When I start my holiday shopping (which starts the day I finish uni for summer) About 5 weeks away from holiday.
It gets exciting when I pack!!! Between 10 and 2 weeks away from the holiday (10 weeks last year) I am diciplining myself enough to start packing this weekend! 2 weeks away, when I try my clothes on, wash and iron them (or better still, give them to my mum!)

The night before, we go to the pub for a meal, break 6 months of dieting!

Then at the airport, the holiday really starts, when I turn off my mobile, check my bags in, and sit there, eat breakfast, get last minute essentials from the shops, and try different perfumes in the duty free! After security, when no one can reach me, and I know I'm away from the regular stressful student life!

Only 20 days left 'til I'm at that airport! 4 days 'til I pack! 19 days 'til the diet ends!

When I get on the plane...all the better if its a foreign airline like Thai or Malaysia, Eva or Etihad as then you feel like your abroad already with the different languages for announcements and on board signage.

I'm doing a media studies course... Subsequently, my whole year has been a holiday because it's the most stupid subject ever!

Aside from that, I consider my holiday to start the moment my heavily bribed Grandad picks me up at a bleary eyed hour to drop me off at the airport, and warns me of the perils of "forriners".

My holiday starts the day i break up from work..although i must admit i may as well not be at work on that final day as i do next to no work and just clock watch until i can get away. In fact, the nearer i get to my hols, the less work i seem to be capable of doing!

I start a countdown about 2 weeks to go but i am still really busy making sure that the currency is sorted, insurance, clothes etc in the final week. I pack the day before we go and chuck in toiletries and stuff on the final morning. I never sleep well the night before, mainly as i am so excited and still trying to get the kids to take some responsibility for their own cases and stuff. The journey to the airport is all part of it, but as we go from Donny these days and we only live 12 miles away, the journey is so quick. It is obligatory to have a cooked breakfast at the airport and then...that slow drag until you get on the plane and finally in the air.

I would love to be able to relax more, but i always have the responsibility for tickets, passports, currency and organising everyone (well mum's always do don't they!) and i always worry that i have forgot something... ie: driving licence. All things considered, i suppose my holiday really begins when we arrive at the hotel, have got to our rooms and i have dumped the valuables in the safe..then my responsibility has ended...although my brain is in holiday mode a long time before then!

My holiday starts in the taxi on the way to the airport, although i can not fully relax until my bags have gone through check in, i then can stop worrying that i have forgotten something as its too late to do anything about it!

loulou

Mine will start on friday when my last uni exam finishes 5pm to be precise then it will only be 10days until we go and I can finally allow myself to shop and pack!! .Although I have to work until 10pm the night before we leave I know I wont be doing much apart from annoying everyone around me, my collegues are already sick of me going on a bout it!!

Mine is when I get to the airport. Or if I'm staying in an airport hotel the night before, it starts then.

Our holiday starts after we've checked in at the airport and buy all our magazines etc in the airport shop................then have a large refreshing drink in the bar!

In the car, on the way to the Airport

After all the stress of shopping, ironing, packing and hoping that we`ve got everything, as soon as I see the signs for Mancheste Airport when we are on the motorway then I start to think I am going on holiday!

my holiday starts once my bags have gone through at the airport, by that time you know you have your passports (fear of me forgetting them) and anything you have forgotten is forgotten. plus you then get to shop at the airport always feels good when the plane starts to take off and you know your on your way.

There are various holiday milestones for me.

First is booking it.
Then is paying the final balance bill.
Then is getting the tickets.
Then is finishing work.
Then is the journey to the airport.
Then arrival at airport.

Truly, truly on holiday at that point!

My holiday starts when I get to the airport, waiting in the queue for check-in.

Elaine

My holiday starts when the cases have gone through check in, then we head off up the escalators to the duty free shops, then for a small beverage before we get called to the departure lounge .

It ends for me, when the bus arrives to pick us up to head back to the airport

Our holiday officially starts when we are going to Manchester airport in our taxi, then after checking in we have our first couple of beers in Busby's bar or the Donkeystone and then we are truly on holiday.

Sliema2

NOW and i've still got 4 weeks and 4 days to go
no seriously when i walk out of my front door and on the way to the airport!
the cases are packed i've checked hand luggage 20 million times for tickets & passports etc and we are driving to departure airport !!!

oh i just can't wait !!!!!!!!!!!!!

lou x

Mine is now

I fly to Cyprus in the morning!

I have packed the case, sorted everything out, have it all prepared (i hope)

I just gotta sit back and wait for tomorrow morning to come for when we get picked up!!

See ya soon x

ooooh you are so lucky going tomorrow..our big hols is not until Nov when we go to Gran Can with all the family, but i think we won't last that long and have to sneak a visit to our beloved canary islands at the end of July after the kids have broken up ( no more holiday dates left for laddo as we went in March 06 and Dec 05). I could quite happily be in holiday mode now!!!

My holiday starts once I've seen those suitcases disappearing at the check-in! Then it's off to the shops for magazines, bottled water, sweets etc (they can't 'tut-tut' at overweight hand-baggage after check-in, especially with all those lovely shops - what do they expect us to do?!)
Last time, at Easter, we checked into T2 (Manchester) 3 hours before the flight and then went over to T1 for a lovely meal in Garfunkels, then back to T2, browsed the shops and then it was time to board. It was a lovely start to the holiday, followed by some drinks and nibbles on the plane, just to keep up the party feeling
Off to Turkey in 11 weeks - spent the last couple of days trekking round Manchester and the Trafford Centre, shopping for more clothes I don't need but I'm starting to feel holiday-ish now