Vacations are relaxing. Who doesn’t love packing for hours, making arrangements for their dog, finding someone to water their plants, and then returning home to unpack and wash a week’s worth of laundry for the entire family? Wait. That doesn’t sound relaxing at all. Nevermind the task of entertaining children during a flight or a six-hour drive. While a vacation has its place, sometimes it just isn’t worth the hassle. As The Atlantic points out, staycations, if done correctly, can be an enjoyable and relaxing time with your family without the drawbacks of a typical vacation.
Save Money
The most obvious benefit of opting for a staycation over a vacation is saving money. Just the act of traveling is expensive. Flying is obviously costly, but driving is time consuming, puts wear and tear on your car, and uses up gas (which, obviously, costs money). Besides traveling expenses, you’ll also need to pay for a hotel, entertainment, and dining out for multiple meals a day.
On the other hand, a staycation allows you to sleep in your own (free) bed while you enjoy meals from your own home. While you can eat out if you’d like, it’s at least optional and doesn’t need to be every meal. You may also take a scenic drive on a staycation, but that will use far less gas than a drive to and from a vacation spot.
Less Stress
Planning a vacation can be stressful. If you fly, you have to find and book a flight, catch your plane, and fight off jet lag. Driving for hours is no walk in the park either. You’ll also have to pack, unpack, become informed about what to do at your destination, and try to avoid getting lost in the area. A staycation lets you manage your anxiety and stress by skipping the hassles and jumping straight to the relaxing parts, which can help you achieve a little self-care.
The best benefit of a staycation is you can focus your attention on spending quality time with your friends and family. Even if your family is close by or you have friends near you, you’re likely too busy to visit with them as often as you’d like. Use part of your staycation to pay an overdue visit to your parents or friends from college. Perhaps you could use your staycation to turn your home into a stress-free oasis so that you can relax long after the vacay has ended. A staycation is also the perfect time to not worry about sightseeing and dinner reservations. While you certainly can plan out the entire staycation, you can also completely wing it.
What to Do
By staying close to home, you can discover new parts of your area. There may be hidden treasures in or near you that you didn’t even know existed. Even if you’ve been there, it’s nice to go back. Maybe there’s a museum you’ve yet to discover, or perhaps you can head to an amusement park you haven’t visited in a few years. If you live in a city, use your staycation to try out a new restaurant.
If you’re on a tight budget, Living Well Spending Less mentions that you can enjoy many staycation activities that won’t break the bank. Camping doesn’t require you to leave your backyard. Pitch a tent and unroll your sleeping bag while you roast marshmallows over a fire pit. Or how about enjoying a hike at a nearby nature preserve or following the walking trail at the park.
You can also spend a short getaway at a nearby vacation rental. Choose a rental near the activities you enjoy most, whether your passions are music and comedy, shopping, or fine dining.
A staycation is a great way to unwind without the negatives of a typical vacation, whether you’re on a budget, on a limited timeline, or just don’t feel like dealing with the hassles of taking a trip away from home. While a staycation may not allow you to see the world, it does provide you with an opportunity to rest and reconnect with your family, which is the main point of a vacation anyhow.
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