Do You Enjoy Trips Back To Your Country Of Birth?

[garro]

I will be going on holidays to Ireland at the end of the month.

I am actually really looking forward to it.

This will be the my son's first trip to there, and it will also be my wife's; despite the fact that we have been together four years.

I have lived outside my country of birth for most of my life, but I enjoy my trips home.

I am not very nationalistic, but still home is home.

I can't wait for my family back there to meet my wife and son.

Do other ex-pats enjoy these trips?

How often do you take them?

[hiromj]

I go back every six months. Always very happy for the first two weeks, then it's time to go.

[BossHogg]

Enjoy for a week or so....then i just wanna get the plane back here.

[kmart]

I go at least once /year. Nice to get a bit of perspective on LoS from your home country, and see old friends and family again.

[samran]

definetly enjoy it. As garro said, home is home.

Adjusting to OZ isn't too hard.

[SoCal]

I usually go home once a year. Usually takes a couple of days to feel comfortable, as things seem a bit foreign , and seems that life has gone on without you.

Then things click, and almost hate to leave.

Should be a great trip with the wife and son. So many new experiences for them. Enjoy!

[Briggsy]

Yes, I do.

I go back every 6 months. It is important not to lose touch.

[simon43]

I go back to the UK for my childrens' birthdaysd. Only stay for maybe 2 or 3 days.

Simon

[tuky]

I went back recently for the first time in a number of years.

It was very very strange going to the shopping centre and looking just like everyone else. Even in Perth where there are a lot of Asians. I didn't stay long enough to get used to it again but I certainly did feel like a foreigner

[Captain Chaos]

I will be going on holidays to Ireland at the end of the month.

I am actually really looking forward to it.

This will be the my son's first trip to there, and it will also be my wife's; despite the fact that we have been together four years.

I have lived outside my country of birth for most of my life, but I enjoy my trips home.

I am not very nationalistic, but still home is home.

I can't wait for my family back there to meet my wife and son.

Do other ex-pats enjoy these trips?

How often do you take them?

Yes, enjoy trips back to the UK so long as there's something to do, ie. it's either Christmas or decent summer weather. Had a great trip during the 2006 summer heatwave and it was a lot of fun. Haven't made it back during 2007 due to job change but planning to go in summer 2008.

[garro]

If I go to the UK, I will

[hiromj]

Actually, everytime I go back I am excited to return to an English speaking country But, on my last trip back, it seems like I only heard Spanish

[onzestan]

I will be going on holidays to Ireland at the end of the month.

I am actually really looking forward to it.

This will be the my son's first trip to there, and it will also be my wife's; despite the fact that we have been together four years.

I have lived outside my country of birth for most of my life, but I enjoy my trips home.

I am not very nationalistic, but still home is home.

I can't wait for my family back there to meet my wife and son.

Do other ex-pats enjoy these trips?

How often do you take them?

The last 10 years minimum twice a year for medical reasons.

Good to see old friends, (no more family) eat dishes that I remember fondly, drink some good beers and wine at reasonable prices, but after one week it's enough and I'm on my way back.

Wouldn't want to miss these trips though, good reality checks.

Enjoy your trip and I hope your wife likes it. Mine is hasip/hasip.

Cheers

Onzestan

[mattias33]

"forced" to go back for some months next summer and i am not looking forward to it. Sure, see family and so on is ok, some special food and some friends, will keep the first week passing by. I guess the mainfactor being the money here. Just think its a complete waste when i start to calculate the flight-ticket for my wife and me, living in Sweden for some months, presents and so on. When i convert the amount into Thai bahts thats when my tears starts coming and i realy ask if it is nessesary, hahaha. I would not go back if i didnt have to but i guess it will be fun the first week!

And dont forget the most fun part, coming back and being reminded of how good life is here!

Edited November 9, 2007 by mattias33

[meadish_sweetball]

I like going back now and then - even though I have lost touch with many of my old friends there is still family to see, fresh air to breathe and silence to enjoy.

[sweetchariot]

Just got back from 3 weeks in England for the first time in 18 months. 3 weeks was far too long, a week would have been long enough to catch up with family and friends, got a bit 'homesick' after that. And it was bloody cold. Whilst most people were wearing t-shirts, or light jumpers, I had a t-shirt, 2 fleeces and a coat on most of the time, its amazing how you get acclimatised over here.

[Manchester]

1 week.............UK, then i get itchy feet to return "home" again. The UK is ok to see family and catch up with friends. Not much else though. The weather is sh*t and the food is diabolical.

[TheEmperorOfTheNorth]

NO!

I hate trips back to my country of birth.

Assuming they'd let me in without arresting me that is.

[pampal]

sometimes

[maccaroni man]

I just made my first trip back since 1998. took my son to do a long sight seeing trip (4 months) I had no plans to see family mostly wanted to do the road trip and reconnect with old friends. when it was time to return i found that the best time was family time. On a personal observation I rarely said F---king idiot while i was driving and it was nice to be able to get business done quickly with streight answers and guarantees. on my return to los i felt a bit empty, my life here is a bit of a dream life but sometimes the little things have a way of getting in the way, still I do not see myself returning to live in my home country any time soon.

[Who, me ?]

not much....

[Travel2003]

No

[Acquiesce]

I very much enjoy visiting England, seeing life long friends etc and try to do so every 18 months or so.

Though when i came to Thailand i was not running away from anything, you might not find this is the case with some here.

[LindsayBKK]

yes Australia is one of very few "War Free Countries"

Edited November 9, 2007 by LindsayBKK

[Captain Chaos]

I have not been back to Brisbane since I left 2004. But have been to Sydney 3 times maybe, Perth once. Brisbane is where my Mother lives so I have no reason to go back. If I did I wouldn't tell her. Long story. She is just a fussy old bag. You get like that when you are an old female in Australia, she got it from the pommy ancestry.

Sounds like an Aussie whine to me ...

[BenDan]

Once a year for one week is more than enough. The main thing i notice when back home is the small-mindedness of people - their whole life seems to revolve around getting sh*tfaced at the weekends.

[meom]

The main thing i notice when back home is the small-mindedness of people

True and it was one of the reasons I left. Haven't been back for over 12 years now and don't feel the need to return except maybe when I hit 65 to see if there's any benefits I might be entitled to

[Pepe']

Yes. I liked it so much I decided to stay.

Even canceled this years one month vacation to LOS this year.

My wingman is concerned my decision will heavily impact Pattaya's economy.

I really don't think it will be noticed...

[stevemcqueen]

NO

[monty]

I used to really look forward to it, but every time I went it ended up being such a big disappointment.

My personal case might be a bit different then that of most other expats in the fact that I left my home country when very young, when most of my friends were still single or flirting around. Which meant when I went back some time later nothing was left from that group like I remembered it, they were all married, having children etc, so nothing to hook up with...

I'm gone almost 15 years now, the connection with my country mainly has been reduced to dealing with my embassy in Bangkok

Additionally, in the first years, like many new expats, I got kind of fed up with how things are done over here, so you need that reality check of life in the West to appreciate your life over here again. Living here so long now made me get used to the Thai way so much, that all these little annoying things over here sure as hel_l are not enough reason to go back anymore...

Plus everywhere I went, prices were giving me light heart attacks! You then realize how cheap Thailand is to live in...

In short, the last time I went I had a ticket to stay there for 3 weeks, and already on the second day I was at my friendly local travel agent trying to re-book on the first flight available back out...

Now I just wait until somebody invites me back there, and if they really want me over they'll have to cough up a ticket as well!!!