Leaving home, coming home

Some say the charm of holiday is in coming back home. Sleeping in your own bed, eating your own food, and visiting your favorite coffeeshop – it’s the soothing familiarity of everyday life that makes the holiday experience stand out.

Think about it: what’s a holiday without a home to get back to?

In the past three years we have learned how simple this may seem, leaving home and coming back home. And how impactful it can be when it’s not the case.

Back in 2020 when we left Dubai to spend the “summer of Covid” in the Netherlands we moved from holiday home to temporary rental. It was a long period, almost 6 months, which we could spend in relative relaxing times, on and off with friends and family. Yet it did not feel like a holiday. We had no home or life to go back to. Instead, we were waiting for the next chapter to begin: China.

In 2021 we came to the Netherlands for the summer. Technically we had a home in China to get back to. So, it could have been a proper holiday. But getting back home was such an ordeal, consisting of many hoops to jump through (among others 28 days of quarantine) that it made “home” a place we did not want to go back to at all.

And in 2022 we were again “in between homes” when we spend the summer in the Netherlands after we made our escape from China and were waiting to move to Bosnia and Hercegovina.

All these years had in common that getting back home was not a enjoyable part of the holiday.
And what’s a holiday without a home to get back to?

So, after 3 years it feels like immense luxury to lock the door behind us with the same key with which we will open it upon our return. Just to get in our car, enjoy a couple of free weeks and return to…home.

How something simple can feel so good.

We wish you all a great summer – we are taking off now, enjoy a proper holiday and will be back home in August!

Cao!