Let's have some help here, please, people

Clarifications

not quite long enough to forget completely about work.

South of France?
Australia?
Virgin Islands?

I would be torn between living in a sunburned drunken stupor on a beach somewhere or engaging in some high-adrenaline pursuit such as car racing, skydiving, or driving on the A62.

If given 8 weeks off, I could go to my tax land in Ontario and build a nicer, larger vacation home. With two months of advance notice I could get a delivery scheduled for the material needed to put up a 1200 square foot garage/home kit to replace the 600 square foot one now in place. This would mean a lot of work but would surely take my mind off of work here at home and I might even decide to chuck it all and stay there.

Make a list of 10 or so cities you'd like to see, and make plans to spend a couple of days in each. See an opera in Rome, take a rickshaw ride in Shanghai, eat Sushi in Tokyo, etc.

When I was younger, my mentor/foster father took me on such a trip. I was still too young to fully appreciate it, but it did leave a lasting impression. Especially seeing peoples from around the world who were a lot worse off than I was (I grew up rough...and seeing this was a motivator).

When my kids are old enough, I intend to take them on a 'Archaeological Expedition'...Mexico, Egypt, Italy and china are the intended destinations.

That's my 2 cents. At any rate, enjoy the time off when you take it!!!

Education - find something you want to dive into and take a course or two.

Charity - find some group you like, and travel to Africa/Asia to help out.

Travel - See the world, or at least parts of it.

In just over a year I will be with a choir in Austria and Prague. Plan on attending a concert in Salzburg.

James

you must be easily replaceable :0

Sorry, I could not resist.

It all depends on what your hobbies are. Whatever you decide to do, make it 'out of the ordinary' and enjoy a good experience.

whether to climb the Alps or parachute over shark infested waters, its all your choice :)

Heck, even going town to town and visiting old friends for a few days at a time may be a good exp..

Whatever the case, 7 weeks of drunkenness can alter your state of mind about your employer, right?

Do you have enough saved up to do a small/medium/large/full out tour?

Do you have any reasons to stay in the UK for two months? (prior appointments/weddings/Mum etc.)

If you want to go travelling - do it. You'll never get another seven or eight weeks paid leave. Try to leave it till next year, and add your annual leave to it if you can (worth asking)

If you want to travel (how big is your suitcase, and would I fit in it?! :p ) think about ways you could do this - funnily enough, I was just reading this at lunch time.....

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=900407

(cheap flights board on the home page, too)

If you don't fancy travelling (if not, why not?! :D ) make sure you find something else that you feel is [i] worthy of using this time on [/i] This is a one-off chance (probably) and you don't want to waste it.

Is there anything you'd like to do that you've never had the time to? Take a photography course? (no, you don't need to!), climb a mountain, learn something totally new (flying?)

It sounds like you have lots of time to decide and plan this, so take your time and make sure you make the right decision for you. You know where your sounding board is if you need her......!

GG

Nah. No good. Gotta do it.

[b] LUCKY BLEEPER! [/b]
(flip. New filter just docked me 5 points.....)

Not that you are anywhere near expiring soon! But listing things you absolutely want to do before you die is a serious endevor.

I know, girls have the To Do lists: Things I want to do before I am 30, or married or retire, etc. But Bucket Lists are manly. So get that bucket out and thinking cap (just be careful not to kick it), and make that list up. Then with list in hand and 8 paid weeks, see how many you can check off. :D

Considering all the whining companies are doing regarding business costs, unless you work for the government, I would seriously consider just how long this company is going to remain in business at that rate.

Gardening Leave don't they?

Check it out and then recheck it. I would first want to know how I had managed to work for a place for 8 years that has only been going for 4 years.

Of course if the previous employer was brought out by the current one then they would have had to carry over any entitlements that you where owed by the previous owner. If that is the case grab the time off when it suits you but first make sure that this time you have not given the company the Kiss of Death by working there. After all if they go broke before the time limit is up they are likely to come after you for the money. :D

OH when you take the time off come over here and take my daughter off my hands I need a holiday from her for about 50 or so years. :p

Col

Take a couple of weeks and come back to the USA, and schedule at least one day that we can go have some pints. We'll go somewhere like London Bus or MacDinton's.

Hope to see you again sometime, Neil.

Interviewing at Apple in the late 80s. They had a program for a years sabbatical after 5 years - paid. Boy that made me want to get in there.

They explained that many people came back and handed in their resignation - the only condition of taking the time waas you had to write an essay about what you would like to do with your career when you return, and many people decided to break away and form their own company.

James

You only require 40 hours in the air before you can sit your PPL (Private Pilot's Licence) exam.

Who else around you has taken advantage of this offer - what did THEY do?

funny how the window to make a withdrawl is almost always closed on those things, huh?

I had a job where they tried pulling that, working on a college campus. Just before every semester, there was a mad rush to get all the systems ready for the coming semester, so for two weeks, very long days.

I informed them I was taking a withdrawl of a full day the following week (on a friday). They told me I wouldn't be able to, so I told them I was leaving at my normal time because I was not going to be extorted into putting hours into a bank that I couldn't use.

I got the friday off.

Now I am just salary, so it isn't an issue. If I have to work over the weekend or late one day, I take a different day off. B-)

I love the bumper stickers on the big RV's that say, "I'm spending my kids inheritance."

formed from a bunch of government departments.

We're not government although I suppose that a lot of people would see us as a government organisation as we are a central regulation body. We are .org.uk and not .gov.uk.

Neil :D