At TannerGonzalez we put in big hours at work, sometimes so much we don’t get to take a traditional travel vacation. Many time we prefer to do a “staycation”.
So what is a staycation, and how is it different from what you do at home normally?
A staycation is life unplugged.
Choose an end date to your staycation, just as you would any normal vacation. Otherwise it runs the risk of just feeling like you’re suddenly unemployed.
Explore your area. Just because you’re not leaving town doesn’t mean you can’t leave your house. I’ll bet there are plenty of things to do in your area that you’ve never tried — a great restaurant, a hiking trail, a river to kayak down; this is certainly true of the Denver area.
See movies on the big screen. No, not your 50-inch flatscreen — an actual theater.
Books! Remember books? How you gaze at them longingly as they sit taunting you on the shelf, wishing you had time to read them? Now you do!
Take staycation pictures. Why is it most of the pictures we have of ourselves are taken when we’re far away from home, in unfamiliar surroundings, wear goofy tourist clothes? Looking back at my personal stash of photos, I always wish I had taken more slice-of-life pics of everyday things — my old house, my old school, my old cat, etc. Not some statue in Italy I’ll never see again. So get out your camera and use this staycation as an excuse to document your native environs.
Spend a night in a local hotel. It’s amazing how you can get away from it all without really going anywhere. Sometimes the best escape is just around the corner, pick an inexpensive night to stay at a nice place, get room service, take advantage of the spa downstairs.
Treat yourself to a cleaner for the week
The best bit about going on holiday is not having to clean up after yourself! Treat yourself to a cleaner and they’ll do all those weekly chores like washing and ironing, hoovering. dusting and tidying. You’ll feel so much more relaxed knowing someone else will take care of all those cleaning tasks for you.
Eat foreign foods al fresco
If you feast on fresh baguettes, cheese, cold meats and plenty of red wine when you’re in France why not do it on your staycation too?
Organise an outdoor cinema night
Open air cinema nights are really popular at the moment. Hire a projector and screen a classic film in your back garden or a friend’s if you don’t have one.
Create your own room service menu
Create and print out a little room service menu that has all your favorite breakfasts, snacks and indulgent foods on it. It needn’t be fancy – anything from chocolate spread in a warm croissant and fresh juice to a home-made club sandwich (a room service classic).
Set some holiday ground rules
You want to make your staycation feel as much like a family getaway as possible so set out some ground rules beforehand. This could include:
No email checking
No smart phones at dinner
No alarm clocks
Dinner around the dining table
No alarms! Enjoy a lie in and good rest on your staycation.
Let people know you’re on staycation
You would tell your nearest and dearest you’re off on holiday so make sure you tell them about your staycation.
