Yup tortellini - we're going with a bunch of families - there will be a trillion kids and not much rest! We just had my daughter's 3rd birthday party

I had an amazing few nights in Paris a couple of weeks ago. Sups had no idea and probably wouldn't care anyway.

Limerick is a rather strange place to go for a holiday regardless of how cheap the flight is!! (good place to get stabbed I hear!!! ) I would of thought Galway would be a better bet!!

No; summer is the busy period in my line of work. Boo!

I went to Lille last winter, so I'm looking for a good winter destination for this year.

rjb203: each to their own as regards holiday destinations. According to the press, Nottingham is a murder hotspot, but many students seem to go there quite happily to the two good universities and come back safely.

Juno, how was Lille in winter? I was thinking of taking a winter break once my PhD is finished. I want cheap but very nice (unlikely!).

rjb203 - you are prejudiced against Limerick! (I actually went to Bunratty, but I didn't expect anyone to know it). Anyhow, there were no direct flights to Galway.

ps. Well said Commonsense.

Limerick is a funny place. I remember once flying to Shannon Airport, then taking a cab to my Travellodge which was up on a hill outside a city. I walked down into town, took me about an hour. Then I asked some stranger:"Is this the town Limerick or Shannon?", because I really didn't know. She looked at me like I'm from Mars and said in some weird accent:"This is Limerick". Apparently there is no city called Shannon, it's only the airport!

But anyway, I thought it was quite a nice town and never felt dangerous.

i got back from a lovely european holiday at 2am this morning. it was wonderful. i was also away at glastonbury a couple of weeks ago. and a week at new year. plan to do at least one if not two more weeks this year. i know i have a crazy amount of work to go back to but before i went i was really dragging and now i feel uber motivated. to be honest, i don't really see cash as a problem if you're on the typical level of funding. holidays aren't about major cash expenditure. they're about spending time with the people you love, relaxing and having fun.

A

Missspacey, it was great! I went with Travelsphere by coach: 4 nights for 120quid.
You stayed in Lille and went to the Christmas markets, but also had cheap excursions to Brugge, Brussels and Ypres. Amd you get to stock up at Calais on the way back. I'd recommend it!

I have an enforced 'holiday' coming up this thurs as we are travelling to the other end of the country to a friend's wedding, and seeing as we are down there are also visiting close family for a week. Which was a great idea until I got really lazy and unmotivated and so it won't be the holiday I planned, but enforced time away from work... Well, Now I have a laptop this work can come with me wherever I go!! Good thing or bad thing... hmmm!

Arg this PhD!!!

Hey guys,
Related to the holiday theme...does anyone have the problem that when you go on holiday, and finally make your brain switch off, that it takes a looooonnnngggg time to switch on again? Any remedies? I have to take a trip for about 3 weeks in my last year and am terrified I will forget everything and lose my steam (what little I have). This has happened on shorter trips so what will 3 weeks do?!
This summer I will be off for weekends away, a festival here and there but no long holiday until the 3 weeker...
I'll still dream though

Yes; that is the reason my second supervisor gives for his disapproval of students taking holidays. If you suggest you'd like a break, you get "Well...if you want to...but as you know, i think holidays are a bad idea...". He even comes in on bank holidays, in protest at the "enforced" day off.

Cakegirl - I have exactly the same problem. I always find that it takes me days to get back into working mode after a holiday. I guess the only solution would be to try and think about work a little while you're on holiday, but I suppose that defeats the purpose of having the holiday in the first place!