The Movers.com Blog

Newest vacation hot spot - your own home

These days, most people are familiar with the term staycation - rather than traveling for your vacation, you stick around your home. Due to the current state of the economy, as well as the rising costs of gas and air fare, more and more people are taking staycations.

Recession or not, staycations are an excellent way to escape from it all without the troubles associated with more traditional vacations. You won’t have to deal with the stresses of going through airports and being in an unfamiliar place. Additionally, staycations are a good option for families with young children, for whom traveling can be even more of a hassle.

For anyone planning a staycation this summer, the best advice is to treat it like a real vacation. Thus, plan out your activities in advance. This way, you can avoid spending your days sitting on the couch watching TV, unless you’re like me and that is your perfect idea of a staycation.

You should also put aside work responsibilities just as if you were actually going away. This means that you should avoid checking your work e-mail and offering to go into the office. As for all the household chores you’ve been putting off, put them off a little longer. You probably won’t enjoy your staycation that much if you spend it cleaning out the garage.

So how do you pass the time during your staycation? No matter where you live, there are plenty of things to do nearby. You could spend the days going to amusement parks, festivals, theaters, zoos, or anything else around your home that you wouldn’t normally visit.

The key to enjoying the full potential of your staycation is to break up your normal routine as much as possible. Since you will be saving a lot of money on traveling expenses, you might want to stay at a local hotel for a couple nights. You could also set up a tent at a nearby campground or even in the backyard. Just because you decided to stay close to home, this doesn’t mean you have to sleep in your own bed every night.

If you were on a real vacation, you would likely have to pay for three meals a day, which can quickly put a hole in your wallet. During your staycation, this won’t be an issue. Of course, if you want to treat yourself with the money you save by not purchasing air fare, then go eat at that expensive restaurant you wouldn’t normally go to. Another idea for staycation cuisine is to take a culinary trip around the world by eating at ethnic restaurants or by cooking different-themed meals yourself.

Going on a staycation is a great way to take a break from work and get away from your normal routine. You can also discover hidden treasures in your neighborhood that you might not normally find. Just as long as you treat it as a true vacation by avoiding work and other chores, your staycation can be a fun and relaxing time. Most importantly, though, a staycation is an inexpensive way to get away from it all without going anywhere.