Vacation is coming your way at long last! Isn’t it the right time to google what’s the weather is like at your favorite seashore resort? Or check availability at some topnotch destination you’ve been craving for? Sounds like the way to go. Unless you want something you’ve never tried before. And, no matter how odd it feels, you may opt for something called a STAYcation. And, yes, it is what it reads: it means you are not goin’ anywhere.
So, let’s cut the long story short and talk about why on Earth you might want to try it. Look through the list of staycation advantages from the top of a staycation fan’s head:
- First things first, it’s a money saver. Bounty destinations and all other less-bounty options cost a lot these days. Most of package tours are a real rip-off. Even if you bother to pay less and organize everything yourself, it is still likely to cost you more than nothing. Besides, it has been statistically proven that more than a half of us tend to overspend while on holiday.
- A couple of little bonuses of waiving your oversees flights: one – no jet lag, unavoidable for most of us and so unfair. Why waste precious time out of your time off when you get to a place, but aren’t able to enjoy it? Two – no airport/plain associated hassle. Not flying means no annoying queues at passport control, no lost luggage, no delays, no early morning flights and even earlier cab rides, no plain food and little leg room. If you travel for work (as we all do), you’ve got far too much of it in your everyday life, so let your vacation be stress-free for once.
- Staycation will in addition save you the effort of organizing your pet/plants care while you are away. Even if you haven’t got any, your abandoned house or apartment will still need somebody to keep an eye on.
- Seize the opportunity to visit or revisit those places and sights nearby you have never had enough time for. Vacation-level experience could be reached by discovering the best of your hometown. If you were a tourist coming here for a vacation, where to would you head first?
- Plenty of time to hang around with friends and family! And for once you really can afford paying attention. Staycation will allow you to invest as much time as you want. Cook something and invite everyone in, or make a day trip with a picnic in the countryside. Staycation isn’t necessarily about staying in (unless you really want to) it’s about going out – big time!
- Choose what you like and indulge to some form of do-nothingness. Isn’t it sweet to wake up in your own bed, realizing it is more than one day off ahead? Staycation is the best option if you want to keep a pajamas dress-code for several days in a row. Just relax and enjoy these precious moments.
If all the above sounds right, read the following tips to make your staycation a perfect one:
- Try not to overload your schedule with dentist visits and other routine pursuits. Remember, you could have been hanging out thousands of miles away on the African safari feeding elephants and mosquitoes. No way under these circumstances you could manage even a five percent of mundane things on your long to-do list. So, compromise and be inventive.
- Avoid gadgets. If you really want to cut on stress, stay away from all kind of screens and touchpads, anything with buttons on it that might need your attention for more than 4 min. Numerous researches have shown that the screen light throws off our sleep cycles and melatonin production. So, opt for healthy pass time and good night sleep. Think of your staycation as of a unique chance to take care of your overstressed and tired self. It is the time to slow down and unwind.
- No working emails or phone calls. Strictly. Give yourself an inviolable vow of responsible non-responding to any business issues. A single wrong move – and you know what will happen. Do not allow to turn your home to your office. You don’t have to travel far to detach. If you love the place you call home, why escape it? Take this option to enjoy your free time where you belong, just let it be a real holiday (as opposing to a working one).
- Stay organized and keep track of your time to make the most of it. Don’t ruin your staycation with a no-plan policy. It’s not a good idea to watch TV and procrastinate the hole time. Make a cool checklist of things you’ll make yourself busy with in advance, especially as some of those will require prior arrangements.
However, the best advice is to be happy with your staycation. Don’t hesitate in your decision even for a second. Don’t feel envy for those who choose to go away elsewhere for a holiday as hundreds of thousands of people usually do, and as you have done many times already. Step out of this never-ending chase of who’s-got-the-darkest-suntan or who manages to take a zillionth best selfy of “me and the Eiffel Tower”, “me and a Taj Mahal”, etc. Let yourself feel proud, and be ecstatic about your tailor-made way of spending the time off. Remember Mark Twain’s definition of work: – it’s something what you are obliged to do – so do the opposite – don’t feel obliged and enjoy your chance to whitewash a fence every day!
