object.

The term we use, "vacation," as opposed to "holiday," employed in much of the rest of the world, is an English term that originally referred to the break taken by King's courts and later the universities. The concept of vacation was brought to England from France by William the Conqueror. In France it was used to denote the period of time when life stopped so the grapes could be harvested.

Today, just under half of all Americans take a summer vacation. This year we'll spend on average about $1600 to relax. All in, that's about $7 billion more than we spend as a nation last year (seems like I spent that last week).

Where will we all go to relax? About 40% of us will head to an ocean or beach of some kind--by far the most popular place to go. About 20% will go to the mountains to chill, while the rest of us will head overseas or to grandma's house.

Me? Count me in that 40% for whom the fascination with rolling waves, sand beneath the feet, and catnaps on the beach never grow old.

Just thought you might like to know.