Summer, sun, adventure? Not for me!
2.7.2025
Translation: Elicia Payne
Every year, from May to September, I have to deal with my guilty conscience. It tells me I should make the most of the nice weather – but more often than not, I just don’t feel like it.
Summer’s here and everyone’s happy. Everyone? No, not me. While the whole world’s rushing to the beaches – or to the airports to rush to the beaches somewhere else – I’m fighting battles with my inner critic. It wants me to join in with the madness, but I’d prefer to put my feet up and be cosy.
And that’s why you’re not reading an article about the five things you should pack in your beach bag or how to put together the best playlist for a long flight. Instead, you’ll hear my opinion on why summer and its constant call for corresponding activities annoys me.
«Off on holiday?» Same question, different year
Just because the sun is shining doesn’t mean I’m any less exhausted in the evening after work. Just because there’s a city festival on, doesn’t mean I need less time for peace and quiet at the weekend. And just because everyone else goes away in the summer doesn’t mean I have to go on the best trip every year.
Source: Private
One of the most popular small talk openers in the first half of the year is the question: «So, where are you off to this summer?». «Nowhere,» is my answer this year. Or, «Maybe I’ll go on a spontaneous trip if something great springs to mind and everything aligns.» After all, annual leave days are valuable and must be used consciously.
Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy roaming around other countries and love discovering new places. But unfortunately I don’t always manage to plan a trip which has just the right amount of relaxation, me-time and experiences.
High-effort planning without guaranteed satisfaction
For a long time, people would say to me: «You have to see Florence». So I organised a train journey from Hamburg to Florence and back a week later. Only to then realise that the city’s pretty and it has great museums but half the population seems to pile on the alleyways here. I prefer half-forgotten mountain villages in Liguria to «must-see» tourist magnets. And it rained in Florence.
Source: Debora Pape
But the train journeys were an experience that I’ll always remember. A sleeper train through Germany, a Swiss slow train across the Alps, the Italian Frecciarossa across the Po Valley at 300 kilometres per hour – that was a real travel experience. One thing’s clear to me: no more mass tourism destinations!
But whether it’s a train journey through Europe, a trip to Spitsbergen in the Arctic, a road trip on the edge of the Sahara or a motorhome tour through Great Britain – these kind of trips require more planning and are often more expensive than a stay on the Mediterranean’s Playa del Boring. I don’t have the time or inclination to spend weeks every year organising accommodation, travel, events, cat care and possibly new clothes.
Source: Private
My fight against my inner critic
Yet, the voice in my head tells me that I HAVE to have a decent summer holiday. That’s what you work for all year round, isn’t it? Doing nothing is like a missed opportunity to live my life. And I can lie around when I’m dead.
Let me introduce: my annoying inner critic whispering to me that I need to be active. It makes me feel guilty when I’d rather sleep in mentally for two weeks in the summer than go on a trip. I find it so difficult to ignore the critic.
I have to remind myself repeatedly that travelling is a privilege but so is not travelling. Especially without children. What greater freedom is there for a person in the working world than to do what makes me happy right now, in this moment? Seeing how the day unfolds without the self-made pressure to visit museum X, old town Y and viewpoint Z so that the effort for the holiday is really worth it in the end?
I find it super relaxing to have the choice of spontaneously going on a trip or reading Tolkien’s «News from Middle-earth» in my reading chair or playing a game that I don't usually have enough time for after work.
Source: Debora Pape
And in the evening, I can simply put a pizza on the grill instead of spending hours looking for a suitable restaurant. Then I can sip my homemade lemonade or cocktails and have a nice round of games in peace and quiet on the terrace, instead of being tired, sweaty and sunburnt after a long day on my feet colliding with drunks at the fair.
Rainy days vs. guilty conscience
There are days when my adventurous spirit matches the sunny weather. And it gives me a boost to leave the house. But there are also plenty of days when the gaming chair simply seems more attractive to me than crowds of people in the old town. Yet I still have a guilty conscience and an annoying feeling that I’m missing out on my life.
So that’s why I’m also happy when it rains in summer. With it comes a piece of autumnal cosiness. No one can expect me to go on adventures in the pouring rain. Ah well, what a shame. Too bad, I have to stay inside and play a game in peace without feeling guilty.
Header image: Private
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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