Why Do Some Men Think a Vacation is Good in the Beginning Stage?

[Markus]

Well, first of all when you date an AW you don't "watch" her in her home. I mean - you meet for lunch or something like this. You do it quite a few times.
Next of all, when an AM wants to see how an RW acts on her "turf", he actually sets sort of unfair situation because he IS on vacations anyway.
 So, I don't get Marcus' "question".
Either both are on vacations or both are "on the turf", otherwise it is shopping (for women).

When my fishing buddies and I are driving to the lake, if we see a mall, one of us will ask if we should cancel fishing and go shopping instead; then laughter erupts.
But, I can verify shopping is a big necessity for my wife, even if she doesn't buy anything. So the shopping part is well understood.

Going to the FSU is always interesting and fun, but it's definitely not what I describe as a vacation in the early stage of this process. But, now when
we go to Russia, it's a vacation and feels like a vacation.

[CanadaMan]

What happened to just going to your lady's hometown and visiting with her on her turf? Where do the vacation ideas come from?

Markus I will answer from my personal situation.
I did just go to my lady's hometown.
I savored all of the neat things that you experience when you visit your lady's hometown.

Then that was over.

We wanted to meet again. She suggested a romantic vacation in a warm place (it was friggin' -30C in her hometown).
I could afford it. We both wanted it. Why not go? We went.

End of story.