Well, my son’s last day of his sophomore year in high school just took place while my freshman in college returned home a couple of weeks ago. It’s summer. And, many of us are planning summer vacations and other warm-weather pursuits. You might wonder how or why this is fodder for this column series on the differences between men and women? Simply, I believe almost everything has the potential to explore and contrast how men and women look at, do, behave, and otherwise proceed with life. Summer and summer vacations are no exception.
I will, as always, put forth generalities and unverified observations that will strike some as wrong and others as politically incorrect. A generality is simply THAT – a generality – in which an observation is made that is often true but rarely is 100% accurate. As for being politically correct, I choose to be truthful instead. What you may be taught in so-called Gender Studies at colleges is often NOT the truth, but I welcome (respectful) disagreement.
Without further preface, let’s dive into summer, men and women, alternating between each sex – yes, I prefer the word sex to gender, thank you very much!
~~ Men like vacations that include golf and/or other physical activities. Men do not like sitting on beaches except for the “view” and by that I don’t mean the water. When the sun is out, going sightseeing has little appeal to men and hanging out in museums even less.
~~ Women enjoy warm-weather destinations so they can oil or sun-tan lotion up and sit and read the latest edition of Cosmopolitan, other women’s magazines, or the newest hyped self-help book.
~~ Men want to do the FUN excursions on trips that offer physical activity, so if it’s a vacation to Hawaii, the guys want to scuba, surf, sail, golf, play tennis, or do a downhill bike-ride from the top of a volcano.
~~ Women like the spa. Women can spend all day – at a vacation resort – “relaxing” in the spa while spending absurd amounts of money for the very same services they can get back home at a fraction of the cost. Men thoroughly don’t get this and see it not only as a big waste of money but an equal waste of time. Why go on vacation to do the same thing you can do at home is the view of most men.
~~ Now, spending money on something of value like a helicopter ride to the top of a waterfall from which you dive into a gorgeous pool of water, now THAT is money well spent! We men know the value of a buck!
~~ Shopping. Again, women love this activity and it doesn’t matter where they are. If there’s shopping available they want to participate. And, again, this mystifies their men who see it more – yet again – as a waste of time and money. But, those rugs in Morocco, leather goods in Italy, everything in Hong Kong, and cloisonné in China are simply irresistible.
~~ Men throw all diets out the window on summer vacations. It’s a time to binge drink, binge eat, and binge snack. If men are on an all-inclusive trip, whether it is a cruise or Club Med-type vacation, it means it’s time to chow down. If there’s free beer and liquor, men are in heaven.
~~ Women pretend to continue their diets on vacation. They protest constantly about the temptations in front of them and how badly their clothes fit. Let’s not even talk bikinis. But, as evidenced by mainstream cruise passengers, women protest but indulge just as much as their men, possibly with a bit of guilt but ultimately no regret until they return home and get on the scale.
~~ Vegas is cool for men any time of the year, even in the horrid heat of the summer. Not the same for the gals, I think? On this one, I’d like some feedback?
~~ For women, there really is one word on this topic: Pamper. Now, I don’t mean the diapers, I mean that women really like to be pampered on their summer vacations. Part of that pampering means choosing a vacation where the kids are taken care of. This also works for dad so cruises and all-inclusive resorts are great because they have “kid’s clubs” and the like to keep those pesky kids at bay. But, the pampering for women goes beyond just some time off from the kids. We’ve already touched on the spas and shopping, but other services the ladies like include having the bell-caps carry the luggage to their rooms. We guys would rather lug ‘em ourselves and save the time and money!
So, what are my summer plans? Golf, of course. Two trips to Park City to golf, bike, run the rapids, hike, play tennis, and otherwise “relax.” And, lots of summer concerts because I live in Los Angeles where the options are endless. That also means six days in San Francisco for the Outside Lands Music Festival. What are you doing this summer?
Please read and/or comment on any of the other columns in the Men vs. Women series.
How about skipping that $5 Starbucks latte and splurging $2.99 (for the Kindle on Amazon) or $2.79 for the PDF of my new e-book? Enjoy my own informercial for it! This e-book is really a virtual journey. It’s filled with 100 photos, 7 original videos, and links to many of the stops on the trip. Click on the book cover image below to find your purchase options:
