How About We Plan A Staycation?

Here’s how and why you should plan a staycation…

Not everyone is a teacher with extended time off.

Not everyone can leave their house/pets/loved ones for a week-long trip.

Sometimes the finances just aren’t there for a longer trip.

Maybe you just need a quick reset to get your mind right, Boss.

Perhaps a quick staycation is for you! I was surprised when this word was recognized by Google docs, because I thought it was kind of a mash-up common in our culture but not really a “thing.” When I looked up the definition, it turns out it was accepted by the Oxford dictionary in 2010, and refers to people staying close to home and enjoying day trips, as opposed to traveling out of their area. 

It’s a great plan.

Get Out Of Your House

When I think of a staycation, I’m still staying in a hotel (not my own house), but only travel an hour or so from my house. I’ve found that to have any type of relaxation and to refresh myself, I need to be outside of my home. I love my house—we’ve been in it for over 20 years now—but when I’m here, I see all of the chores and things that need to be done. There are always dishes, laundry never stops, and I notice all of the dust that needs to be addressed. So, while several definitions talk about staying home and doing day trips, that is not what I’m suggesting.

Go somewhere else. 

Staycation to me means a short drive. You need to decide yourself how far you are willing to go for an inexpensive and fun weekender. The borders of Arizona, Utah and California are all one hour from my house, but there isn’t necessarily anything to do right at the border, so I might need to extend my map a little. 

I live in Las Vegas, so it might seem like a no-brainer for us to “hit the Strip” for a weekend, but it isn’t that easy. Prices on the Strip have outpaced inflation, and when you tack on parking fees (even for us locals!) and “Resort Fees”, most of the popular spots are out of our price range for a quick weekender. Fortunately, we have several great towns no one has heard of within 90 minutes of here, where we can stay for a weekend very inexpensively, play on the Colorado river, and enjoy some mindless pool time with a good book. 

Benefits of a Weekend Around Your City

There are several reasons why staying close to home is the perfect solution for a quick weekend reset for you. Here are a few things I take into consideration when we plan a staycation:

COST

While we will still have some gas prices to contend with, at least we aren’t going particularly far. In addition, since it’s a quick trip, we can take our smallest car because we aren’t carting beach things, surfboards, or the kids. When we plan a staycation, we will do a two-nighter as a staycation, which can cost a few dollars, but significantly less than a longer trip. We are not “foodies”, so we try to keep our dining costs down, but it is certainly higher than a weekend at home.

PROXIMITY

We talked about the small costs for gas, which is a big expense these days. The advance planning for a quick staycation is significantly lighter than a big trip, since if you really need something, you’ll know the area and can run out and get it. Staying closer to home also increases your time at the resort/location, since you aren’t spending that time in the car.

NEW EXPERIENCES

This might end up being a budget buster, but it also might be the reason for the staycation! Your goal might be to just lounge in a chair near the pool/beach, or it might be to shop at the new outlet mall. Sweet Husband, however, does these trips to go to concerts with two of his friends. It’s a great weekend away for him in a different location, but it certainly isn’t the cheap weekender we do to Laughlin, NV! This is, however, a fabulous time for you to check out a museum you haven’t visited! Maybe there is a zoo or a wild animal park you haven’t been to (we have one of those an hour away that we haven’t visited yet!), or a fabulous waterfall hike a friend at work told you about. This is the chance to plan a quick, inexpensive weekender to try out something you haven’t done.

YOU’RE ‘ON CALL’

This one refers to my “real life” as the caregiver for my elderly mom, and also the fact that I’m a loving “dog mom”, too. Going away for a longer time, further away, makes me nervous in case Mom (or my Sweet Dog) needs some type of medical care or support. By taking more, shorter trips, I feel more comfortable managing my other responsibilities.

Downsides When You Plan A Staycation

This type of quickie reset might not be the best choice for you at this time! Here are a few things that might get in the way:

“THERE’S NOWHERE TO GO“

It’s easy to feel like you’ve seen and done it all in your area, and there isn’t anywhere to go. Think harder. Get more creative. Redefine “staycation”. I’ve been in my town for 26 years, and there are tons of hikes I haven’t done, hotels I haven’t visited, sites I haven’t seen. You might have to look a little harder to find something of interest, but everywhere in these beautiful United States has something to discover.

“I CAN ONLY DO A WEEKEND“

This is our problem from August to June—we can only do the more expensive Fri to Mon weekender. During the summer, we can get a Tues to Thurs so much cheaper. If that is your situation, timing is key for you. Research prices over a period of a month and see if there is any dip. The other key to this is to know the traffic patterns—you don’t want your one hour trip to turn into three hours due to weekend traffic! We’re trying to avoid stress, remember?

“I CAN’T EVEN AFFORD TWO NIGHTS”

I get it. There were plenty of years for us when it wasn’t in the budget, either. This is when our friends and family stepped up and made it possible for us. Visiting people is a great way to get out of your comfort zone, have a nice weekend away, and decompress. While you still need gas money, plus a nice hostess gift, you avoid that backbreaking hotel cost.

“MY RESPONSIBILITIES PREVENT IT”

This is the toughest nut to crack, and we’ve had periods of time we simply couldn’t leave, and they are brutal. In that case, you need to make your at-home staycation as relaxing and stress-free as you possibly can. We would take weekends where we refused to do any housework, ordered in food, and turned off the tv in favor of books. We would even dress up to eat dinner just to make it a little more special, even though it was still our own dining room. Do something to make it special and different—that’s the real key to any vacation.

Plan To Make Your Staycation The Best

This is the “write your own ending…” section of today’s blog. What would make it special and memorable and relaxing for you? Reading has always been an escape for me, even as a child, so having extended time to dive into books is very rewarding for me. Maybe for you it would be dining at a certain restaurant, or cooking a favorite (slightly more expensive and special meal). Literally, just last night, we sent Sweet Youngest Child to our favorite bakery to pick up some fabulous Italian desserts just because we felt like we needed a pick-me-up after a stressful day. 

Add Your Own Fun

If you’re going to someplace with built-in fun, it makes everything easier. For example, our standard weekend location has a lovely pool to lounge at, and multiple restaurants at every pricepoint for us to choose. That isn’t the case when we do a hiking weekend, or visit friends. So we try to think in advance of ways to make the weekend a little more different, special, memorable. When we visit people, we bring a game or two they might not have heard of, so we can have some fun in the evenings. When we travel, we always pack our absolute favorite snacks, and we eat them lying in bed at night, which we don’t do at home. 

The goal is to get out of your daily routine and drudgery. What that looks like for you might be different than me, and it might be different based on where you are heading. I can’t bring a pretty sundress when we go hiking, but I can bring the makings for S’mores which I can’t do at a hotel! Find ways to make each little jaunt out into the world fun and relaxing for you and your travel companions.

You will return rested, refreshed, and ready to take on those daily routines with a rested and relaxed attitude that will serve you well for a while. Then…plan another one!!! 

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR

Thank you for reading all about how to plan a staycation!!

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out some other tips, like how to solve common travel challenges, here, or how to get to Disney this summer, here! Or, check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

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