What do you do for Vacation?

[Zapthycat]

So, those of you that have critters, chickens, pets, livestock and featherbabies/furbabies, what do you do when you leave the homestead for an extended break? Go on a cruise out of state, somewhere for Christmas, take a well-deserved trip to Hawaii?

Just wondering.

Ehhhh, we don't do cruises or Hawaiian vacations, but I use a local girl who went to school with my daughter. We pay her a bit, and she just stays here in my daughter's room and makes herself at home - cooking and such.
I think we end up paying her $30 a day for dogs, house, garden, mailbox, etc Sitting. When she was younger, and didn't have her own car, it included a full tank of gas and keys to my old pickup. LOL!

[RichNC]

I sit out on the porch and relax, I haven't been on a vacation in years.

[MDKatie]

We take the dogs with us when we can. For the livestock, we ask family or hire a petsitter too take care of the place while we're gone. Money well spent.

[FarmboyBill]

I do for vacations as I do for makin yahooo. Without

[angiemama02]

What is this "vacation" word of which you speak?

[cfuhrer]

There are no vacations when you have animals.

But -

When we went to shows and auctions we traded off with someone we knew who wasn't going to the same show (we were going to Ellensburg but they weren't and they were going to Puyallup but we weren't) or hired a kid from the 4-H club.

Then waaaaaay simplified the routine. Instead of our complicated mix of grains and supplements we had our standins feed just COB. If it was only a feeding or four we would lay out feed near the appropriate pen so it only had to be tossed in. Animals would stay pastured overnight instead of coming in at dark. Etc.

[Dixie Bee Acres]

Vacation...that's just silly talk.

[msscamp]

Originally Posted by Zapthycat

So, those of you that have critters, chickens, pets, livestock and featherbabies/furbabies, what do you do when you leave the homestead for an extended break? Go on a cruise out of state, somewhere for Christmas, take a well-deserved trip to Hawaii?

Just wondering.

I don't. I haven't been off the farm for more than a day trip in 8 years and, as long as I have goats, that won't change. Yes, I could hire someone to feed for me, but they don't have a vested interest in my goats, nor do they know them like I do. The chances of me coming home to sick, dead, or dying goats is high, and it isn't worth it to me.

[FarmboyBill]

Yep. I agree. if one has time for a vacation, they aren't homesteading/farming/gardening to their fullest.

[FarmboyBill]

Just another idea that city people bring with them when they come out into the country.

[RichNC]

Originally Posted by FarmboyBill

Yep. I agree. if one has time for a vacation, they aren't homesteading/farming/gardening to their fullest.

Yes and that is just YOUR opinion, my Grandparents and Parents went up to Canada every year to go fishing, but we had a hired man back then who lived in a little house on the place.

[moonwolf]

My plans for my homesteading include vacation time at
the stead. Spring, summer, and fall....a week each season
enjoying time with animals, trailblazing, foraging, hunting.
Many would pay big money enjoying a week of this life.

[myheaven]

I garden for vacation.

We sneak to the Gulf, two hours away, in March for a weekend to hit the Oyster festival. Two days of raw oysters, beer for breakfast, and lotsa music.

Not real exciting, but it's always a welcome break. We didn't get to go this year, I had just had back surgery.

[Awnry Abe]

Woohoo!!! 15 posts and not too late for a dissenting opinion!

We vacation about every other year. If you aren't a slave to your stead on a daily basis, you should be finding ways to make the chores each and every day less and less work. The trick to extended absence, basically, is great fencing, great neighbors, massive feeders, and water that don't quit.

[Dixie Bee Acres]

Vacations are somewhat of a modern ideal. Much as is retirement. (Post WWII)
Within my household, our goal is to simplify life, less hustle and bustle, more enjoying the fruits of our labors of working our homestead.
Short day trips to a lake, or something of the sort are still taken every so often, but not much.

[chickenista]

We take separate vacations.
We have never, ever, ever been anywhere together since our 2 day honeymoon.

Once a year DH takes DS home to Virginia to see his family.
I get to stay home ALONE! (at least this year I was alone since my dad moved to the nursing home and out of our spare room) and do the barn chores etc..

Some years I take the boy deeper into the mountains to see my family.
It has been a year or two though for me.

I sure did love my 7 days ALONE!!! though.
Better than anything!

[Vosey]

We also take separate vacations, well I go on vacation and DH stays home! We can't both leave at the same time and DH hates to fly anyway. I have an MIL and girlfriends to travel with. But it's still not often, once every 2 years? Family comes to visit every year and we play then.

Since I work, I just love to be home for vacation!

[MDKatie]

Originally Posted by cfuhrer

There are no vacations when you have animals.

Originally Posted by FarmboyBill

Yep. I agree. if one has time for a vacation, they aren't homesteading/farming/gardening to their fullest.

Sure there are vacations when you have animals. That's just silly talk. I take vacations or have "getaways" several times a year, and I either get family to care for the animals or I hire a petsitter. I usually try to schedule things inbetween the busiest times, but this pas summer we went to Florida for a week and I had to send the goats one place, send the dogs another, and pay someone to come feed the rest. But it worked, and we had a great time in Florida!

There's no reason one has to be chained to their homestead unless they want to be. IMO, life is too short to not travel, visit friends and family, see new places, etc. Our kids deserve to take vacations with BOTH parents, and go see out of town family, etc.