Funny how all my friends think I go for the weed, but hell, I've going for the girls for years now before I ever thought about the weed. Amsterdam really is a magical city for me. I love the feel of it. I hate the way I feel when I leave it. And that is the only place in the world that I have ever had that feeling every single time I have been there. An earlier poster mentioned that feeling. I am sure many of us know it.

But Amsterdam has a special hold for me. My nephew was born there. It was the first place I ever visited in Europe. It was the first place I got laid in Europe. It was the first place I started partying at 10 p.m. and rolled out onto some busy street with an ungodly look on my face at 9 a.m. the next morning...or was it the morning after?

But the sad thing is, I have to lie through my teeth at work as to what I am doing for vacation because of remarks from the past. Funny how much people speak so freely of weed, but condemn it, or support those who condemn it. Ridiculous. But I tell all my friends, and I have to still to yet tempt a friend over, but I try. It will happen. I'll be back in April 2013. Banging and puffing.

Best not to tell them anything...if they start gossiping or spreading rumours. You can state that you are going on holiday to meet friends you had met up with in your previous trips. Don't say or think too much.

Las Vegas... and everyone knows that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! That goes double for Amsterdam.

Say you're touring around Holland / Belgium; you have a pre-paid rail ticket; stopping off at B&Bs; travelling light, etc.

Then crack-on!

everyone thinks i go for weed, and for the most part this is entirely true. second to that, similar to tonymunch there is the music aspect which gets me over there with an excuse once a year at least. if i really don't want someone to know, i say i am going to holland or Nederlands, as someone else here mentioned, a lot of people seem too stupid to know where that is! amazes me...

as for a solo trip, don't know how i could dress that sufficiently.

This thread is fucking hilarious.

So far, I've used the 'I'm reunionising with old uni friends' gig.

I also benefit from living in a remote location where nobody really notices my absence.

The hardest part is explaining why i'm in such a brilliant mood once I've returned home.

I have a glow and a confidence and a sharpness that you just don't get when you're stuck in England twiddling your thumbs watching TV.

My Family is pretty cool. They all know what i do so i make no excuses. My old bosses knew as well. I keep my own personal version of trip reports and they are out in the open for anyone to read

My wife and I tell everyone that we fly into schiphol airport because it is the easiest airport to pick up a rental car for our trips. Which is kind of true. But we don't tell our kids or friends we spend 3 or 4 days there. Since we have going about 13 years now our sex life has certainly ramped up up. If anyone knew the half of it. It would shock the hell out them.

Yeah... we also have 'friends from uni', he 'works in computers or something'.

It occurs to me that the sad thing is that we have to "tell family / friends" anything.