Staycations… you decide.
For modern-day holiday lovers, the staycation seems to be seen as either a ‘better-than-nothing’ option when finances are hard to come by or a complete abomination to the philosophy of vacationing.
What is a staycation? Simply, it is a vacation at home. You have time off work but for some reason (usually financial) you are unable to travel away from home and so decide to holiday at your abode instead. The question is, can a staycation be luxurious or are they just plain lame?
Whether you choose to try out a staycation or if your circumstances negate that it is a case of a holiday at home or no holiday at all, there are several things you can do to make sure you return to work with that post-vacation glow, regardless of how far from home you actually strayed.
So here it is, the Champagne Travel on a Beer Budget Guide to Staycations:
1) Find what makes a holiday special for you.
Take a moment to think about what it is you enjoy when you’re taking a vacation and think how you can work that in to your staycation. Maybe it is getting up early to watch the sun rise, sleeping in til midday, trying out different restaurants, eating dinner in bed, having lots of fun things planned to do or being completely spontaneous. Whatever it might be, make sure you have plenty of it whilst holidaying at home.
2) Don’t fall into familiar routines.
It is important that your staycation ‘feels’ like a holiday and that will never happen if you are doing the same old same old. So make sure that you don’t fall into the rut of laying on the lounge watching television and mix things up a little. Think about it, when we’re on holidays we tend to eat different foods, wear different clothes and do things we don’t often have the time to do during ‘normal’ life. Live it up a little!
3) Put some thought into your surroundings.
What would give your house a holiday feel? A big bunch of exotic flowers? A bowl of tropical fruit? A mini bar set up for afternoon cocktail hour? It can be a good idea to have objects that are clearly visible to you that really give the message that you are on holidays. On the other hand, it is equally as important to hide things that will make it feel like any other day, whether that be a stack of unread documents, your Blackberry or a pile of clothes to be ironed. Your staycation surroundings should make you smile, not cringe.
4) Go exploring.
Chances are that there are great bars, parks, museums, art galleries, cafes and botuiques in your area that you have never really noticed or had the time to appreciate. Use this opportunity to get out there and look at your town with the eyes of a tourist (a very stylish tourist of course) and you might be amazed at what you find.
5) Consider a themed staycation.
Can’t get to that health retreat? Why not do an at-home detox and get along to daily yoga classes? Were you dreaming of a wineries tour? Stock up on a variety of wines and cheeses and have friends over each night for ‘tastings’. Wish you were on an adventure trek? Find adventure in your local area - go mountain bike riding, take a bellydance class or do some rock climbing. Dreaming of relaxing on a beach somewhere? Buy a hammock, some trashy magazines and the ingredients for some long island iced teas. You get the picture…
I’d love to hear from you, what are your thoughts on staycations? Have you holidayed at home recently? Was it fabulous or a failure? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.
October 19th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I live on the west coast and have access to the Pacific Coast Trail. I hit parts of that on the weekends, and when I can get away. I totally agree with the concept of a staycation!