Just about every conversation here revolves around where you just got back from and where you're going next. And there is such anticipation, optimism, aspiration in those conversations. If Facebook is anything to go by, it's as if all the hours spent toiling in front of a keyboard are meant to culminate in a few days spent in some promised land of sand, blue skies and - most importantly - photogenic food.
Then there are the trendy places to visit, such as Istanbul and Croatia - current favourites. The popularity of the Maldives is understandable, given that the country might be under water soon. But what do you mean you haven't gone on a Kenyan safari yet? You have some catching up to do. Sri Lanka seems to be up and coming, too. And let's not forget the trendiest Asian destination of all right now: Myanmar.
It feels like people have a checklist, and everyone's is roughly the same - heaven forfend they're not away or planning to be. Perhaps their endless talk of travels and the inundating of social-media pages with details of trips, before, during and after (don't forget that snap of your Chek Lap Kok departure gate), is a way of saying, "Look - I get to leave Hong Kong. Again!".
Is the thought of a month without departing our little metropolis so terrible? How about setting up a hotpot, watching a bad movie on Pearl and waking up safe in the knowledge there's no construction allowed on a Sunday morning.
Staycations are the way forward.